Some days you just don't want to talk about the rough stuff that is going on. I came home from the Field Hunter Championship last Friday, which was really fun, to a life-threatening situation with one of my broodmares. "Equine pericarditis", which I had never heard of because it is very rare, has since been the diagnosis to the condition that appeared in Chessie over the last week. She was very depressed, intermittent fever and not eating. After trying all the usual Bute, Banamine, Sulpha therapies to no improvement I took her up to Leesburg Equine Medical Center. Everyone knows this is a last resort because it breaks the bank. Thank God and Kathy Farley that there was some insurance on her because she is pregnant with a warmblood foal for Kathy. She is still pregnant but very sick. They drained 5 liters of fluid from around her heart and tell me they may never know what caused this, other than a bacterial infection. Some research shows a similarity to the Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome in Kentucky some years ago, which had symptom of equine pericarditis also (watch out for those tent caterpillars, seems to be some connection). Hopefully Chessie will pull through, she has previously beaten some tough odds- this is same mare who was very sick as a two year old. She refused to give up then, so I know she is a fighter! Send a prayer. I am holding my breath and crossing fingers that the cost does not exceed the insurance because that brings its own difficult decisions and heartaches. She is a lovely mare and I am positive she will recover. I am also mindful that this is my horse and not my child. I have friends going through much tougher and heartbreaking times with loved ones, so I keep this in balance in my mind. I keep praying for Chess and for my friends and their tough times.
