So sorry to hear the sad news about Grinder. It is a hard road to go down, I've been there. Just a few words of encouragement......My horses are vaccinated for everything annually, but that does not mean they can't get sick. My gelding Toby was raised by my family from a 2 week old, after his mother died, so you can imagine the attachment. At 5 he came down with West Nile. It is a horrible, debilitating disease. Toby fought with all his heart to live, me & my husband took off work to stay with him 24/7. After 7 days of him being down & us turning him to keep him alive, he had a stroke. He fought so hard that we just could not put him down. I did allot of soul searching and prayed that I was doing the right thing. He could not tell me if he was ready to give up, but I wasn't ready to lose him. Toby did finally pulled through, he is 9 now, and though the vets say I can ride him, I haven't. He seems fine and is healthy, and now our studs pasture buddy. I'm glad to see him standing there and nickering at me when I pull up. I wish you all the best and will pray for you & Grinder. I'm sure you know him better than anyone, so just listen to your heart and you will make the right decisions. <LUV>
