The Geldings Get Dewormed!

In all it has been a pretty uneventful week for our two grumpy, old geldings. They have been dealing with the ice well and with the cooler temps Buddy and JD have been getting some extra hay. Remember that when the temperature drops below the critical temperature, 15 degrees for horses, the animal will require up to 15 to 20% more calories per day. However, the critical temperature can be increased if conditions such as rain, snow, ice, wind, ect are present. But critical temperature and the ice are not our focus this week...instead we are talking about WORMS!

Worms are considered a parasite which is an organism that grows and feeds off of another organism, called the host, and the parasite provides no benefit to the host. In our case today the host is the horse! There are many, actually over 150, different internal parasites (worms) that can affect the horse but the major ones that we will concentrate on include:

• Roundworms (ascarids, Parascaris equorum)

• Pinworms (Oxyuris equi)

• Large Strongyles (Strongylus spp)

• Small Strongyles (cyathostomes)

• Tapeworms (Anoplocephala spp)

• Bots (Gasterophilus intestinalis)

• Threadworms (Strongyloides westeri)

Below is a graph from North Dakota State University Extension (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/horse/v543.pdf) that shows where and how these parasites affect horses:

Worms can cause various problems in the horse which can range from a poor, dull hair coat, diarrhea, perforation (holes and tearing) in the intestinal tract, and even colic. This is why its very important that horse owners maintain a regular deworming program. There are many different "programs" that horse owners use and at the "Kotz Hotel" we maintain a two - three month rotation of oral (paste) dewormers.

What is a "dewormer"
A dewormer is a drug that is able to kill and/or evacuate the internal parasites. These drugs are also known as anthelmintics. Common anthelmintics include:

• Ivermectin - targets all parasites except tapeworms and is effective against some migrating strongyle larvae.

• Moxidectin - targets all parasites except tapeworms and is effective against encysted small strongyles.

• Fenbendazole - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, and roundworms and it is effective against migrating strongyle larvae and encysted small strongyles when used at double the normal dose for five consecutive days.

• Oxibendazole - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, roundworms, and threadworms.

• Pyrantel pamoate - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, roundworms, and when used at a double dose it will also kill tapeworms.

• Praziquantel - targets tapeworms.

(Source for types of dewormers: "Deworming." Fact Sheet. The Horse.com, January 22, 2010. .)

Part of the deworming program needs to include rotation on the different drug classes of dewormer otherwise the parasites can begin to build a resistance to it. For example, one time it would be of benefit to use an ivermectin and then at the next deworming use a fenbendazole. The last time our horses were dewormed they were given Ivercare (ivermectin), thus yesterday they were administered StrongyleCare (pyrantel pamoate). FYI: These dewormers can be purchased at Three Rivers Town & Country in Epworth!

I'm sure you are ready to hear about the deworming story of our grumpy old geldings and I can assure you it is an interesting one! I had some good chuckles out of it when I heard it!

On Thursday, Danyn contacted me and told me that she was going to be taking her daughter, Macey, out to see the horses and she also wanted to remind me to bring home the dewormer for the horses. I told her no problem and that I was actually running into Dubuque as it was and I could drop off the dewormer if she would like to administer it to them. Danyn, in her usual delighted voice said, "Sure, no problem!" I grabbed the dewormer from the shelf in Epworth and before I dropped them off I wrote the names of the horses and their weights on the box. Both Buddy and JD weigh about 1,200 lbs. (Knowing the weight is important when deworming because the weight tells you how much paste the animal should get.) So I wrote down all the horses name's and their weights and when I got to Danyn's horse, Dixie, I thought I'd have a lil' fun....

