Keeping costs

I will attempt to start out on a good note.  I have been doing so well with the horses health and it does make me happy.  I know it was bad to go that long without getting their feet trimmed.  Last trim was back in August.  (8/30) and that was where we found the thrush in Tessa's feet and how both of the girls' frogs had been just about eaten away from their feet.  I felt awful going into September and I ran a month of Horseshoer's secret on both mares to help improve their feet conditions and I've been doing a monthly dosing of Koppertox on their feet and I've been doing my best to get and keep them in good condition.  I may not do much with them in the winter and Heidi may do better in the winter but her arthritis in her right rear will get the best of her in a few more years I think.  She'll need to be started on a joint supplement in the coming years.  I had their feet done today and I gave Heidi some bute beforehand and she did better.  Just sadly that Michael was as sore and stiff as he was.  He was only 10 weeks post op for a personal surgery that he needed done(which is why the horses trims were so far out, usually I keep a 10-12 week schedule).  I just felt so good doing something with them again.  It feels like I haven't hardly done anything with them in weeks.

I likely will be working a bunch more overtime as I have a car repair waiting for me.  The lower ball joints have gone bad again.  I had them replaced little over a year ago and they should have lasted the length of the life of the car.  Oh well.  I knew dad had issues with the quality of the parts that Katie Tire in Mt Sterling had used, and that's where my car had been done a year ago.  So go figure that my parts were also poor quality. Thankfully the car isn't at Katie's this time.  We've never had an issue with quality of the parts used at Craig's.
The rabbits are doing really good though.  Well health wise.  Breeding wise not so much.  Both dutch does lost their litters to the cold.  Odd for Legends to lose hers and Jolenes were 3 days old before they froze.  Then Cricket gave me a gorgeous litter of 8 in a nice rainbow of color.  I've got black, blue, lilac and even a single chocolate baby in that litter.  I am very pleased how this litter came out.  Mirror is pregnant to Trick due tomorrow.  I am hopeful for a good live litter out of her.  So far Trick hasn't proven to be a decent herd buck at all.  I will keep trying him for a little while and see what happens.  Hopefully I can get a good replacement out of him and move him on. Whoever thought the saying "breed like rabbits" could ever be so wrong? 

Independent

Nothing huge or major has been happening  here at all.  It's been bitterly cold, unusually cold for Kentucky.  We spent 2 weeks under freezing daily and it makes the rabbits water dishes hell to do.  I had piles of ice building up and up and it felt like there was no reprieve.  We finally broke out of the cold and did a warm swing for a week then yesterday was the start of another Arctic blast that will last for 4 or 5 days.  By next weekend I will be able to put my water bottles back and more than likely be able to leave them up.  Which is good, I need to start replacing my water bowls as I have cracked quite a few this time around.  Only one bowl cracked far enough to not be usable that I know of.  Dutch Willie's bowl might be cracked too far but right now it has to wait it out as there are no more spare bowls.  Natalie, Connie and Gerdy are all still hanging in there- for old rabbits they are taking this severe cold quite well.
I do have 2 of my dutch does bred for kits on Wednesday- Legends to Willie for a blue litter, and Jolene to Lantis for a tort litter.  I am hoping they survive this severe cold.  Then next up is next weekend is Lindsey to Trick and Cricket to Willie Spot.  Then last will be a week from now with GiGi to Willie Spot and Mirror to Trick so hopefully will have dutch and spot babies to post some pictures of.
Ayden however was a sore spot.  I laid him to rest on the 10th, we had intended to do it on the 12th anyway but his nose bled all day on the 9th so I struggled all day with him in the kennel in the back.  Finally Rex helped me euthanize him.  He was just barely 11 years old (1/4/07) but his Nasal Squamous cell carcinoma had finally gotten the worst of him.  I beat myself up thinking that it had been swollen before but he was managing but I *had * to do the punch biopsy to find out what it was.  The punch biopsy aggrevated the cells and made his nose blow up.  I knew we were on shorter time from there.  At least I have to admit he had a good life, and he had a lot more time than several other dogs that I know of for sure.  Gus, Brenda's bulldog, had 2 rounds of Chemo and his cancer came back and she had to put him down at 3 years old.  Then Jagger, a client's Dalmation, had some bone cancer in his left front and they amputated the whole leg in hopes of cutting it off.  3 months after amputation the stump blew up and we x-rayed his chest and found the stump was a huge tumor and it had spread into his lungs and they put him down on the 12th- he too was only 3 years old.  I'm glad that Ayden actually was older.  I can finally talk about him and even think about it without my eyes welling up. 

I got my new saddle for Tessa with some of my Christmas Bonus and I am so happy to report that it fits so now I can't wait to actually tack her up and try it.  I can't wait until I can try it.  It still doesn't fit Heidi so I will still have to keep Heidi english for the time being.  I am okay with that though.  Both mares are doing pretty good.  Tessa's weight has really come down and Heidi's as trim as she's always held in the winter.  I am letting them free choice on hay but still very limited grain.  They are both also naked.  I think I'm going to go back to my original plans of keeping them naked until they are older and truly require it.  

So hopefully soon they can get their feet trimmed and be ready for some riding!   If I play my cards correctly I can get them trimmed on Saturday and maybe go for a ride on Sunday!  Well I am going to switch back to the Armour again and see what happens as the week goes on. Worse case I figure if my sinus' go crazy again then I can at least call or email the doctor Friday and have him switch me back.  I have just enough of my pills set up to cover me through Friday's dose.