Equine Medicine & Surgery

Who Are The Ancients?

Dandy & Micki

Born in 1986 & 1981
Owned by Barbara Miller

When Dandy, born in 1986, was stricken with an unknown, West Nile-like illness, Micki, born in 1981, became his saving grace.

When his whirlwind sickness began, Dandy was vetted and treated with steroids and became sound for almost three weeks. He then relapsed and began to circle and lean to one side. Treatment was resumed on a less aggressive basis and after a short period of time Dandy was able to come home.

Dandy had his blood drawn by the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University in September and he tested negative for West Nile, which left some puzzling questions as to what was causing his illness. Soon after, Dandy had a second relapse and was put back on steroids and once again he reacted positively to the medication for several weeks.

Once the medication stopped, however, he had yet another relapse. The veterinarians at CSU decided to begin treatment with steroid tablets instead of shots. Dandy was to have a steady reduction of the steroid tablets over the course of three weeks. By the end of the second week of this tapered treatment, Dandy was still not standing correctly, so he was turned to a consistent dosage of steroid tablets.

Throughout his sickness, Micki stayed close to Dandy and led him from the barn to the pasture and back again when he was leaning. She even got a little bossy when she knew he was beginning to feel better! The two of these quarter horses are inseparable and now that Dandy is sound, he has taken to leading Micki back and forth and the two of them remain friends.

Today, Dandy stands tall again. His appetite is ravenous, he knickers for his cookies and comes off the pasture, followed by Micki, into the barn every time he sees his owners. Although there are unanswered questions about what Dandy got sick with, these two quarter horses are living their lives out with free choice to the pasture and access to the barn whenever they choose. When their ride will be over is anybody's guess.

Help us celebrate!

Tell us the stories of your horse's own old soul, submit story and picture to: comments4equinehospital@colostate.edu