BH September 22nd – 24th Update
September 22nd
JoJo trying to back up the stairs to sneak up on me. He thinks if he can’t see me that I can’t see him! LOL
Finally, a short break from the rains. The stalls are full. So thankful for the shelters. Headed to shower. It’s going to be another long day tomorrow. Victoria will be getting x-rays. The sarcoid on Attagirl’s ear will be removed – it’s grown and is becoming quite a mess – we wanted to get her immune system stronger first and I think we’re there. I hope and pray the weather will be good. Have a good night everyone.
September 23rd
We need an ark. Please pray that these rains stop!THE SUN IS OUT – FINALLY! Even if for a short time!
I don’t know what it would feel like to not have a donkey to greet us in the mornings and I’m not sure I want to find out. LOL And then there is Matilda’s morning breakfast serenade. I just love these long ears!
"Good morning mommy Theresa – lookie my nose is just fine!"
The boys having fun in the new lake this morning. LOL! I’m so glad the rains stopped today and the sun came out for a bit. Everything is saturated. I truly wish we could redirect some of the rains to places that need it.
Betsy Rose out grazing with little Lucy. Everyone needs a bath. LOL
I would consider today a good one. Not all great news but it could be much worse. After the indirect lightening strike that Victoria took in mid-July, I was concerned she would colic or founder from the stress of it all. But she slowly improved and was doing well. A few days ago, she didn’t want to put weight on her front left foot. She blew an abscess but there were more suspected. We’ve been packing and wrapping her feet and she’s been CleanTraxed. Victoria’s x-rays today indicate she’s had some rotation but the vets don’t think it’s new. The current issue is believed to be abscesses. After Victoria took the indirect lightening strike back in mid July, it took many weeks before she was able to comfortably stand for all 4 feet to be trimmed. I video her progress and I’ll post a video of her tomorrow to show how well she was doing before the abscesses started. She’s a tough Arabian that has lots of spark in her eyes – this is just a bump in the road.
Some relief – Victoria popped an abscess! Unfortunately, there are more, I’m certain. As soon as I unwrapped her foot this am I could smell it. The vet should be here in an hour or so to do x-rays. Please say a prayer for her – hopefully this is just a case of abscessing and nothing more. The weather has been horrible which isn’t helping the situation.
When Victoria, Matilda, and Donovan arrived last year they all had unhealthy feet (among other issues). Bars were long, there was thrush, white line, gravel abscesses, many were pretty long and some were chipped up pretty bad – there where cracks that went all the way up the foot, and there were abscesses that resolved midway up the foot. This was one of Donovan’s feet upon arrival. But I can tell you that looks can be misleading – I’ve seen some feet "look" bad that were very healthy. But the feet on these three horses were not healthy. All of them have been quite a project in many ways. But they are all worth it. I’ve no regrets for saying "yes" when we were asked if we would accept them into our rescue program.
This was Victoria upon arrival last year. That is Matilda in the background.
If anyone would like to be a sponsor for Victoria and help her along this journey we would great appreciate it. She will need more acupuncture/TENS treatments and supplements. I don’t think we will need more x-rays but she needs help with today’s expenses. This photo was taken in late April. We had just put her up for adoption a few weeks before the indirect lightening strike. It’s sad, just sad. This mare deserves a happy forever life and we’re going to try to make sure she gets it. Once we get her through this she will make a wonderful pasture pal. She’s incredibly smart and loving. We do believe she will make it through this – please keep her in your prayers. If anyone would like to help her, donations can be PayPal’d to bhfer. Donations can also be made via our "How You Can Help/Donate" page of our website. Thank you
September 24th
The sound of itty bitty hooves running around having fun. Priceless!
Victoria is just beautiful – inside and out.
Matilda is an older Mammoth Mule that came to us about this time last year. She arrived very emaciated and with a high parasite load, neglected teeth and feet, and her blood work was that of a typical starvation case. As Matilda progressed through our rehab program she gained weight and perked up physically and mentally. But she would often pass soft manure, go off her feed, and “park out” as though she had a stomach ache. We treat incoming compromised horses for ulcers, even if just as a preventative, for the first few weeks they are with us – the GI tract can be easily challenged, even in a healthy horse, when put under stress. A horse that has endured starvation for any amount of time is at higher risk for colic, colitis, etc.
We opted to try something different – we put Matilda on a product recommended by Dr. Julia Simonson made by Bluegrass Equine Products, Inc. called EquiOtic. Matilda got 20 cc of EquiOtic paste twice a day for four days – a day after, she stopped parking out and having soft manure. She was then put on a maintenance dose of 20 cc once a day – we have not seen her “park out” since and she eats all of her meals. She now gets a packet (powder) a day and still has not demonstrated any signs of a GI issue. EquiOtic is a bit different than other products we use – it combines a probiotics with an immunoprobiotic (a bacteria that interacts with the host immune system).
Bluegrass Equine Products are also where we get the Deluxe Slippers from – they work great. And Victoria – she gets EquiBios – also from Bluegrass Equine Products. They have a Facebook page – EquiOtic(tm) – check them out! Their products are available through various online stores. And if you have any questions give them a call!
Here is Matilda before EquiOtic – “parked out” under her favorite tree where there is a water mister overhead to help keep her comfortable in the Florida heat.
Dr. Julia Simonson, DVM, performing acupuncture/electronic stimulation on Matilda.
Matilda is HUGE! She is a very sweet girl that everyone adores – we are very blessed to have her with us. She’s served humans well and we intend on making her sunset years good ones! Thank you EquiOtic!
The sarcoid that was on Attagirl’s ear is now gone for the most part. We are now treating it topically. Dr. Julia suggested we send the mass to the lab to determine what, exactly, it was. Please say a prayer that this works – they usually get worse before they get better but we’ll see.
Dr. Julia also aspirated some fluids from a lump that is near Handsome’s elbow. Handsome was a very good boy about it. I’ll let everyone know what we learn when the lab results come back.
Coming soon to: Beauty’s Haven Equine Rescue Auction Page!! Who will be the lucky owner of this one and only original JoJo miniature? Stay tuned for more details . . .
If anyone would like to help with the extra vetting expenses and some hay it would be greatly appreciated. Our PayPal is bhfer. Donations can be made through our website www.bhfer.org. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
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