Awareness of the outside world. Flu shot last week. Enough reaction to know I had it, but that’s about it. “The test of flu, by the way, is if there is a £50 note in the garden, would you be able to go and get it. If you couldn’t, then you definitely have flu. If you could, then it’s a cold so get over yourself!” My Shetland: Vaccinations.
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Milton now gets lunch, or more accurately “lunch”. He gets a mouthful or two of grain to keep him occupied while I serve Rodney. It’s gone up a bit since first lunch (pictured), but still just one handful. [Three Squares]
I’ve also adjusted the service plan for lunch to match the other meals. Initially, I served Rodney’s lunch grain at the same time I served the lunch hay. Reasonable, right?
I changed for two reasons.
One. Bellies. For various reasons, the convoluted details of which I will spare you, we serve breakfast and dinner in three stages. Hay is split into two servings – well Milton’s is, Rodney has free choice, I told you it was elaborate – and grain. I’ve rearranged lunch so that it matches breakfast and dinner. Horses appreciate & do better with consistency.
Two. Behavior. When Rodney entered the stall, he was starting to exhibit confusion about where to go, either toward hay (breakfast & dinner) or toward grain (lunch). Again consistency. Also, Milton was getting overly curious about what was going on. [Did You Say Lunch?]
The downside is more work for the minion. Oh well, that ship has sailed and disappeared over the horizon.
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 
Who knew that feeding horses would require detailed scheduling? Not me. But maybe I didn’t listen to our horses, like I should have.
Btw, I laughed when I read about the flu vs cold in the intro above. I also clicked on the link, and enjoyed a visit to My Shetland, and the ponies. Thanks so much!
It seems to be these two. The previous two were a lot less drama. It starts with the hard keeper being the alpha eater. If yes, easy peasey. If no, cue scheduling.
We currently have two senior horses and one senior dog (of three) I know how complicated things can get with special needs and special diets. I certainly feel your pain.
No one step is difficult and then, here we are.
Have you considered soaked alfalfa cubes? We added them as “dessert” to the senior feed for our 2 late 20s mares when one was losing weight. It worked really well- they were both lived into their 30s and kept weight on well. Soaked hay pellets may help also. 🙂
Sharon M
We tried cubes a while back. I think if we went with more alf, we would toss more hay. Rodney certainly wouldn’t mind. If we did, he’d prob never touch his timothy. No, you have to eat your Brussel sprouts!
I had a bit of a scare myself a few days ago, the worst cold I’ve had in decades. I actually haven’t had a cold at all in years. I had to check my temperature to make sure it wasn’t the flu. I did get the flu once, despite the shots, but it was mild.
My pom service dog, Eowyn, is 15. Back in 2018 she suffered multiple hemorrhagic strokes and was for a long time on a complicated schedule of meds and foods and tests….But, in the past few years she’s made a comeback no one would have believed possible. No meds, no special foods, just good food and routine vet care. And all the TLC in the world. Bouncing around like a puppy, and learning new tasks all the time. Maybe love is the answer.
Sorry about the health. Wonderful about the puppy bounces!