Monday, October 12, 2009

Ellie in recovery update

Hi folks,
Some of you are aware that our special partner "Ellie" was mysteriously injured in August. The deep laceration on her elbow healed up in a month. She had been recovering through the scary stages of possible serious infection in the fetlock joint capsule, but a month ago began showing symptoms of neurological damage. The injured fetlock has been x-rayed. She was evaluated by a veterinarian , Dr. Kim Henneman from Utah, with chiropractic training a week ago and showed indication of possible whiplash injury in the neck. During the last week she has exhibited very serious symptoms of neurological damage and being treated by Dr Susan Johnson and Dr. Barb LeClair from Riverbend Veterinary Clinic. The test for Lyme Disease came back negative. We are still waiting for the result for EPM. The vets have been treating her aggressively and with great compassion. Today she showed good signs of standing more stable, moving better, and being mentally alert. She is still at risk of a relapse, but we are encouraged by the return of the expression of the Ellie " spunk". This morning she did not want me to catch her to administer her medication. Throughout the whole ordeal she has continued eating which has helped her maintain her strength. Thank you to all who have been aware of this situation and been helpful and encouraging. I especially want to thank the veterinarians who have been so caring and attentive to Ellie. More later......