If you've ever shared your home with an animal, large or small, you know just how vital it is to closely monitor their health and behavior.
I currently have 10 equine residents in my stable - four Friesians, a Fell pony, and five donkeys. Last month, I got a big scare when Bond, one of the Friesians, began acting unusual - he was fatigued, drooling, and unable to eat his food. My longtime equine veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth Kilgallon from the ambulatory veterinary practice, Miller & Associates, was called in right away. After a series of diagnostics, it was suspected that Bond was suffering from botulism, a rare but very serious condition caused by a toxin that attacks the body's nerves. Bond was rushed to Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes, New Jersey, where they had the proper medications. Under the close care of Dr. Rodney Belgrave, Bond slowly recovered and now three weeks later is finally back at my farm looking and feeling himself once again.
Here are some photos and advice on how to prevent botulism infection in horses.
Here is Bond, a beautiful 16-year old Friesian gelding, looking much better after a lengthy and worrisome three week stay in an equine hospital.
Last month he did not look as alert or as happy. He was demonstrating difficulty moving and chewing his food. He was also quite weak and dull.
My equine veterinarian, Dr. Elizabeth Kilgallon, in the jacket on the far right, Dr. Mackinnon, and Carly, were called in to check on Bond. Dr. Kilgannon has always taken such great care of my horses and donkeys. They started with a dental exam to see if Bond had a toothache. They removed a small fragment from his gum, but it did not relieve any of Bond’s symptoms.
Within 24-hours, Bond seemed worse – he was drooling and showing increased lethargy and loss of appetite. Other tests did not indicate any illnesses, but based on his symptoms, Dr. Kilgallon suspected botulism and recommended taking Bond to the hospital right away.
Bond was driven to Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center, where they were equipped with the proper botulism anti-toxins. The facility is the only private practice equine emergency hospital in New Jersey that provides 24-hour intensive care to hospitalized patients. The staff includes 40 experienced and dedicated professionals including 16-veterinarians in the fields of surgery, internal medicine, sports medicine and rehabilitation, and cardiology.
Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center also has multiple paddocks where horses can be turned out and rehabilitated as needed.
This is the center’s exam room, where Bond was taken for preliminary evaluation. (Photo by Karin Belgrave Photography)
And here is Dr. Rodney Belgrave who was assigned to Bond’s care. Dr. Belgrave has been the Staff Internist and director of the Internal Medicine Department at the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center since 2003. (Photo by Karin Belgrave Photography)
Among the many tests at MAEMC, Bond underwent a standing skull CT scan to rule out any abnormalities. Thankfully all tests were clear.
Bond was admitted and taken to one of the center’s large in-patient stalls where he was carefully monitored.
He received IV fluids, anti-toxins and gastric ulcer medications.
Unfortunately, his condition worsened over the first 24-hours. Bond could not even stand – he was very weak.
Meanwhile back at my farm my stable manager, Helen Peparo, found a dead snake in one of the hay bales near Bond’s manger.
As a precaution, Dr. Kilgallon’s team administered botulism vaccinations to my Friesian Rinze and my Fell Pony Banchunch, who shared the same hay. Fortunately, neither showed any symptoms contamination.
Bond remained in the hospital for three weeks. Here he is with Helen after one week. He slowly started to show signs of improvement.
And then Bond finally stood. He was on the road to full recovery.
Here he is outside for the first time.
And here he was just yesterday after Dr. Belgrave gave us the good news that he was ready to return to my farm.
Bond was eating and drinking and looking more alert.
Lily is Dr. Belgrave’s veterinary assistant. She is very fond of Bond and said he was an excellent patient.
Helen secured support band boots on all Bond’s legs for the two-hour ride.
These supports do not restrict movement, but do protect the horse’s lower extremities.
Helen was given a discharge bag complete with reports from his stay and the medications he needs for the coming days.
For the ride, Bond was also given a bucket of “Dengie” or chopped hay which is more palatable for Bond as he heals.
Lily escorts Bond out of his stall – he is eager to walk.
And here he is getting ready to board the trailer. He is so much stronger than he was before the holidays. Dr. Belgrave said Bond looks great.
This is the inside of my horse trailer – it is all set with a fresh bed of shavings and the proper safety padding and bars.
Bond walked into the trailer on the first try. He’s ready to go!
