Buddy

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Pearl

Pearl

Finder of lost things AND The Boss
Neighbor
HCL Supporter
Joined
Apr 19, 2021
Messages
17,038
Location
North central Texas
Guess he needs his own thread!! Leg update: just below his fetlock is puffy this morning! He was down in his shed, got up as I approached. Put out hay and water and let him get his bearings. He is not using that leg!! I will get a halter on him in a bit for a good look see!! Want to let him be up and figuring out what he can do, handling an injured donkey is way different than a horse!! Just let Bear out in the backyard and can see Buddy hobbled over to the hay and water, leg is touching the ground!!! He has been known to kill snakes, wonder if he got bit? I don't think so, but I'll look for fang marks! Hopefully I can get him in his pen, I have a chute I can contain him in for both our safety!!
 
Snake bite is what i thought when you first mentioned this in another thread. Time of year is right. Feed him all the sida he'll eat. Some self heal would help also but finding any this time of year would be difficult. Some eastern cedar needles would be helpful too. Just dump the needles in his water trough.

Hope he's better soon... miss my donkey terribly... :(
 
Even white willow bark is safe to use on the equine family. I didn’t realize there were so many products and businesses catering to using herbs and more natural treatments for horses. I watched Heartland and read a book or two, they’re big into that.
 
Maybe related to the snake that got you Pearl.
If he was bit, the hair will likely fall out around the bite marks, but that's nit 100%
 
Magus said:
Maybe related to the snake that got you Pearl.
If he was bit, the hair will likely fall out around the bite marks, but that's nit 100%
Click to expand...
He was bit about 15 years ago. He just hobbled around a few days. Had many horses bit over the years too. Rattlesnakes are hard on them, but we don't have any right here! Heading outside in a few to see how he is, no morning announcements again ☹️!
 
Sounds like the ok corral had an outbreak of coppers. I hope you can have a snake hunt and no more bites! Really sorry to hear that @Pearl
Do copperheads stay in an area? A very good friend has had a rattler living on her property for years. They regard and respect one another, he doesn’t mess with my friend or her dogs or cats.
 
Call me crazy, but venomous snakes are not anything with which I want to peacefully coexist. I would opt for the snake roundup, and try to eradicate them. To much chance for an encounter that neither of you want. The snake is going to be a snake, and strike.

Hope Buddy is O.K.
 
Pearl said:
Buddy is looking MUCH better this morning!! Can DEFINITELY see fang marks, he was bit!! Swelling is down and he's not trying to bite me when I touch it! Was glad to get a good look at it!! He's not walking on it, but he lets it touch the ground when he's just standing!!🙂
Click to expand...

Glad he's on the mend... yep, i'd go on a snake hunt. Copperheads are denning close by your stable. Bites will keep happening until they are removed.

Did some reading last night in.. “The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm & Stable” by Juliette Levy. As useful now as the day it was published in 1954, still in print. A page on treating snakebite for livestock. It's in the list of books i posted in the library...
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/herbal-medicine-books-peanut-recommends.6745/
There are several plants that would help Buddy. One I'm sure you have growing close by... Sida... It's a hemotoxin blocker, powerful antibiotic and an antiviral. Cattle and horses eat it occasionally in the pasture, i've seen mine do it many times. They don't seek it out but nip the tops occasionally, see below. It can be 3ft tall or 6 inches. It makes seed pods about the size of a bb. The seeds always get in my muck boots while feeding livestock in winter, annoying. Another plant, put crushed garlic bulbs in his feed, good for snakebite and a dozen other ailments.

Sida...


Sida jun20 (2).JPG
Sida jun20 (3).JPG
Sida jun20 (17).jpg
 
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Peanut said:
Glad he's on the mend... yep, i'd go on a snake hunt. Copperheads are denning close by your stable. Bites will keep happening until they are removed.

Did some reading last night in.. “The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm & Stable” by Juliette Levy. As useful now as the day it was published in 1954, still in print. A page on treating snakebite for livestock. It's in the list of books i posted in the library...
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/herbal-medicine-books-peanut-recommends.6745/
There are several plants that would help Buddy. One I'm sure you have growing close by... Sida... It's a hemotoxin blocker, powerful antibiotic and an antiviral. Cattle and horses eat it occasionally in the pasture, i've seen mine do it many times. They don't seek it out but nip the tops occasionally, see below. It can be 3ft tall or 6 inches. It makes seed pods about the size of a bb. The seeds always get in my muck boots feeding livestock in winter, annoying. Another plant, put crushed garlic bulbs in his feed, good for snakebite and a dozen other ailments.

Sida...


View attachment 119006View attachment 119007View attachment 119008
Click to expand...
I've saw that at our place. Need to find it.
 
Pearl said:
Buddy is looking MUCH better this morning!! Can DEFINITELY see fang marks, he was bit!! Swelling is down and he's not trying to bite me when I touch it! Was glad to get a good look at it!! He's not walking on it, but he lets it touch the ground when he's just standing!!🙂
Click to expand...
Look up "mole beans" They repel snakes and moles but might be illegal in some areas due to it being a component in Ricin, a neurotoxin. Obviously don't let your cattle eat it! P.S
AKA The Castor bean.
 
Bacpacker said:
I've saw that at our place. Need to find it.
Click to expand...

It's a subtropical plant, imported in the 1800's. The stems were used to make brooms. It's also known as wire weed, stems will choke a lawn mower, tough stuff. The seeds went where brooms were sold, all over the south. I've never seen a pasture that didn't have it growing. Especially around barns, stables and corrals.

As a hemotoxin blocker its my go-to for snake bite, brown recluse or black widow bites. I've used it twice for snake bite, excellent results. It's a great antitbiotic too, for things like sinus infections, pneumonia. And it's what my friend is currently using to treat the staff infection on her milk cow's udder, working well.

There are actually 3 species that grow here, 2 look very similar. The 3rd one looks very different but isn't common locally. I've seen it a couple of times.

The pictures i posted above... the 1st and 3rd pics are Sida acuta, the middle pic is Sida rhombifolia. I harvest both and mix them when making tincture. Sida acuta has narrow leaves compared to S. rhombifolia.
 
So Buddy has a stifle strain! Bad injury for a horse ( yeah, I know, those ears are a little long😉)! I posted this in 'what's everybody doing today's this morning! But he was doing much better tonight after a day spent down! Guess the rest helped! Got some Bute from the vet, gave him some tonight, but won't in the morning! If he'll stay up it will do him good.
 
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