Bad News

(Sorry for the bad pic) (Left to right) Sonny, Pete, Zan in the foreground, JW, Rascal, and part of Mona.

So since Zan's been worse on his knee, he went to get x-rays on Thursday at Whitesell's office. They went at 5 pm, so all day I was antagonizing over what was happening and what the outcome would be. Well, I was at Micky's house working on a project when the phone rang with the news. "You're not gonna like this," Erica'd said. It's bad news, folks.

Apparently, Zan's knee bone and skin are rubbing against each other (his stifle) and slowly destroying the muscle and bone in that side of his hip/leg. Along with the bump on his butt, he has a bump on his leg, at the top near the hip. Slowly, that bone, muscle, and cartilage are deteriorating and he's developed a limp. Whitesell said that there are things that we could do, but there's a 75% chance that they won't work and that they'll just make it worse. So, we've decided to let him be until he just can't go any more. He'll be a pasture pony (the cutest one ever!) and just live his life like he should've all along: free and allowed to do what he wants.

Erica said that he could be a halter horse still, but it would probably just be for nothing. The swelling in his leg and the lack of muscle on that side of his hip/butt is so evident, no judge would place him and it would just be all of that pain for him for nothing. Slowly, Zan's limp that is clearly evident at the trot is appearing at the walk, too. We all know that eventually he won't be able to walk and eventually we'll have to put him down, but until then, it's just keep on keeping on.

It'll be a while until that time comes, but it makes my heart pound in my chest to know what will happen in what seems like such a short time. Who knows, tomorrow he could come up dead lame; or we might find him laying in the middle of the field, just unable to get up. When I left yesterday, he was his cheerful self, and he had a winter coat!

So there's some bad news, but the puffball that I met last winter has returned. New years' day will bring Zan and I's one-year anniversary! =)

Go hug your horse, while it's still there! Take every day a step at a time, and never forget to cherish every moment you have with your horse; he might not be there tomorrow.

(Again, bad cell pic) (Left to right) Mallory, Glory, and April