Wind Dancer by Chris Platt Page B

stood in the corner, his bottom lip drooping. Though they’d just brushed him, his coat still looked dull and lifeless—just like the gelding himself.
    Ali spoke softly to Wind Dancer as she ran her fingers through his thin mane. She didn’t get the kind of response she was hoping for, but the gelding did rotate his ears once or twice at the sound of her voice.
    The day was beginning to warm, and pesky flies started to appear. She made a mental note to pick up a couple of flymasks at the feed store. Ali leaned against the fence and wiped the moisture from her brow. A large whiskered muzzle blew warm breath on her cheek and tickled her ear and she jumped.
    “Looks like you’ve got a friend,” her mother observed. “I think Misty likes you. She keeps trying to get your attention. Let’s get her water bucket filled before it gets too warm and she needs a cool drink.”
    “I’ll get it, Mom.” Ali turned on the hose and crawled through the fence into Misty’s pen. “You keep an eye out for the vet.” While Ali filled the bucket, Misty bobbed her head and turned to nuzzle her shirt. “You’re a lot friendlier than Wind Dancer.” She pushed Misty’s spotted muzzle away.
    Dr. Forrester and Jamie pulled into the drive just as Ali was putting the hose away. She walked out to greet him. “How bad is it?” she asked, chewing her lip nervously.
    “It’s not as bad as it could be.” He pulled out the test results. “Misty’s blood work is okay, everything considered, but I’m concerned about Wind Dancer’s electrolyte levels. They’re dropping pretty significantly, and that’s not good. If they go much lower, it will indicate that refeeding syndrome might be setting in. I don’t like the looks of his liver function either.”
    “What does that mean, as far as treatment goes?” Ali’s mom asked. “Is there something that can be done?”
    The vet walked to the back of his truck and opened the compartment that held all the medicines. “Hold these for me while I get the IV drip.” He handed Jamie several small plastic tubes. “Yes,” he said to Ali’s mom. “There is definitely something we can do to fight this. We need to keep their electrolytes up. The tubes I just handed Jamie are electrolyte paste. It can be given orally. I’ll show you how to administerit and give you a dosage schedule before we leave. If we can get the electrolyte levels back up, that might improve the liver function too.”
    He motioned for Ali to halter Wind Dancer. “I’m going to give them a dose of electrolytes intravenously, along with an antibiotic to start with. Have you tried feeding them since they had that big breakfast?”
    “No, sir.” Ali slipped the halter over Wind Dancer’s head. “You said to feed them every four hours, and it’s just a little past that since they last ate.”
    Jamie picked up Misty’s halter. “I’ll feed the mare while you’re working on Wind Dancer.”
    “This won’t hurt much,” Ali said softly to the gelding. She scratched his neck. “It’s going to make you better.” Wind Dancer cocked his ear slightly. Ali had hoped for a bigger reaction, but for now, that was as good as she was going to get.
    The vet brought the IV bag into Wind Dancer’s pen. Ali cringed when she saw the size of the needle.
    “Just keep rubbing him so he doesn’t pay any attention to the needle,” Ali’s mom said. “Poor Wind Dancer.”
    “It’s not as bad as it looks,” Dr. Forrester reassured her. “A horse is a big animal. Their shots are bigger than ours.” He turned to Ali. “It’s going to take at least ten minutes to administer this drip. It’s your job to keep him as still as you can so we don’t have to worry about the needle coming out, okay?”
    Ali nodded. She stroked the horse’s forelock and spoke softly to him. But Wind Dancer acted like she wasn’t even there. He barely even flinched when the needle went in. Ali reacted for him, grimacing and turning her head. Misty