"Dixie....Weight: OFF THE CHARTS"

So I dropped off the product and later on that night Danyn stopped in to see me. She told me that everything went well except...and this is where you know the story is going to get good. First Danyn and Macey went down to the barn to get some stuff out, well Hank was not being a good boy and since she didn't latch the barn door behind her, guess who just got in...Hank and behind him came the other horses!! Danyn turned around and yelled at all the horses....really I don't know if they took her seriously, I'm sure they just looked at her and said, "Yea right, bring it on Lady." Well, the tone of her voice must have gotten more stern and they all turned and ran right back out. Next it was time to start deworming. She went into the pen with Buddy and JD. Usually our horses are pretty good with deworming and she knew that so Danyn didn't take out a halter with her. This "horse whisper" technique worked real well with Buddy. He was a good boy and stood still and took the paste like a champ. Well, JD was obviously watching what was going on and when Danyn started to walk over to JD he took one look at her and though..."Oh NO WAY!" He got outta dodge real quick. Danyn said she tried going after him and the ice was not making the situation much better. She finally gave in and went and got the halter because she knew that he would not stand for her. Finally JD caved and he let Danyn grab him. However, just because he isn't running away from her doesn't mean that the fun and games are over! Oh, no the battle has just begun! JD is a tall horse and well Danyn is not so tall. This makes it slightly difficult when a horse is throwing his head and refusing to take the paste. Eventually Danyn, small yet mighty, won the war and JD was dewormed.

Thanks for your persistence with deworming difficult horses and all your hard work that you do out at the "Kotz Hotel" Danyn!

The Tale of Two Grumpy, Old Geldings: Buddy & JD

Our "Tale of Two Grumpy, Old Geldings" begins just a few short weeks ago when JD said good bye to Lola as she was hauled away in Connolly's trailer. When the sad news came that Lola would not be returning to the "Kotz Hotel" it was important that we found JD a new pasture mate. My first thought was to put in Daisy, a four year old paint mare owned by Danyn Maroney. I discussed this with Danyn and we were both on the same wave length that she would be a good fit for a few reasons:

1. She is already low horse on the totem pole with the other horses.
2. She is not a very aggressive horse and would not push JD out of his feed.
3. She would benefit from being fed individually rather than in a group.
4. She is a very easy going horse and would make switching a breeze.

Well, we were wrong. When we put Daisy in with JD she seemed to always be looking over the fence, wanting to be with the other horses. Plus, JD stood his ground once with her and after that she was almost too scared to go near him...this made feeding time difficult with the side by side feeding stalls. To top it off we also noticed that she wasn't drinking! The water that she was drinking from was exactly the same because our trough is split but the side of the fence that she was now on had a smaller opening that came up at an angle rather than straight on. We moved her back within two days.

That brings us to the beginning of our tale....As I was thinking who our next best option would be I scanned our horses....

• Hank - No way! No one gets in the way of him and his Purina horse feed. This is a good thing that he likes his Purina so much but bad because he is an easy keeper and the amount of feed he receives daily compared to JD is much less. He would probably push JD out of the way and then JD wouldn't get the necessary amount of Equine Senior!

• Radar - Umm...he has seem to take a strong liking to Daisy and Dixie, especially when the two come in heat. Plus he kind of a push over and JD would be too aggressive for him.

• Dixie - Negative, Danyn tells me she can be a little "moody" towards geldings and it wouldn't be a good fit with just her and JD. So scratch that idea. Plus don't you see that her and Radar obviously have a "connection".

• Mickey- Could be a good idea but again he is too much of a push over. We need a horse that will stand some ground! We could run into the same situation that we did with Daisy

• Buddy - DING DING, I think we have a winner. First off, Buddy will stand his ground. He loves his Purina too but I know that if he tries to take JD's feed, JD will push him out and Buddy will obey. Plus, we have been having some occasional stool issues with Buddy and I've been wanting to feed him special anyways...PERFECT!
  

JD was alone for less than 24 hours before his new roommate was introduced. Really it wasn't a big issue putting the two geldings together because they have been pasture mates for at least 10 years; expect for the few months that JD spent at the Moore "Green Acres Retirement Pasture". When I opened the gate and let Buddy into JD's pen there were no fireworks...the two stiffed each other by touching noises and that was that. It was like they said, "Oh, it's you....ok." We fed them that night and Buddy tried going into JD's feeding station but JD kicked him out real quick, so he tried the next one and eureka....we have found our place!!

