More Pimmy

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Yesterday, my donkey Pimmy got loaded into the trailer with help from my kind neighbor Frank. I hauled her to our equine veterinarian. Pimmy had refused to eat for several days and the doctor was concerned about the health of Pimmy’s liver. That was correct; a new blood draw revealed that the liver was in serious condition.

One of the veterinary staff helped me reload the resisting donkey, and Pimmy and I headed across town. Our destination was the equine hospital. She’d be there a couple of days and force-fed to revive her appetite and calm her liver. Her attending veterinarian called yesterday evening and said the progress was slow; she asked me to be on standby overnight and reachable in case they needed to contact me.

I didn’t hear anything overnight–good news.

An important thing to understand about equines is that the minute one refuses to eat, it indicates a potentially serious problem. I recognized that Pimmy wasn’t eating and assumed that was associated with the meds she had been receiving. She has a metabolic condition known as Cushing’s Syndrome. I had been following veterinary instructions to treat it.

Those instructions included separating Pimmy from her horse buddies. feeding her special hay, and giving her meds. The outcome has taught me more about a donkey. This animal has a big emotional component. I believe Pimmy was distressed for being separated, receiving forced medications, and having to eat unlikable de-sugared hay. She became depressed and stopped eating, lost appetite, and her liver went berserk.

I hope she has improved overnight and is well enough to come home today. There’s much to figure out to keep her adequately fed and medicated. The feedings will become easier because a load of low-sugar hay is en route here, and all the equines can share it.

But medicating Pimmy daily will be tough. The sleepy-looking animal knows what’s next when I move toward her with medication and she dodges away. I don’t want to separate her again. That will mean encouraging her to come to me, to accept a disguised, bad-tasting pill.

Dear Friends: This part of my journey with Pimmy is a steep learning curve. Diana