Like all of you Covid-19 is affecting our daily life. I have started working from home this week.
Working from home has it's attractions. The commute for one. But I'm working harder than I have in a long time. I am connecting with my people and colleagues. I have vacation that I need to use before the end of March but I strongly suspect I will lose it. My plan had been to take some afternoons off to ride. I had planned to have a lesson on Tuesday afternoon. But with the move towards our staff working from home there was no way I could take off. So I had to cancel it.
There is a general worry and stress from this pandemic. The news does not help but it is also necessary. So I try to ration it.
The dogs are happy I'm home and it does allow for me to take walks with them at lunch time.
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| Ripley loves to take the biggest sticks on our walk |
Yesterday Guinness was not himself in the morning. As the day went on he became worse and mid-afternoon, when he didn't want to go for a walk I called the vet. They said to bring him right away so we did. This meant I had to cancel a lesson I had booked for 4:30.
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| poor Guinness still wanting to supervise despite feeling so lousy |
The vet took some x-rays. He had a lot of gas in his stomach and intestine but not enough for it to be bloat. No temperature, heart normal. It was possible that he was having some early bloat or he ate something that disagreed with him. The vet gave him some barium mixed with food, some drugs to calm his stomach and we took him home. If he wasn't better in the morning we would bring him back, do another x-ray to see if the barium showed any blockage. About an hour after getting home he threw up a bunch of barium so I don't know how much was left in his system. He slept with us all night so we could watch him. This morning he was much better and now he's completely normal.
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| spiky green ball helps him feel better |
We had a slow feed bowl for Guinness but he broke it. And then bit and broke the next one. So recently we had switched him to a regular bowl. Ed has ordered a metal slow feed bowl from Amazon and in the meantime he's being fed in small amounts. I was so relieved this morning- I was really worried.
Today is technically my day off but there was work to do so I did a few hours. But I also really needed to do something to de-stress. This morning I baked some cookies. I find baking to be relaxing.
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| ginger molasses cookies |
Later in the afternoon Julia came over and we tacked up the horses (don't worry, we maintained our social distancing and made use of the hand sanitizer). I really really needed to sit in a saddle and do something physical.
The ride was awesome. Carmen was pretty relaxed despite my cat hunting in the next field. We were albeit work on our shoulder-in/haunches-in and counter canter. For being so early back to work she felt pretty good. Of course I have no media so you just have to believe me. At the end I was walking her out on a long rein. When we walked down by the brush she gave a sudden start. I just sat there and spoke to her and she gave a breath and then carried on.
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| In my happy place |
After I hosed off her legs while she stood ground tied. Which made me realize how far we've come. it's the first time I've hosed her this year.
The world seems to be going to hell these days and it seems that no relief is in sight. But everything is temporary. As long as I have my family (4 and 2-legged) and get to spend some time in the saddle I will be okay.
How are you coping with all this?
I'm working a little (not from home), but not as much. That gives me a lot of time to spend with Avalon!
ReplyDeleteI bet she loves that. I’m sure that you do!
DeleteGlad to hear Guinness is better. And it also sounds like you had a good ride. So that's two things that worked out. Number three is that those cookies look delicious. So all in all you seem to be coping well.
ReplyDeleteWe've basically been in the house all week and it does get boring after a while. I'm rationing the news too. I mean how much of the same thing can you watch all day without going batty. I'm thinking it might be a good time to clean out the closets and the barn and whatever else has collected junk over the winter.
Cleaning out the old stuff sounds like a great idea.
DeleteGood advice from Skint Dressage. I’m really happy that Guinness is okay; that was quite a scare. Stay well. I imagine your work life is a bit crazy, since you work in healthcare.
ReplyDeleteWork life is really hectic right now. I’m so relieved that Guinness is back to normal.
DeleteIt’s nice that so many get to work from home. Imagine if this had happened 15 years ago. Everyone would be on unemployment.