Before we continue on in our story I'd like to give you all a little background on our two geldings. Let's start with JD....

JD came to us when my family was looking for a new horse for me to upgrade to. One that had a little more get up and go but was still docile enough that I could continue to build my confidence and riding skills. We found JD in Sherrill, Iowa and purchased him from Ron Herbst. To be honest I can't remember the year we purchased him or at what age but what I can tell you is that his teeth age him around 30 years old. We brought JD home and I fell in love with him! I rode him on trail rides and in horse shows; we attempted western pleasure but if you know JD his head likes to stay up and in a western pleasure class that is not the most desired look. We also attempted barrels and poles at the shows but trust me, we were by no means the fastest team. However, there was one event that we excelled at...Egg N' Spoon. That's right, you are reading about the Dubuque County 4H Champion Egg N' Spoon horse three years running...then I graduated so that was the end of our streak! We have three trophy's sitting at home for that event and have also done extremely well at local fun shows. I used JD as my main horse for many years but soon it was time to upgrade...Now JD is used as a "merri-go-round" for when people want to come over and ride. Mainly we just let children ride him and he treats them pretty well...sometimes he can get a lil' grumpy and may make a beeline to the fence to get unsaddled but all in all he is pretty easy going.

Buddy is a 1989 (so he is 21 this year) quarter horse that came to us in the summer of 1997 when another one of our horses had passed away and my best friend Kelsey (her and I rode constantly together) needed another horse to ride. Well, our good friend Kenny Bergfeld (who you may remember as our 'John Wayne' from the Lola Construction Story) told us that he had the perfect horse for us to use until we found another horse for Kelsey. Well, there was a small fact I left out, Buddy was also for sale and if we liked him we could just buy him from Kenny. As you guessed it, Buddy came to our house and never left. Now, at first I was not a fan of Buddy, I always told my parents we should just sell him but I am very thankful they never listened to me! One summer Kelsey and I decided to trade horses at a horse show, she would ride Rocky in barrels and I would ride Buddy....When I entered the ring with Buddy my mother, who was announcing, asked "What are you doing on Kelsey's horse!" Here are the famous last words..."Don't worry Mom it will be fine!" I broke my arm....that's right, I ran my pattern, the saddle broke, the fence post and I had a conversation and that was that...You'd think I'd dislike Buddy even more after that accident but I almost grew a stronger bond with him. The next summer I began competing more on Buddy. We went team penning on Friday nights and ran speed events at local shows on the weekends. We also went in a few parades while I was in highschool and I also used him as a flag horse at a couple rodeo's while I was Miss ISU Rodeo. He has been a fantastic horse for our family and now he has the honor of teaching other people how to ride. Like JD he is used as a "merri-go-ground" but he is also now teaching my cousin Lauren barrels and poles as well as my friend Danyn and her daughters! Oh, I should also let you know that Buddy has another name that he goes by...Fabio...because of his long, flowing flaxen mane and because of his debonair personality...every girl seems to fall in love with him!

After reading the description of these two horses you are probably wondering why the blog is titled "The Tale of Two GRUMPY, Old Geldings." To put it simple...as these two horses have aged I can assure you that their patience has diminished and trust me, they have become pretty grumpy in their old age....

And that is where we will end today, stay tuned as you take a journey in the life of these two Grumpy Old Geldings....both are senior horses but you will see that both are very different in their lifestyles!

She will be missed...

It was Tuesday, January 5 at 4:45 pm and I was on my way to deliver some dog food and shavings to June in Durango. I decided to take the long way to Durango so I could pass the house and quickly check on the horses. Coming down Old Hwy Road and turning onto Siepple I noticed that Lola was rolling. At first thought this was not unusual. Lola and JD tend to roll a lot, for example when it was feeding time each one of them would roll twice by the time they were fed their Purina feed and hay...However, as I watched Lola when I drove by and kept an eye on her in my rear view mirror I noticed that she put her feet out in front of her like she was going to get up but then laid back down on her side and kicked. Plus, Lola had a lot of snow on her and as most of you from the area know it is darn cold out and snow really isn't sticking to anything unless its wet. With all of that combined I knew something wasn't right. I turned the truck around and pulled in...she was still rolling. I ran into the garage, grabbed a halter and lead rope, put it on her and got her up and walking around. For those of you with horses you can probably already guess what the culprit is...for those of you that don't own horses the signs/symptoms that Lola was exhibiting is an indication of colic. (Source of image to right: "Equine Colic". TheHorse.com. January 7, 2010. .

