Thank you to everyone who replied about my swollen-necked
horses last night. I think I worry about my ponies too much
sometimes!
I spoke with the vet last night who wasn’t too
concerned about my guys having strangles, they had no fever, and were happy,
hungry ponies, other than looking like someone tied a towel around their necks
that is. She thought maybe we had a virus or something, but recommended no
treatment unless they showed some other symptoms.
This morning at 5:30am, I trotted out to the barn with my
big, bright flashlight, and to my amazement, both the swollen ponies were not
swollen anymore, and furthermore, were very annoyed with me because I was
shining a flashlight at them and checking their noses as opposed to feeding
them.
I called the vet again this morning, and she seems to think
they got into something that is causing them to react. So I left the guys in
the sand lot with a lot of hay, and will walk the pasture tomorrow looking for
anything not normally there, new weeds, something blooming, etc.
This evening, Alpine and Shoney lymph nodes are maybe
slightly swollen, and Merlin has one that is. The low mare on the totem
pole who isn’t allowed to do anything unless the others aren’t
paying attention is perfectly fine, so I’m kind of betting on something
they have eaten.
They are 100% normal otherwise. I bought a bale of
perennial peanut hay tonight, which they have never seen before, and gave
everyone a handful, and they are snarfing it up like it’s candy. So
they don’t feel too bad….
Juli and the lumpy ponies
Alpine and Merlin (who are enjoying their first taste of
peanut hay—and may get it more because we are having a grass hay shortage
around here)
