DreamCatchers<br/> Equine Rescue Inc.

Those of us who care for our old farts daily are feeling a sense of dread.  It just never occurs to you that one of these beautiful old souls will ever leave us but we are steeling ourselves for what may be inevitable...Misty started having trouble walking in a straight line.  It seemed like her left rear leg had lost coordination.  This began while Paul and I were on vacation in March.

After consulting the vet, it was decided to start treatment for an inner ear infection so a couple of doses of penecillin and some banamine and she seemed fine, fully recovered, like her old self.  Then the weakness returned, but the strange thing was, this time it was the opposite side, it was her right rear leg that seemed weak and she was circling in the other direction while she walked.

She basically has to brace herself against a fence to rest and not turn circles.  Well, now the vet is as mystified as we all are, so we are now thinking it may be a tumor on her brainstem and the effect of the banamine caused it to get smaller for a short period of time, but when that cleared her system, the swelling and pressure increased again.

Well, now, on the advice of our vet, we have started a treatment of dex (steroids) to see if it improves her condition, which will tell us basically that it is most likely a brain tumor and she may have only months left.

Well, now, if you know Misty, you have to know Levi...her main squeeze.  I referred to them as Wayne and Evelyn (my dad and stepmom) because they are always sniping at each other and seem really irritated but try to seperate them and then you have trouble. 

Levi has stopped eating, for no apparent reason, he has just stopped eating.  Levi, minc you has always had a great appetite for his mash with Senior Feed and alfalfa cubes watered down into oatmeal.  His whinny is high pitched for a large gelding and gets even squeakier at dinner time when he wants his food. 

We are treating him for possible pneumonia but also with the same steroids, just in case.  After one dose of steroids, he actually ate a little at tonights feeding, but not like the old Levi who cleans his plate every time.  (all treatments are at the recommendation of our vet).

Misty is 30 and Levi is 29...they have been together since Levi arrived in 2007 which may not seem like very long but at their age, it is a lifetime.  I don't know if Levi's lack of appetite is related to illness or whether he is preparing for the end so that he can go with Misty to the rainbow bridge.  It truly breaks my heart that we may loose both of these wonderful old souls soon.  We will miss them terribly.