As I was walking her around I first called Dr. Robert Beecher, Lola's vet. I informed Dr. Beecher of what was happening and he said he would be out immediately. Next I called Jane McCall with the Humane Society to keep her up to date on Lola's situation. Jane told me that she would be out as soon as she could to check on Lola and talk to Dr. Beecher. Next, I began to call for 'reinforcements'. First call was made to my friend Danyn who was out at the house around noon checking on her horses. I asked Danyn and Lola had gotten any of the new hay that was brought in, any feed, and what Lola's demeanor was like. Danyn said that Lola was her normal perky self, Lola was even eating some hay that was left over from her morning feeding and she did not receive any of the new hay nor did she give her any grain or treats. I told Danyn 'thanks' and told her I'd call her later with more details on Lola. The next call was made to my friend and neighbor Julie Kunde who has a training barn (Kunde Performance Horses) just down the road from us. I called Julie because I needed an extra set of hands for a short time. Julie came up immediately and luckily was not picked up by the cop that passed her as she sped up to the house! We actually watched the cop drive by the place a couple times but I think he quickly figured out why Julie was in such a hurry...thank you Mr. Sheriff! Julie helped walk Lola around while I outfitted myself in warmer attire because a long sleeve shirt, a puffy vest, and some gloves were just not going to cut it...I was going to be out there for awhile. Next, Julie and I put a blanket on Lola to help warm her up because she was shivering. Lola did try to lay down and roll a couple times but Julie did a great job keeping her up. After about 20 minutes I told Julie that I should be fine and she could be on her way....thank for your help Jules! As I continued to walk Lola around the pen my next reinforcement calls were made to my parents. I called Dad and asked him to come home as soon as he could...I knew that at some point I may need some extra hands....and muscle that I don't have...to keep Lola up and walking around. I then called my Mom, who was at Wal-Mart at the time, and informed her of the situation...I can only imagine what it looked like when my Mother probably dropped everything out and hurried out of the store. Mom was the first one to arrive with Dad and Jane McCall right behind her.

Dr. Beecher arrived at the house and assessed Lola and her vitals. Her heart rate and respiration rate was up and there were absolutely no gut sounds. Dr. Beecher agreed that we were dealing with a case of colic. Dr. Beecher felt that the case of colic was brought on by the severe temperature changes and the very cold temperatures. He mentioned that since Sunday alone he has dealt with four other colic cases. Plus, in the cold weather horses have a tendency not to drink enough water and become dehydrated, even with a water heater being installed like it is at our house. Treatment began with an intravenous shot of banamine and phenylbutazone (aka: bute). Both drugs are pain killers. The banamine is "shorter lived" pain medication where as the bute is a longer lasting medication. After the medications were administered Dr. Beecher instructed me to walk Lola around some more then after a while he wanted us to offer her some hay. She put her nose down into it and acted like she wanted to eat but just couldn't. We continued to walk her around and observe her actions. Soon we noticed that she began to shiver, we were loosing ground being out in the cold temperatures. The bad news is that our barn is not heated but the good news is that we are blessed with good friends. I contacted Jim Connolly who owns Connolly Saddle Shed and a barn where his son, Joe, trains horses in Bernard, Iowa. Their barn is heated and Jim told us that he has an empty stall and we are welcome to use it. Well, the kicker is that our family trailer was being lent out so we had no transportation...Jim offered to drive over and pick Lola up. With in 25 minutes Jim, Joe, and Katie Connolly were at our house with trailer in tow. We loaded Lola up and Katie and I hopped in my truck and followed behind and Dr. Beecher would be bringing up the rear in his van.

