Damn Mosquitos!

My "No Battle Zone" didn't really work. And to add to my already stretched ability to deal with stress, one of my horses, Lenny, is sick. Very sick. The vet believes he has the West Nile Virus. I had him vaccinated before moving him, but was not aware he needed a booster to completely protect him. After a long night, he is showing marked improvement and responding well to the treatment. The initial symptoms did not seem serious, but yesterday afternoon I noticed a major difference in him. I almost waited until today to have him seen, but decided I couldn't take a chance that he would worsen through the night. When we first called the vet they asked if we were sure it was serious because it was after hours and the symptoms we described were not life threatening. When they saw him they said that it was very serious and they were glad I insisted. Catching it so quick made a big difference in how well he is recovering so far. It couldn't just be heat exhaustion, or something he ate.. it has to be a major neurological virus! They are doing the bloodwork to confirm it because it has to be reported to the state, but they are confident that is what it is. Brian had just asked me the day before if they were vaccinated because a case was confirmed in St. John's County where we live. I had them give Barney his booster on the spot and everyone is checking their horse's vaccine records. Lenny can't pass it along, but he got it from mosquitos that are infected, so all the horses are susceptible. Even my animals can't do anything halfway! I will keep you updated on his progress.