Once back at my stable, he and Rinze nuzzled and neighed – they clearly missed each other.
For the next 10-days, Bond will continue a course of oral medications for his stomach which also suffered some ulceration. In addition, he will be hand walked for the next week as he regains strength.
Helen monitors every horse closely for any changes in vitals or behavior and keeps excellent records of everything. She will also monitor Bond’s attitude, appetite, and exercise going forward.
And check flakes of hay whenever possible. To protect horses from botulism, they can be vaccinated against the infection. Caretakers should also check water and food supplies daily making sure they are fresh and clear of moisture, and keep rodents and pests away.
And here is Bond – look closely, he’s smiling. I’m so glad you’re feeling better dear Bond. Thanks for all the help, Dr. Kilgallon and your team, Dr. Belgrave, and the staff at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center.
Dr. Belgrave came to the farm a few days later to see how Bond was doing. He said he looks great.
It's always so great to start off the new year growing healthy, delicious, organic greens.
Now that it's winter, attention is turned toward planting my vegetable greenhouse, so I am never without fresh produce. Yesterday, my head gardener Ryan McCallister planted new crops of spinach, carrots, arugula, radicchio, parsley, mâche, chicory, and others. Some of the seeds are from my favorite sources, including Johnny's Selected Seeds, Vilmorin, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - others I picked up during my recent trip to Italy.
Enjoy these photos.
Inside the head house, Ryan is preparing the markers for the vegetables to be planted. Ryan keeps track of what seeds do well at the farm – indoors and out.
I select what will be planted in each bed and provide Ryan with a specific diagram.
I already planted some crops. Ryan and I make sure to plant in succession, so there is always something growing. One cannot miss the gorgeous Swiss chard. They are so vibrant with stems of rose, gold, orange, and white. Chard has very nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets.
The most common method for picking is to cut off the outer leaves about two inches above the ground while they are young, tender, and about eight to 12 inches long.
The beets are ready to pick. Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. Beets contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
Lettuce always grows so well in this greenhouse. It’s a real treat to have lettuce like this all year long. I always grow lots of varieties of lettuce, so I can share them with my daughter and her children.
And this is young mâche – a type of leafy, non-lettuce salad green that some recognize as lamb’s lettuce, doucette, or corn salad with a nutty and somewhat sweet flavor.
There’s also a bed of kale ready to harvest. Kale is related to cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. There are many different types of kale – the leaves can be green or purple in color, and have either smooth or curly shapes.
This greenhouse has 16 of these wooden garden boxes to fit the entire length and width of the space. One larger bed is at one end. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled. Ryan starts by smoothing out the soil and wedding where necessary.
The first to plant is spinach. I grow a lot of spinach. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2. I use a lot of spinach at the farm for my daily green juice.
Spinach seeds are slightly flat and oval-shaped.
Ryan plants them by broadcasting. In agriculture, gardening, and forestry, broadcast seeding is a method of seeding by scattering over the area. Ryan has planted them in rows, but it’s good to try different methods to see what works best.
Once all the seeds are dropped, Ryan uses the back of the soft rake to cover all the seeds.
For planting in rows, Ryan uses a bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows. In general, seeds should be planted at a depth of two times the width, or diameter, of the seed. A seed that’s about 1/16-of-an-inch thick should be planted an eighth-of-an-inch deep.
Depending on each vegetable’s seed spacing needs, Ryan makes five or six rows in each bed.
This bed is designated for carrots of various colors. Each container of seeds to be used is placed next to its corresponding marker. I like to make sure we keep track of what varieties grow well, so I know what to use again next season.
These seeds are pelleted, or coated, carrot seeds. Pellets make seed handling easier for small-seeded crops.
Ryan drops two or three seeds every few inches. Once the seeds germinate, the weaker, less robust seedlings will be removed in a process called thinning. Thinning allows the best and strongest plants to grow, and gives them more resources like sunlight, nutrients, and water.
These are Arugula seeds. Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable that provides many of the same benefits as other vegetables of the same family.
Ryan drops radicchio seeds in another bed. These raised beds were designed for easy reach from all sides, so that work can be done quickly and efficiently.
Also in this bed, Ryan plants two rows of chicory, an herb native to Europe and Asia.
