Ignoring the clues......

Well, Dash is on the sick list.....

Went out about 3 to get her for a ride. She was lying down, which did not concern me, but I thought it odd that she was lying in the shade, not the sun (clue #1 overlooked).

Ran the other two horses in, she didn't follow them but stopped in the front yard. (Clue #2 overlooked -- why didn't she follow the other horses?)

Haltered her and took her to the tack room to saddle her. She stood quietly on a loose tie while I groomed her. (Clue #3 -- why wasn't she fretting about being led away from the others?)

I cleaned out all four feet. She stood quietly without attempting to take a foot away. (Clue #4 -- she usually objects to her right hind foot being lifted)

Thinking she would be fresh and energetic, I took her in the round pen and worked her both directions. She performed calmly, flawlessly, obeyed my every command. (huh?)

Got on her and went over to Tessa's. She sniffed noses with both her horses without any pinned ears or squealing.

Went on ride. She did everything I asked her to, didn't seem to care about anything. Rode at a walk for about an hour, easy ride, only a very little incidental climbing, mostly we were down in the wash.

On the way back, I commented to Tessa that she was being so good I wondered if I should be worrying THAT SHE MIGHT BE SICK.

I had noticed when saddling her that the hair on each side of her tail was rubbed off. After feeding her after the ride (she showed no enthusiasm for her food, but that's not unusual since they're rarely without food long enough to get particularly ravenous) I sprayed ointment on her butt and noticed what looked like a worm "there" so I went to get some wormer.

When I came back out, she had left her food and was standing in the corner of her corral. I haltered her and gave her the wormer (oral syringe of a gel) and she only tried to take her head away from me ONCE. Major clue at that point. Alarm bells starting to go off.

After getting the wormer she stood in the back of the corral with her head down.

Got the thermometer -- 102.2 (about a degree or more high). Checked pulse -- 42 (high). Checked respiration -- 40 -- very high.

Called vet.

He thinks she may have a respiratory infection going on. I found the Banamine (pain and fever reducer) and gave her a dose of that. She tried to evade that dose (I didn't halter her) so she had some spunk left but in the end I hand-twitched her and got it into her without having to resort to the halter. Can't normally do that; usually have to halter and fight to get any meds into her.

So . . . she's definitely one unhappy horse right now.

I'll go check temp again in an hour and may take her in tomorrow to have Drew check her too.

Never a dull moment at Rancho Mucho Caca.

And that's (unfortunately) the latest from the Ranch.