We arrived at Connolly's barn and took Lola out of the trailer and lead her into the stall. She seemed to be doing OK and wasn't not attempting to lay down and roll. We let her relax in her stall as we waited for Dr. Beecher...who we thought was right behind us as we made the trip out to Connolly's. Since Lola was stabilized for the moment Dr.Beecher ran to Wal-Mart and picked up a chicken and some cola! After spending close to two hours out in the cold I can tell you that the warm chicken looked absolutely delicious. Thank you Dr. Beecher! Plus to go with the chicken Tammy Connolly, Jim's wife, brought us out some amazing cookies...thanks Tammy! When Dr. Beecher arrived at the barn he checked on Lola's vitals and her heart rate and respiratory rate had come down but she still didn't want to eat. Dr. Beecher administered some more medication and we walked her around the arena. When things did not improve it was decided that Lola would be tubed and two gallons of water would be flushed into her. After about two minutes it seemed as though the flushing worked...Dr. Beecher checked Lola's gut with the stethoscope and in his words..."The gut is humming! She is humming away!" This was a good sign. We walked her around the arena some more and offered her some hay...she took a few nibbles. Dr. Beecher stayed with us to keep an eye on her for a short time. As we waited we listened to the end of the Hawkeye game on the radio and had a few more bites of chicken and a few cookies. When Dr. Beecher felt comfortable about Lola's current status he left her in the hands of Joe, Hannah Bergfeld, and myself. We kept an eye on her and she remained content in her stall occasionally laying down to rest...but she was not rolling. Hannah stayed for awhile and left shortly before I did at 11:30 pm. Joe told me it would be fine and that he would even consider donating two weeks of training when Lola fully recovered so we could make her more adoptable. Through out the night Jim and Joe periodically checked on Lola and she was ok.
Before work on Wednesday morning I stopped at the barn around 6:30 am to check on her. Though Lola seemed content in her warm, cozy stall I did observe something that was not right...she had not yet pooped. This sent up a red flag, by this time we would have hoped that she would have passed something. I got Lola up and put my ear to her side to listen for gut sounds...there was a very slight gurgle and when I let her go she tried to lay back down and roll. I stopped her from rolling and as she laid their, up like a dog would, she kept putting her nose to her barrel (stomach area). She still was not feeling well. I immediately called Jim and him and Joe came to the barn. It was decided that Dr. Beecher would have to come back out sooner that what he had expected the previous night. I called Dr. Beecher and told him about the situation, he said he would be there shortly. Joe told me that it was OK to go to work and that he would take care of it. I left the barn around 6:45 am. At 8:00 am Joe called my phone and asked for Jane's number. I asked him if everything was ok and he said it wasn't the best and he would keep me in formed. By 8:15 am I had a call from Dr. Beecher...Lola would have to be put down, she had a twisted gut and unfortunately surgery was not an option.

Lola will be missed. She was a great horse and our family, friends, and even people that we don't know have grown very fond of her. It's amazing how one can get so attached to an animal in such a short period of time. I'd like to say that I really enjoyed the experience of fostering a horse and helping it recover. But I'd caution folks that taking one on is not for the light hearted. Remember that things can go really good or bad. Not knowing an animals health history and the complications that can come from abuse and neglect can bring with it hidden problems. For example, in Lola's case her starvation complicates the digestive system and can make her prone to colic.

I am very grateful though that we were able to provide Lola with a loving home in the last few months. I'd also like to take a moment to thank many of the people who helped Lola through out her journey...

• The Dubuque Regional Humane Society for helping to rescue Lola and placing her in a better home where she could recover.
• Dr. Robert Beecher for aiding in Lola's rescue and providing her veterinary care. I really appreciate the passion you have for horses and ensuring their health.
• My parents, Kevin and Janell Kotz for willingly taking Lola into our home and helping me in her care from feeding, grooming, and even construction!
  
• Three Rivers and Purina Mills (Fran Minnaert) for providing feed to Lola.
  
