Over the last six months, Brandy and Bandit have been giving us some signs that things are changing for them.
Once a star of the grooming program, Brandy was always game for a good brushing session. From time to time she would clearly communicate that her quarter was up, but overall she was incredibly interested not just in being brushed but also in spending quality time with the humans wielding the brushes. These days however, instead of saying “yes touch me there please,” Brandy is telling us all of the places where she doesn’t want to be touched. It has been a challenge for us, because we thought at first that her discomfort was tied to a specific spot, and we could pinpoint the cause in order to bring comfort back to her. But as we listened to her, her opinions changed moment by moment on if/where/how she wanted to be touched. We’ve known for a long time that Brandy has some arthritis associated with her aging body, and have her on pain management for that exact reason, but for all the years we’ve known her she has been a happy and willing mare, and has never before pushed back against being touched. This is a clear sign that something in Brandy is shifting, and we are hearing her loud and clear.
Brandy is a delicate case overall. For months we troubleshooted her liquid manure, which we were finally able to resolve with a very balanced grain/hay pellet/alfalfa chaff diet, (but not before running bloodwork and administering metronidazole per vet recommendation). She is unable to eat forage (hence the hay chaff) because of her poor teeth. She is positive for Cushing’s and in addition to her daily Prascend takes Equioxx for the aforementioned arthritis. While she does lie down to roll, she does not lie down to sleep, and has fallen to her knees before (another thing we hoped the Equioxx would help with). A deeply bedded stall helped Zuri sleep, but Brandy has a high level of anxiety when stalled, and is far more comfortable living outside. All of these elements help to tell Brandy’s story, and we are careful to listen closely.
Bandit, too, has something to tell us. She was always a bit more standoffish than Brandy, certainly more opinionated, but as of late she has transitioned from an ‘eh’ girl to a ‘no’ girl. Most days, she doesn’t want to let you anywhere near her, and tells you clearly as much, pinning her ears and looking altogether quite snaky. We recently have had to pull Bandit’s groomers away, or otherwise tell them to play it by the day to see how she is feeling. More often than not, that feeling is ‘get away from me,’ which does not seem based on any particular thing. Even walking by her paddock sometimes can have her flattening her ears. We had written an article months ago about how for weeks after a vaccination appointment Bandit was hesitant to be caught, but that hesitancy has begun to follow her into her every day. While we honor Bandit’s desire for solitude in her retirement, there are times when our need to catch her up outweighs her desire to be left alone. It has become increasingly difficult not just to groom her, but also to have her vetted and seen by the farrier.
While her health issues are not quite as numerous as Brandy’s, she is also positive for Cushing’s (she is on 1.5 tabs of Prascend to manage her levels), and is also on Equioxx for an old hind end injury as well as general age-related arthritis. While we have not seen the same narcoleptic tendencies as we have from Brandy, we do not see Bandit lie down to sleep. She and Brandy are incredibly attached, and even something as innocuous as a volunteer going in to halter and brush Brandy, who lives right next door, sends Bandit into a mild panic.
With any horse, but especially older, special needs mares like Brandy and Bandit, we are in constant evaluation of their quality of life, and want to be sure we are listening closely to the signs they are giving. It is likely that these mares will live out their days at SAFE, and we want to ensure that those days are as pleasant as possible for these special girls.
