02/29/08, 10:36pm…the last update…an hour before Windchill’s death…

February 29th, 10:36pm: It was a busy day again (sigh…is there any other type anymore?). Windchill did a fair job of tiring himself out, spending the day lifting his head and turning his neck to look around, and moving his legs. Unfortunately for us, but probably good for him, he’s learned he can ‘walk’ himself in his stall by pushing himself around  by pushing on either the hay bales or stall walls. While it’s good leg development exercise, it makes it a pain to keep the blankets under his head! Having done this during the day, he managed to tire himself out pretty good so his evening stand was shorter than other nights. He walked around, said “hello” to the crew, went between his water bucket and the hay bales and eventually decided enough was enough, he was going to rest. We ushered folks out earlier tonight to let him rest.

His usual evenings are spent with his care team all arriving almost exactly at 6pm. He knows all of our voices and he knows what’s coming so he prepares himself by pushing himself off the bales if we have him propped up and he lays perfectly still waiting. University of California-Davis recommended turning him over 20 minutes before his lifts to get the circulation going and make the transition easier for him – that helped considerably as he would spend the first couple of minutes after each lift prior to that getting his legs warmed up and steady under him. They’ve also been a wonderful resource helping with nutritional and dietary tips. The sling is then placed under Windchill and he is rolled onto it – still patiently and calmly waiting. The lift crew has now worked together so much it’s like a well-oiled machine and as he is carefully lifted he is turned and balanced until his legs are under him and suddenly we have liftoff – Windchill’s legs reach the ground and he’s up! We have to watch him sometimes, on nights he’s feeling like making a break for it,  he makes a beeline for the open stall door. After that we generally mingle while he munches and gets a massage as well good brushing. He goes back and forth between Sunday and Kisses stall walls. As the evening gets later, we go from overhead stall lighting to night lighting in the aisle to let the horses wind down from the activity. Lastly, as people depart and it’s just us we watch him for awhile to make sure he’s settling in for the night okay and then it’s lights out except for the night light and 6 colts and fillies slumber while visions of hay bales dance in their heads, overseen by a crabby old lady named Annie who keeps them all in their places and a tired Australian Shepherd who has set up camp in Windchill’s stall each night on a bale of hay in the corner.