Wednesday
Zekey seems to be getting better and better. He is eating and drinking, and although he doesn't seem too strong, he is responsive and comes when you call him. (Usually . . . after all, he is a donkey.) I separated him from even the other two donkeys so he could have access to food all the time. But, when Pat came home she said that he sometimes gets lonely, so we might have to put him back with the others.
The reason everyone thought he was going to die is because he is prone to hepatic lipidosis. Zekey has a fat "pillow" on the back of his neck, from being fat when he was younger. What happens with hepatic lipidosis is that something causes him to stop eating. As soon as that happens, his body starts processing the fat pillow, which toxifies the liver and causes him not to be hungry . . . which makes his body process more of the fat . . . and it's a vicious circle. Normally when it starts, it doesn't stop. Last time he had it, Pat force-fed him with a tube down his nose which Zekey hated. This time, she didn't want to do that to him. So, I don't know what happened with ole Zekey, but somehow he came out of it and began eating and drinking again. Whatever happened, I'm grateful for it.
Wyatt arrived today.
Thursday
Zekey continues to get better. He might be out of the woods now. Pat bought him some "Equine Senior" to supplement his diet, and hopefully that will help him to stay healthy.
Pat and I took Sparky and Skeeter across the street to where the horse trailer is. Wyatt went into the trailer with horse treats. First we rewarded the two horses for just putting one front foot into the trailer. Then two feet, then they got completely inside! It was kind of anti-climatic because they did it so easily. They'll do anything for a treat!
Pat was doing "flag training" on Chaco today. She took him into a stall and rewarded him when he came up to her despite the flag waving all around him. He did pretty good.
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