Ryan backfills the furrows to cover the seeds in each filled row. He also leaves some rows empty, so he can plant more in a few weeks. Lastly, every bed will get a good drink of water.
I am so pleased with this greenhouse. The structure uses minimal artificial heat, where many cold hardy crops, such as root vegetables and brassicas, can be grown and harvested through the winter months. Above, I installed grow lights specially designed to substitute natural sunlight, stimulating photosynthesis, and provide the right color spectrum for thriving plants. I am looking forward to a winter filled with bountiful harvests.
Hard not to love a picturesque snow-covered landscape even if it is light.
Yesterday, we got another dusting of beautiful, white snow that was just enough to stick to the tree branches and shrubs, stone posts, walls, and steps, and the tops of many of the burlap-encased boxwood and ornamental urns. I always love to tour the property when it snows. If it's heavy, I plow the four miles of carriage road. If it is light, I'm out there taking pictures. This storm brought several hours of flurries, and by afternoon peeks of a blue sky.
Enjoy these photos.
By late morning, many tree branches were already covered with a dusting of snow. The forecast called for “possible morning showers” but here at the farm, flurries fell most of the day.
I am always so proud of the trees I’ve planted over the years. This area is where I planted more than 900 evergreen trees. I call it the Christmas Tree garden. They were all just inches tall when planted in 2009 – and look at them now.
This is my allée of lilacs, which during early spring smells so sweet and fragrant covered with gorgeous lilacs in shades of white, pink, and purple.
Here in the Northeast, we had very little rain last year. It’s nice to see the streams flowing again.
The snow was just enough to outline the hole in this tree. I wonder if there are any creatures keeping warm inside.
Do you recognize these trees? In late summer and fall, these trees are filled with apples. These are some of the fruit trees that are original to the farm. I kept them and they’ve continued to be quite prolific, producing excellent apples for cider.
During the winter months, my crew does what I call “cleaning the woods” – picking up branches and other detritus from the woodland. Here’s resident tree expert, Pasang Sherpa, delivering some debris to a pile, which will be chipped later.
The large linden trees are part of an allée I planted several years ago. The linden tree, Tilia, is also referred to as basswood or lime, though it is not related at all to the lime fruit. They are straight stemmed trees with smooth bark. Many of you comment on the fencing. It is 100-year old white spruce fencing from Canada. I love how the snow collects on the fence rails.
Do you know what this is? It’s a hedge of European boxwood safely covered in a layer of burlap. On the left is a cold frame. I am glad we got all the burlap done before the snow. Many ask why I cover everything during winter. The truth is, heavy wet snow could actually splay the branches and injure the shrubs. I cover them to protect them from the elements and to help insulate them.
These are also covered boxwood in the center of my formal rose garden. Larger shrubs and a hedge line the footpath in the center of the bed.
Nearby is this section of my berry patch where in summer I grow thousands of delicious and sweet red raspberries.
This is my winterized dahlia bed. In late fall, I have them all cut down, mulched and then covered with a layer of hay and tarps. The lines in the center are the heavy chains that keep the tarps in place.
Here is a view looking through my fruit orchard not far from my pool. The snow was just enough to fill in the square tree pits.
The pool is now covered for winter, but look closely at the staddle stones at the far end – so perfect in that location.
Staddle stones were originally used as supporting bases for granaries, hayricks, game larders, etc. The staddle stones lifted the granaries above the ground to protect the stored grain from vermin and water seepage.
Here’s the old corn crib, which is original to the property. Its unique “keystone” shape, flaring from bottom to top and more pronounced from the front and back sides, was designed to shed water.
Fortunately it was not damaging snow – everything is intact. Today’s weather is expected to be a mix of clouds and sun, but bitterly cold – highs only in the 20s. This is an old apple tree.
My geese don’t mind this weather, but I do provide shelters to keep them out of the wind and bales of hay to help keep them warm. Most days, they walk around or rest in the middle of their enclosure. Here they are strolling around the peafowl coop – together.
Here is one six of my rare weeping hornbeams. I prune these regularly to keep the beautiful shape.
Here is a view of my perennial flower garden – a different look from summer when it is filled with colorful flowers.
And by afternoon, the clouds parted just enough to reveal this blue sky. Even if you don’t love winter, I am sure you agree, the scenery is breathtaking.
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