Hi guys,
I know this is a wedding board, but I am in need of some thoughts and support and you guys always seem to be good for that stuff, and it also gives me a chance to formally introduce myself
I am 21, I live in NJ, and I currently carry 2 jobs, as a pet sitter and a dog groomer. This past July I married my best friend and better half of over 3 years. I am currently living with his grandmother, helping her out around the house while she waits to get into a senior living situation where she can get full time help, and I wait for my husband to get back from deployment. She is super sweet and we are very good for each other. Hubby joined the Army last year, and he has been stationed in Alaska since until deploying within the last month. We had lived together until he left for the Army, and we were engaged for almost a year before we had our wedding. I was unable to get company sponsership to move up there with him due to the pending deployment, but I visited often as did he when he had leave, and spent 8 weeks up there shortly after the wedding so we could enjoy time together before he left.
I am also the proud parent to 2 horses. I have a registered 11 yr old Arabian mare that I rescued from a kill pen last month, and a 31 yr old Arabian gelding I have had for 6 years. He was a Sweepstakes Nominated, Multi-National Chamption park saddle and driving horse in his day, had 17 foals on the ground, and was the biggest jacka** I ever met under saddle. He has enough points to have his Legion of Excellence TWICE... but noone ever bought his points. Had 2 colic surgeries (horsie tummy issue), one which resulted in loss of half his intestines over 20 years ago, and low ring bone. He was totally sound, I spent hours almost getting dumped, but he was a challenge and I loved it.
He is my pride and joy. He was my little white pony that every girl dreams about as a kid. I have paid for him soley by myself (I worked alot of his board off at first of corse, even though I did have a job). He has been with me through the loss of my step father and 6 months later, my step brother. He knows things about me noone in the world knows. I will admit, I have spent my hours of my life crying into his mane. Just before last winter, he started showing discomfort from his ringbone. Sometimes it was slight, sometimes he was dead lame. Put him on previcox (arthritis meds) and it helped for the most part. He did ok through the summer, needed bute (horsie advil) here and there. He is now on 2 grams of bute a day to manage the pain. This is the max daily dose a horse of his size should be on to begin with, and his surgeries make him significantly more likely to have a severe (fatal) colic episode being on the maximum dose.
I have been going back and forth between putting him down, and while we have had a mild winter so far, I know winter will be rough on him once it starts. This means either I put him down now, while hes still feeling relativly ok and moving ok, and not miserable, keeping him until he is miserable and either gets hurt or colics in the middle of the night during the biggest snow storm of the year (thats how it always happes, and is the most likely option), or he somehow defies the odds like he has every other time and he survives this winter. We were planning on having the vet out with the dentist, and the barn owner is planning on putting down one of her older horses who is not holding weight and has narcolepsy. I was considering having the vet look at my horse, with the likely option of putting my horse down.
I just got the text today that the vet is coming on the day after Christmas. I know Christmas is only one day, but its going to be extra hard having the husband deployed and knowing the next day I am going to lose my best friend too. I could just use some support in a very difficult time....