Moonie's Rough Day

 If you read Monday's post, then you are aware that Moonie, my Haflinger, developed a squamous cell carcinoma of his left eye.  Apparently (I learn new things all the time with my animals) Haflingers are prone to squamous cell, and some Haflingers more than others.   Hopefully, he's not in the latter group.


Dr. Becky paid a visit to the barn yesterday afternoon. (Perhaps we should just schedule weekly visits, as it seems to be working out this way of late.)   We haltered and led Moonie, unaware of what was on his schedule, into the stall aisle.  He is used to being here for grooming and farrier visits, so this was nothing out of the ordinary for him.  

Dr. Becky gave him an injection of sedation and he very quickly became sleepy.  

She injected his facial nerve, right above his eye, to temporarily paralyze his eyelids so that he could not blink.

 Then she trimmed his eyelashes.

 Next she applied a topical anesthetic to his eye ball.

All of this was done with Moonie standing up, his chin on a special sling.

I stood on the right side of him and helped to hold his head at an angle, while Dr. Becky removed the tumor.  Hubbs held Moonie's eyelids out of the way and illuminated his eye with a headlamp while Dr. Becky worked.

Of course, the peanut gallery had to see what was happening.

They just hate it when someone else is the center of attention, and so they spent the entire time dancing around in the stall next to us, whinnying their opinions.

In a matter of minutes, she removed a tumor from the sclera of his left eye that was about the size of a pencil eraser.  


Moonie tolerated the procedure well.  I tolerated it a little less well.  I am a mess when something is wrong with one of my animals... not an outward mess, but an inward one.  It is not unusual for me to feel like I am going to pass out while a procedure is being done... I am just a little too empathetic.  I am happy to say that none of us, Moonie included, ended up on the floor, so all in all it was smooth sailing.

 For the next few days (weeks?)  Moonie will be on a regimen of pain medication, eye drops and ointments until his eye has healed.  Once it is healed we will begin a regimen of chemotherapy drops to hopefully destroy any tumor cells left behind.  He will have to wear a UV protective fly mask for the rest of his life, and I will have to regularly check inside his eyelids for recurring tumors.

For now he will wear his regular fly mask to help keep any dust from blowing into his eye.

 Sadly, this may be Moonie's cross to bear for the rest of his life.  At almost 20, he still should have a good portion of his life to live out with his little equine family.  It will be my privilege to help him do so.  I love this horse.  He's just the best!

Yesterday brought strong, gusty winds, so spending a little time in my sewing room was lovely (when I wasn't tending the patient).  I made a couple lined, waxed canvas bags (with ample pockets) for my Etsy shop.




Comments

colleen said…
Moonie is so lucky to have his own personal team working over him.
If I could sew as much in a month as you do in a day I would be a happy camper. xoxo
daisy g said…
Bless his heart.
Grateful for his medical team.
Karen said…
From our critter clan to yours and especially Moonie - we are sending our very best wishes and lots of love. I'm sitting here crying over Moonie - just the way it is:) That horse has a lot of heart . . .
Lynne said…
Brought tears . . . sad Moonie is going through this.
I might be like you Beverly, my tummy does flip flops
when my children, grands, greats have anything happening
out of the ordinary. Some “flip flops” I can contain internally
but not all. I hope Moonie does ok . . . give him an extra
“hug love pat” from this Michigan follower.
One for his “momma” too!
This N That said…
I shed a tear for you and Moonie this morning. Hope all goes well. I am every bit as bad as you are.🤗❤️
Maxine said…
Moonie has the best #1 Surgical Team!
littlemancat said…
Oh poor Moonie - and you! I probably would have been on the floor. I am hoping he will do well - with all the love and expertise I am sure he will. Bless his equine heart.
Mary
Marcia LaRue said…
Moonie is a most fortunate "son" with a Dad who is a doctor/surgeon; a Mom who is a nurse; and his Auntie who is his own personal Veterinarian! I mean ... that is not something to "neigh" at! LOL Regardless of what the final prognosis may be ... Moonie will be getting the best of care filled with tons of love and compassion!
Oh yes ... the little critters had to know what was going on with their Big Brother! Too cute!!
Here's hoping everyone has a lovely Tuesday!!
I think we all feel like Moonie is part of all of our families. I also hurt when my animals hurt. Please throw your arms around that blond neck and give him hugs and squeezes from all of us.
This N That said…
Great teamwork..Your animals are so fortunate to have Dr Becky and Co. so close at hand..Love the "peanut gallery"..great shot.
Nice that you haven't let your sewing machine cool off!! LOL
jaz@octoberfarm said…
poor moonie! a little bit of me dies each time i see an animal in pain. moonie is so lucky that he has you all there treating him.
So glad to see that Moonie's cancerous tumor was removed and now you know what you have to do to help him heal and get better. And also how to check for any possible future cancers that might arise in his eye. So lucky to have Dr. Becky close by and part of the family. Praying that all your patients will heal well in future weeks. Thank you always, Bev, for a great blog!
Katmom said…
Poor Moonie.. oh how we love our fur kids... and will do anything for them,, including, not fainting while Dr Becky is working on them... LOL!
hugz and Happy relaxing Thanksgiving.
>^..^<