BTB: The New Jersey legacy of horses: In jeopardy?

The New Jersey legacy of horses: In jeopardy?

Posted: 07 Aug 2010 01:13 PM PDT

I have to admit I don't fully understand the implications of this the (possible) demise of live racing in NJ -- but this article does not paint a rosy picture...

clipped from www.nj.com

The Future of Racing in New Jersey Will Impact Sport Horses

Nancy Jaffer/For The Star-Ledger
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The bombshell revelation last week that horse racing has a questionable future in New Jersey also delivered a blow to the sport horse segment of the state's equine industry.

"It's an absolute disaster for me," said Pete Bousum, a veterinarian who is president of the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes, where the size of the clinic was just doubled.

Standardbreds (harness racing), thoroughbreds (flat racing) and breeding are 60 percent of the facility's business, he said.

Update: It's looking better

Posted: 07 Aug 2010 06:44 AM PDT

UPDATE: Things are greatly improved. Friday it seemed like Bob was going downhill and the doctors didn't know what to do. The diagnostic tests (ultrasound, MRI, three CT scans) were coming back normal. White blood cell count was normal, but other signs of inflammation (sedimentation rate, others) were quite high. Temp spiking to104. He was on dilotin, a derivative of morphine I think, but no antibiotics. All day Thursday he was sweating and shaking and in pain. Very scary.

Friday morning things turned around. Bob woke up more lucid, less feverish, hungry, crabby. In the late afternoon he started turning away pain meds and his temp was down to near normal. His blood has been sent away to be cultured but we won't know anything about that for several days.He can go home when his temp is normal for 24 hours and he is eating (he can't hold anything down now), or when they can ID the bug and administer an antibiotic to treat it.

Bob had not really been feeling good for about a month before, but nothing specific except some back pain. The best guess is that he had a viral/bacterial infection that was percolating and then Thursday in the wee hours it flared up.

I slept at home Friday (i love my bed i love my bed) and I'm heading over to the hospital now. Let's hope the good new keeps rolling in...

Lovelly Pets