• Aimee Dix for donating her farrier services.
• Tim "Trapper" McDermott for donating his farrier services and helping Lola recover from the nasty abscess that she had.
• The numerous amount of family and friend that helped feed Lola. Your help, especially at the beginning on her recovery was extremely helpful when she was being fed four times a day. Thank you to: Jodi Chapman, Madeline "Grandma" Kotz, Danyn Maroney, Lauren and Karl Kotz, and Julie Kunde.
• Danyn Maroney and Lauren Kotz for not only feeding Lola but also grooming her and making her feel loved.
• The Connolly Family for their help over the last two days in providing a warm barn, transportation, and help in watching over Lola when I couldn't.
• Julie Kunde for not only feeding but also coming in Lola's time of need.
• Kenny and Hannah Bergfeld for their construction skills while building the shelter for Lola.
• Dr. Christine Woodford with Integrative Performance Services for donating her services to float Lola's teeth.

"Lot's Of Love Always"

If you'd like to post a memory or note about Lola you may do so on our Facebook Fan Page. Under the discussion tab their is a topic named "Lola".

Happy Holidays!

Lola and Santa Are Hoping That You Are

'Feeding Your Passion'

This Holiday Season.

Brrr....It's A Frozen Tundra Out There!

Well, the last month as been just lovely in the terms of weather but I can assure you that Lola is handling it very well!! Her and JD have been making very good use out of their shelter and they both have the feed routine down as to which station they need to go into! Lola on the left and JD on the right! Sometimes though you have to watch JD because he will like to be sneaky and pop on over to Lola's and get some Strategy!

Oh, that is the other change over the last month! Lola is now on Strategy rather than Equine Senior! The transition to all Strategy took about 10 days and was completed right before I took off to Florida; this helped make feeding time much simpler for the folks and Danyn while I was away. Oh and in case you were wondering Florida was just fabulous, I apologize for not bringing the nice weather home with me as a souvenir! Anyways, Lola's feeding plan is now 8lbs of Strategy with 15+ lbs of hay a day. How does this compare to the 8lbs of Equine Senior? Well, though our volume of feed is still the same the calories we are providing is not! On 8lbs of Equine Senior Lola was being provided a total of 9,800 kcals versus 8lbs of Strategy that supplies a total of 12,000 kcals!! WOW...go ahead say it...WOW! That is a difference of 2,200 kcals! Remember that we started Lola on Equine Senior because of the high quality roughage sources to get her gut movin' and groovin' again but once we had her up in weight it was necessary to move to a feed that was more calories dense, like Strategy. Eventually, we will begin to slowly decease the volume of Strategy because as she gets to weight it will not be necessary to provide that many calories a day otherwise we will make her fat (obese) and a fat horse is just as unhealthy and can be prone to some equine metabolic diseases. Our goal is to maintain Lola's weight so she is at a body condition score of 5 to 6. Right now Lola is sitting at about a 4. I suspect in early to mid February we will begin to decrease the amount of Strategy to 6 lbs and at maintenance in March she will receive about 4 lbs of Strategy per day.

You maybe wondering why we would not decrease the amount of Strategy to maintenance in January or February if she is up to an ideal body condition by that time. Well, it is winter and it is darn cold out there!! Karen E. Davidson, Ph.D for Purina Mills informs us that all animals have a critical temperature, this is the temperature at which the animal has to produce additional heat in order to maintain their normal body temperature. In horses, at adequate weight with their winter coat, the critical temperature is about 15 degrees F. However, if the horse is young, thin, or did not develop a winter coat the critical temperature can go up to 40 degrees F!!! The critical temperature can also be increased if it is wet and windy outside. So how much more do we have to feed if we drop below the critical temperature? According to Dr. Davidson horses can require up to 15 to 20% more calories per day in order to produce the extra body heat needed! Take Lola as an example. Right now our goal is to feed about 20,000 kcals per day but if we need to feed 15% more calories per day because we dropped below the critical temperature our total daily requirement would be...23,000 kcals!! This is why we will continue to feed a higher volume of Strategy through out the winter because it has a higher energy density and will help provide those extra calories we need. Plus Lola will continue to get larger amounts of hay. The digestion of the hay will also help produce extra internal heat in the animal! To read more from Karen E. Davidson Ph.D about winter care go to: Horse: Purina Mills

Happy Holidays!

