February 14th, 2010

02/14, 11:35pm: A long day for everyone but one that had some promise. Windchill is making more attempts to get up. He’s begun flexing his front legs and made 4 or 5 attempts to get up. He refuses to give up which means none of us will either. More people have called today, almost non-stop. We have more volunteers to help relieve us for the coming weekend – that’s a great thing. Windchill’s learning he kind of likes all this attention – if we’re out there and make the ‘mistake’ of tending to other chores, he calls to us, wanting someone to sit nearby so he can put his head in their lap. He continues to eat and drink steadily, though needs to be held up to drink if he’s not propped up on hay bales. We keep turning him onto his other side, a process he’s not terribly fond of but that must be done. Tonight an engineer called and volunteered to come help develop a lift utilizing our barn rafters. The science department of a high school is volunteering to come sit for some shifts with him – it appears Windchill will be getting some education during this downtime – maybe that will be a motivator for him to stand up before they give him any tests?

Time for me to go out for the last check of the night and give him his last drink for the evening. Though he sleeps much of the day, his attempts to stand drain him completely and he’ll sleep soundly til the 4am shift starts.

02/14, 02:16pm: Windchill’s showing real fight today! After a slow start to his morning (perhaps he’s just a late sleeper!) he’s showing some flexion in his legs and trying to get up!

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=60304&section=homepage

(some pics from the night of Windchill’s rescue. We had already dried him so it’s hard to see in pictures how easy it is to see his rib cage, shoulder and hip bones)

02/14, 5:00am: Kathi swapped out the ‘moms’ watching over Windchill, letting Annie out for a well deserved respite, and bringing in Dance who immediately began looking over the stall wall with her kind, caring eyes. She hasn’t stopped watching over the little guy since seeing him. The long hours are taking their toll on the caregivers. Dark circles are under everyone’s eyes. The cold works its way into your joints and body, sapping energy. And this is just us sitting with him in couple hour shifts – imagine what being in that 24/7 is like. We’ve had a couple more volunteers offer to come sit with him which should help ease up the wear and tear on the small number of folks we have at the moment. Windchill sends mixed messages of hope and then despair. His few attempts to stand have wiped him out. One moment he seems able to get himself up into a position he can eat and drink water on his own, other times he needs us to help him into a position like you see below and then we have to either sit behind him and let him lean on us or place a wall of hay bales behind him to prop him up. He hasn’t really moved at all since last night.

This morning when I went into the barn to look at him there wasn’t any movement. It scared me. I realized at that moment I knew what I wanted for the little guy – I wanted him to live. Before this, throughout this fight for his life I’ve wondered what the best thing for him would be. If his legs are ‘dead’ he has no chance. But yet…was that a twitch? He can move his back legs! Now just move a front one, please…  The ups and downs are draining on everyone emotionally and physically. But when I thought he was dead this morning I realized how much we all have invested in him – I want him to live.  Maybe as this symbol of hope that despite the stupidity and downright cruelty of human beings, it can possibly be overcome with the determination this little guy has shown.