RIP Blackjack

Today took a turn I really did not expect. I made the decision to put down Blackjack. I feel like writing this post as soon as possible so I can explain why and not have to retell it over and over.

Last Wednesday all the horses got their teeth floated, a typical yearly maintenance for any horse. It was discovered that Blackjack had a fractured tooth in one of his back molars. I was advised to get a Veterinarian to remove the tooth.

The tooth was pulled Monday, most of it. It was about a 2 hour long procedure. X Rays and a camera in his mouth helped to see what was going on. The fractured tooth was difficult to remove because the root was embedded diagonally instead of vertical. The Vet was very careful not break the tip off and leave the root, but because of the odd placement there was a small bit of root left. The Vet made the decision to pack the hole and try again in 5 days to get the last bit of root out. Blackjack got a shot of Banamine and was eating hay that evening when we got home.

He ate his breakfast the next morning, which included some Bute powder, and was acting totally normal. Wednesday morning he did not eat his feed and was standing around not eating hay for a while. Then he laid down, totally flat down like a dead horse. He was rolling some too. I was easily able to get him up and walking, but he wasn't even interested in grass. I was advised to give him 1,000 lb dose of Banamine paste. In a couple hours he was eating hay and acting normal. I was also advised to give him an antacid liquid, because we thought the Bute had made him ulcery, so I did that evening.

This morning all the horses went out to eat pasture grass for an hour like usual and he was eating grass totally normal. When he came back in for feed he wasn't interested, just stood there with the feed bag on his face and didn't eat at all. At this point we're still thinking this is from pain in his mouth not colic. The procedure was intense and bloody so I know he had to be having some discomfort.

An hour or so later of standing around not eating hay he started to lay down. Then he started to roll, a lot. In between appointments I noticed all this happening and gave him another dose of Banamine. He stopped rolling but he would not get up. I made lots of calls and eventually around 4pm a different Vet I've never used before was able to come out. While sitting with Blackjack waiting for the Vet, he started dripping green liquid out of his nose and every so often it would gush out. He was moaning and obviously very uncomfortable.

The Vet and her assistant examined Blackjack and listened to what happened. He seemed to be presenting as a choke case with the nasal discharge, but with no gut sounds that indicated a serious colic. I explained that I don't have the finances for colic surgery or even a hospital stay so euthanasia seemed like my only option since he wasn't responding to the banamine and was in so much discomfort. They began the process and gave him a sedative. Amazingly he then stood up, we imagine it made him feel a little better. I had some slight hope and decided to have them tube him to see if there was some obstruction and he was choking.

There was no obstruction and lots of gastric fluid came out. A bad sign. This happened with Maz's colic scare too. With Maz I made the decision to hospitalize him overnight, even though there was no guarantee he would live. I ended up with a hefty Vet bill, but Maz survived! It was the first time I had dealt with that so I had no idea what it was going to cost. Now that I know, that weighed into my decision on how I could help Blackjack. I couldn't justify spending money I don't have and would otherwise go to the care of the other horses to potentially only prolong his suffering.

I am so heartbroken over losing Blackjack. A week ago I thought he was 12 years old and even though he's been a difficult horse I was hopeful and committed to taking the time with him to turn things around. Come to find out he's around 18, and that doesn't even matter anymore because our journey together is over now.

I'm grateful for all the professionals that worked to help Blackjack. I feel lucky to have such supportive friends and family. Life goes on, and I have some amazing horses to continue my horse journey with. But I will miss Blackjack.