I got up at 6:30 this morning to check on Spirit. He hadn’t even touched his food. That made 2 meals he had missed. I don’t think he’s ever missed a meal before. His temperature was down to 102. I gave him his antibiotic injection and tried to handfeed him some grass but he didn’t want any. So I started hugging him and crying on him, etc. He hates that. I had made plans to go to another quilt show this morning so I went because I figured it was better for me to go instead of sitting around and worrying about him. The last time I went into the barn to see him he nickered at me so I thought he was feeling a bit better.

I found out that his bloodwork came back showing probable viral infection but his kidneys and liver are fine.

I came home from work at 6:30 pm and he still hadn’t touched his food. But he was nickering and looked peppier so I took him outside. He ate a few mouthfuls of grass! Then he wandered into the arena. I decided to get Prize out because Spirit’s illness is making her insanely jealous. She about had the vapors yesterday when Spirit had 3 vets poking and prodding him and NO ONE came to see her. She is a diva. She can’t handle not being the center of attention.

Once she went outside Spirit decided he wanted in the pasture too. He wandered around and ate a few mouthfuls of grass in the hour he was out. His neck seemed a bit stiff (maybe from all the shots yesterday?) so I went to try to handfeed him. I handed him the first mouthful and heard an awful racket behind me. Prize comes running up yelling, “Handfeeding!!??? He’s getting handfed? I never get handfed! I have to pick up grass with MY OWN TEETH!!” She threw herself at me and started eating the handfuls of grass I had for Spirit. I have no idea why they are so jealous of each other. I swear if I was beating one to death the other would be complaining because they never get beat to death.

I raised Spirit’s food in his stall up off the floor in case his neck was sore. He didn’t eat it. He wouldn’t take it if I was handfeeding it. I started to wonder if he was just mad at me. I decided to go get him a new salt block. He wanted it bad but he didn’t want it from me. Eventually his love of salt blocks overrode his madness and he started licking it. Then he was drinking more water. I tried giving him a carrot but he wouldn’t take it. I decided to leave and come back later to see if he drank all his water. As I left the barn I heard the sound of an empty bucket hitting the wall. I turned to look through the window to see if he had emptied the water bucket and he was eating his hay and grain! I snuck up to the window and he was slowly eating until he saw me. Then he sprung way from it like, “I wasn’t eating that.” I walked away loudly and snuck back where he couldn’t see me and he was eating again. At point I called him a “goddam jack-ass son of a bitch – you made me cry!” under my breath so as not to let him know I was there.

Hopefully he is on the mend. I don’t know what this food thing is about. The horse lives to eat. The husband and I may have to play good cop – bad cop. I give Spirit medicine and the husband feeds him in order to get him to eat.