By Annie
For everyone who’s been asking (and anyone who hasn’t), I’m on the mend and back at home now. Natalie thought you might like to know what’s been happening. I asked her to tell you about the technical stuff though…
Natalie says:
Georgie visiting me in hospital
“Our Annie is a quiet pony anyway, but I noticed that something didn’t seem right. She was more subdued than usual. Nothing dramatic, just ‘not right’. When you know your horses well, you pick up on even the smallest changes in behaviour that might be a sign that something’s wrong. You have to, they can’t tell you. So that was when Annie first went to see our vet.”
Annie tells her story:
We don’t exactly look forward to the vet visiting the Stables, but we’re used to it and to her, and she’s kind to us. This time was a bit different. I’d been feeling under the weather, with headaches and pain from pressure in my head and behind my eye. Not much escapes Natalie’s attention, so I got to see the vet specially.
Things happened so fast after that. I was referred to something called ‘an optical and craniofacial specialist’ (whatever that means), which meant going into hospital in Liphook. It was my first time going anywhere on my own and the drive took so long! Although all the humans were very kind, it was scary as I didn’t have familiar ponies and people around me, and the smells were all weird. Familiar routines are so important to us, we can’t help feeling anxious when they’re disrupted.
I was in hospital for a while as I had to have surgery to my nose and nasal passage, which left me feeling pretty groggy. Luckily, I had plenty of human visitors who came with all the right smells and who knew exactly the right place to scratch under my mane…They reassured me that everything would be OK, and now I’m back at home. I’m still a bit anxious that I’ll have to go away again, but for the moment I’m gratefully enjoying cuddles and extra treats from my human friends.
Nat says:
“Annie’s was a sinus problem, the sinuses weren’t draining properly, so were blocked and must have been very painful. Like sinusitis in humans, this is usually caused by an infection. She had a CT scan to identify the problem, and surgery to flush and drain the sinuses, and to widen the passage to her nose to help them to drain normally in future. She’s doing really well at home but she’ll be back to Liphook this week for a check up and further tests, just to make sure that all is now well.
We’re very grateful to the team of people who cared for Annie and kept us so well informed. Our regular vet, Jess, who referred her to Liphook Equine Hospital in Hampshire where she was under the care of equine dental specialist Tom McGinley. The team at Liphook who made sure we had daily updates, and Nicola Tucker at South Downs Transport who took great care of Annie on the journey down. And Aimee’s Mum who brought her back home. Thank you to all of you.”
Annie’s vet costs, scans, surgery, aftercare at hospital and transport so far stand at £7,000 and we’re not out of the woods yet. Our ponies will always get whatever care they need to live happy and healthy lives, but the sudden illness of any horse puts a strain on our funds! If you’d like to make a small donation towards Annie’s care, it would be gratefully received. Just head to our Donate page.