Keeping Louie...For Now....

I've decided that I am going to keep Louie for a while at this point. On Saturday, I walked over to my neighbors that were intrested in Louie. Their donkeys look great I have to say. Just the right weight with nicely trimmed feet. Real sweet too though they wanted to get at my little dog that I had with me.

But, I just wasn't feeling good about letting Louie go at this point. And it worked out as the neighbor called me later in the day to say they just weren't ready to take on another equine just yet.



But, the biggest reason I'm not ready to let Louie go is I'm just not totally convinced of the vet's diagnosis of him having malformed hips. Of course they certainly can be right. BUT, both hips looked the same. What if that is just how mules hips are. Maybe mule hips simply aren't the same as a horses hips. The x-rays showed dark areas which indicated Louie's femural head was not completely round, but had what looked like flat spots. But the x-rays didn't actually show any real obvious signs of any arthritic changes. There was only where the vets thought there was going to be some. Or some places where it looked like there "might" be some.

Both vet's that did the x-rays are good and experienced vets that I like very well. But, on the off chance they are wrong and I give Louie away now, I give up one super nice mule and totally lose the $3600 I now have invested in this mule with purchase price, shipping and vet bills. So, for now I am going to continue treating him for a soft tissue injury and give him at least 6 to 9 months. If in that time he is not sound, then his problem is indeed bad and at that time I will decide what needs to be done with him. I have a good horse to ride so there is no rush to get ride of Louie. And Louie is such a sweetheart and a pleasure to have around.