ReplyDeleteI’m in healthcare so it is business as usual though slower and with a lot of worry about closing and what that means for my employees since I can’t afford to pay if I have no money coming in.
We will get through. Right now I’m enjoying the spring weather and bathed Gemmie yesterday. I always look forward to spring bath time and wait until each horse has shed out. She was the first one to finish her shed so she got to have hers.
I can’t wait to bathe the horses. Fortunately our employees are continuing to be paid.
DeleteHope Guinness continues to fell better! As a short term solution for a slow feeder, have you tried using a muffin tin? We used one until our rescue husky realized she didn’t have to inhale all her food at once.
ReplyDeleteA muffin tin is a genius idea!
DeleteAnother thought is a baking pan or big enough dog bowl that the kibble is a single layer. That worked enough to slow down my cattle dog.
DeleteI would give anything for us to both be able to work from home. Not an option for a human and veterinary nurse pair.
ReplyDeleteI was riding, but the UK banned it...because no one wants to end up in the ER in the middle of this chaos. First because you will be exposed, second because you're taking up the time of a nurse/doctor who would be better served helping someone who can't breathe.
It's a good point. So I'm not riding now either. Just doing CrossFit-type workouts with the limited equipment I have at home, which is better than nothing. And I can still take my workouts outdoors, so there's that too.
Wow, riding is banned? Our vets are still with raking but we wait in the parking lot and they come out and take the animal in. The vet then calls you. It’s weird but I’m grateful for the work they are doing and will abide by the rules.
DeleteThe UK and now several states are banning riding and any other high-risk activity. Dom said this morning that New Jersey just prohibited riding. It makes sense: ALL elective procedures are postponed. If a rider breaks a bone in a fall from a horse and needs surgery for it, it is going to be postponed. Indefinitely. One of Carlos's nurse coworkers needs surgery for a retinal detachment and it's not going to happen now. She doesn't know when she'll be able to have it.
DeleteThings like chemo and organ transplants are also being postponed: both involve taking immunosuppressants, which makes these individuals even more vulnerable to the virus.
I think the majority of vets are doing the same as your vet. The two hospitals I work at have the client call upon arrival, we get the pet, bring it indoors, and then the client is called to get a history. Pet is examined inside, client pays over the phone, we return the pet to the client. Most places are making exceptions for allowing clients indoors during euthanasias, but only one owner can be in the room. My biggest concern with this is that techs should be wearing full PPE: gowns, gloves and masks, and some are wearing only gloves or nothing at all. Pets can't get it, but if their owner is sick and pets/kisses the dog or cat, the virus can get on their fur and veterinary staff can get it. (This has been confirmed.) Which is why I think it is insane that some clinics are still doing elective procedures and wellness exams: they could put their entire team in the hospital over vaccines! (Also: I'm so glad Guinness is ok! <3)
Oh poor pup. I'm glad he's okay. Working from home is the best. We both work from home already so not much has changed here. Except for the dread. That's new.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the dread is awful.
DeleteI'm so glad he recovered, we don't need extra stress on top of the stress our new reality creates. I lost two dogs to bloat, so I now feed mine three small meals a day. So far it has helped but Samson is getting old now, so I worry sometimes. Exercise makes us feel better for sure. I'm surrounded by horses here, but no longer ride. Still,I feel lucky to be around them.
ReplyDeleteUgh it must have been horrible for you to lose dogs like that!
DeleteSo grateful Guinness is okay! Taiga has had so many scares from inhaling her food too fast and it always terrifies me. Austen recommended adding some water to her food to make it soupy, guaranteeing it would slow her down. I figured, why not? and gave it a try. HOLY SHIT, easiest solution EVER. Slowed her WAY down and cost me nothing lol.
ReplyDeleteWe had been wetting his food. he was still inhaling, just not as fast. :) Today we put a big toy in his dish and made him work around it.
DeletePoor Guinness! Glad that he's feeling better.
ReplyDeleteMe too!!!
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