More "construction", a roomate, & an abscess!!

Well, its been an interesting two weeks at the Kotz Hotel. There have been many changes for Lola and she has been handling it well. First change came a week ago when four loads of lime were put into Lola's pen!! My Dad had some lime delivered so we could help control the mud issue. Thanks goes to Joe Boge for helping with moving the lime with his skid loader! Always appreciate your neighbors! The next change came when JD returned home after an extended stay at the "Moore Retirement Pasture". We decided the put JD with Lola because each one of them needs special feeding arrangements and it would make chores much simpler having both horses separated off from the rest. Plus it gives Lola a companion and with the cold winter approaching it will be good for the both of them! So let me tell you about JD....

JD is a 30 something grade horse that has been in our family for over 10 years. We purchased him from the Herbst family and he was my horse for many years. I showed him in 4H and local shows, attempted to ride him in western pleasure (head set was way to high), and even tried to run a few barrels...JD is not very fast. He was a great trail horse though and did great in parades. I eventually moved from JD to Buddy and then to Hank! JD has been a great family horse and has given many pony rides to not only kids but also adults. In July I received a call from a family friend of ours, Tammy Moore, and unfortunately one of their horses had passed away and their other horse, Smokey, was very upset, so I offered to Tammy JD to be a companion for Smokey for as long as they needed. JD went to the Moore Retirement Pasture and really enjoyed himself but the day did come that JD had to return home. Now he is a companion for Lola!

When we put JD in with Lola at first he really didn't care and to be honest wasn't too happy. He kept pacing up and down the fence like he wanted to get back out in the pasture with the rest of the horses but eventually he settled down. Though Lola and him are not the best of friends and I think there is a mutal understanding between the two that they just stay out of each others way. The same weekend we put JD in with Lola we made two feeding stantions that would allow the horse to walk in and eat with out the other horse pushing them out of the way. This helps us in feeding and being sure that each animal is getting the feed that they need. Lola's feeding program is similar to JD's. Lola gets six pounds of Equine Senior and a pound and half of Strategy with two pounds of Amplify per day. Where as JD's feeding program is eight pounds of SOAKED Equine Senior per day. JD's feed is soaked to help him better eat since he does not have many teeth.

Now to the abscess. As many of you know we have been dealing with this abscess for some time now and I have good news...it finally blew! Tim McDermott came out and took out part of it up in the toe one day but the abscesss actually then moved back to the heel where we were encouraged by Dr. Beecher and Tim to continuing soaking the foot in Epsom Salt and warm water. Plus Dr. Beecher had us put a Davis Boot on rather than just using the duct tape to keep the hoof covered. Last Monday the abscess let go and you could tell immediately! Lola began to walk around much better and we are back on the road to recovery!

If you would like to see more pictures of Lola and her time at the Kotz Hotel you may become a fan of Three Rivers Town & Country Store on Facebook and check out the photo albums.

Lola's Feeding Plan and Her 'New House'

It was another good week for Lola...she had more visitors, she is at her full feeding rate of Equine Senior, and she has a 'new house'! We did have a couple bad marks this week though. First, we discovered that Lola has some bad manners that need to be taken care of ASAP and she has become a kicker. Get well notes can be sent to Danyn for taking one in the hip! My dad needs a congrats for dodging a hoof while cleaning out the stall. We are now beginning some ground work and teaching manners to Lola because that type of behavior will not be tolerated. Our other bad mark of the week was a small case of thrush. Thanks goes to Danyn for coming out to help me clean out the hoof and treat it. Lola's hoof is doing much better now after another 5 days of stall rest. (Source: 'Fast Facts' http://www.thehorse.com/pdf/factsheets/thrush/thrush.pdf)

