It is a tumor! And, kind of a headache too.

Home again. We have been busy little bees. Youngest had two weeks of sailing camp, Eldest had 5 days of Drum Major Academy camp, and Middlest had Camp Yummie.
We returned home from Maryland yesterday evening to happy critters- many thanks, dear friends who stay here and take on all this...., dead acorn squash plants and a hot as heck house. The hot as heck part stuck around for the day today, with soaring temperatures and high humidity. This is my time. My warm time. Time for me to soak up the heat to the very marrow of my bones, catalog the feeling in my brain to pull out and savor starting in about September and lasting through about June. But all that heat and dampness brings on the rain.

Clouds rollin' in.

The rain finally broke while I was up at the barn doing evening chores. Ahhhh- cooling off of this corner of the world.
Oslo's sarcoid is looking monstrous. I think that is good. A sarcoid is a tumor of viral origin. He has three (maybe part of the reason for his abandonment into rescue?), and mostly, with sarcoids you just leave them be. Unless they become active and icky, in which case, you get a move on. His were fine until about a month ago, when the one on his ear got bigger and split open and starting oozing. So, instead of jumping in with the big gun chemotherapy, I decided to experiment a bit. I'm working on it with Crest. Yep, toothpaste, and no, it wasn't my idea, but found it in a veterinary site. I think the trick is using the Crest with stannous flouride. So, he's getting his ear pasted twice a day. This is easier said than done, as he is 1500 lbs of noncooperation. Again, kudos for friends who critter sit and attempt these ridiculous tasks. Here is my routine. Put on his halter. Tie him with a quick release knot. Watch him back up to the end of the lead, lifting head as high as possible, making sure he can't hit the light bulb with his noggin. Apply warm cloth soaked in dilute Betadine solution to ear. Enjoy sensation of solution running down my stretched up arm and into armpit. Wonder if all my bras will have red stains on the right side. Continue speaking calmly to him until he lowers his head a bit and lets me have at the mess. Clean it as best I can without him noticing I'm getting anything done. This means the left hand must stroke the forelock, rub the face and eyes and the left ear (one without the sarcoid) as distraction. Then, comes the hard part. Application of cream around and under the ear to protect the skin from serum and drying blood, and application of the Crest to the tumor. This requires nerves of steel, nimble fingers and some luck. I get a horse treat in my left hand, hold it out where he has to really stretch for it and then apply the creams with my right hand. The left hand has to keep him interested in the treat, without letting him have the treat. He knows the treat is there, of course, so snaps his teeth at my fingers trying to get the tiny morsel. I can't watch the left hand and the teeth though, because I need to concentrate on getting the creams all in the right spots on the ear. When I've got it all smooshed in, he gets the treat. So far, all my fingers are intact. Tomorrow is a new day.
One in which I hope to share some of our camp adventures.

The ear at the end of June.  Nice.