My cold ass. Okay, my cold mule.He looks cold right?
He truly does!
I went out to feed him and there was not a shiver on his body. The snow and ice accumulation acts as insulation.
He got warmed water and hay of course and munched happily along.
His respirations?
Holy cow.
12 per minute. 9 per minute was what the norm was in his peak condition.
His COPD right now seems to be on a remission with no dust or extreme heat and humidity.
He is bright eyed and bushy tailed.
It has been 10 months since he has breathed this easily.
Oh, and when the sun came out? He warmed himself with the heat reflected off the building next to him.
For those concerned, he does have the option of going under cover when we get bad weather, but like most mules, he prefers not to.
and I thought it was cold here. Thank heavens the sun came out for your mule. Do people ever blanket mules? I love the picture below of Fred in the snow....
ReplyDeleteOur house is red and white too....
Hope you are staying warm!
Fabulous photo! Lori, I have clipped and blanketed my mule in Scotland but when she isn't being worked she copes better fluffy and naked (also as mules are reasonably rare here, rugs don't always fit right on her)
ReplyDeleteNo Lori, we don't blanket our mules, they would see it as a challenge to see who could shred them faster.
ReplyDeleteOnly if I was showing him would we blanket him over the winter, but that would flatten his coat and it wouldn't be as warm as it is naturally.
Yea Badger!!!
ReplyDeleteI do blanket Polly, but only because we moved here from Arizona's warm climate, and the first winter here the weather really got her. That, and the fact that she is now older. She will not go in her barn, but she lets me know that she wants her blanket on and will actually go stand by it, where I hang it on the fence, if she is getting cold. Routinized I guess.
But more importantly ... yea Badger!!