Lola's Feeding Program
Currently, Lola is being fed 8 lbs of Equine Senior (4 lbs in the AM an 4 lbs in the PM) plus she is getting hay 3x/day. Equine Senior is a forage based feed that will can be used as a complete feed, which means hay doesn't have to be fed with it), or as part of a feeding program with hay. Because Lola was severally malnourished it was important to begin her feeding program very slowly and work on getting her gut moving again, with Equine Senior we can do this because of the quality sources of forage that is included in it. For example, under normal conditions a person can change a horse's diet over a period of 7 to 10 days; in Lola's case it took us 30 days to reach a full feeding rate! Obviously, the goal to feeding Lola is to not only provide the nutrients she needs such as protein, vitamins, and minerals but to also provide enough calories for weight gain. To add weight to a horse, or to anything for that matter, we need to feed enough calories to EXCEED maintenance. With Lola's feeding program we are doing just this...we are not only meeting her maintenance caloric needs but we are exceeding them. Eventually, we will wean Lola off the Equine Senior and switch her to Purina Strategy. Strategy will be a wonderful fit for her once she begins to add a little more weight. But we have to talk about that feeding program at a later date!! At the moment the good majority of the calories is being provided by forage (hay and in Equine Senior). This week we are going to start adding in Amplify, a 30% fat nugget, at 1/4 lb per day and slowly increase that amount until we get about 2 lb of Amplify per day. Amplify will provide another source of calories...FAT! To learn more about Amplify visit: http://horse.purinamills.com

Lola's New House
It was a busy day at the Kotz Hotel on Saturday, October 24...well at least so I've been told; I was actually out of town judging at the Block & Bridle LNA Show in Ames. The construction project has been in the works for a few weeks now. Dad and I knew that Lola has not been very happy in her stall, and a good indication of that fact was when she dumped about 8 gallons of water in her stall! Dad and I have been talking about how we needed to build a shelter in the dry lot for her so that way she could take cover when the wind picked up or the rain came down but she would still have the opportunity to head back out when the sun decides to peak out. Dad had throwen out a few differnt ideas for shelters that we could do and one evening when he was talking to a friend of ours, Kenny Bergfeld, the two of them discussed options. Kenny told my dad about the shelters he has built and that they were reasonable in price. Best part it that it could be on skids and be portable! Just what my Dad and I wanted! So Dad and Kenny talked and a date was set. On Saturday morning a big blue Dodge pulled into Lola's dry lot and it was full of materials and supplies to build a new shelter for Lola. Kenny Bergfeld stepped out of the Dodge like a modern day John Wayne, but instead of a six-shooter he was packing a nail gun. When Dad heard the Dodge pull in he stepped out of the house with the utility belt fastened and circular saw in hand, he peered out over the deck to the dry lot with a gaze like Clint Eastwood...The two men were ready to work! Luckily there would be two strong, intelligent woman (Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane type women!) to keep them inline and moving through out the day! These woman are known as Janell Kotz and Hannah Bergfeld. Ok maybe it really didn't happen that way but it sounded good right?

So, the construction crew consisted of four people: Dad, Kenny, Kenny's daughter Hannah, and my Mother....Mom was a very integral part of the day making numerous trips to Menards as she dealt with a very uninterested employee in her pursuit to find a 12-foot board, and she also made an extremely important run to Rhody's Food & Spirits to ensure the other team members were well fed with delicious, warm burgers. Plus you will also not notice my Mother in any of the pictures because she was always the one behind the camera....this seems to happen a lot....but we do appreciate her for all the great photos we have. The construction crew worked hard through out the day building the frame, setting it up, and putting the tin on. From what I've been told by my Mom our Clint Eastwood (Dad) and John Wayne (Kenny) were even having nail hitting contests to see how many swings it would take each one of them to get the nail in....At one point during the day Jane McCall stopped by to check on the construction! She was happy to see the construction taking place and that Lola would have a shelter out in the dry lot so she wouldn't have to be in the stall all the time. After many hours the project was finished and the final product looks amazing! The shelter is going to be perfect for the winter because it will allow Lola to stay out in the dry lot for the majority of the winter days! It should be noted though that we did have one minor accident though...Kenny had a minor run in with some boards and his cheek seems to have lost the battle...no guts no glory I guess!

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