, ,

A Very Good Day!

Andrew, our wonderful farrier, and Dr. Elisabeth D’Agosto, one of our amazing vets, were both at the farm one day last week. We all appreciate their skills and time, very much! Miles needs to gain a few pounds but is doing well. Simba had a little cough but his lungs sounded good – winds here have been really bad for the last few days so it was likely due to dust that has blown everywhere. Simba is as precious as they come. Frodo, Jo, Peaches, and Beauty got red light treatments. Peaches also got to wear the Benefab blanket for awhile. It’s a size too small but we made do! It was really, a very good day!

Sincerely,
Theresa

/by
,

Miles is Home

I’m not sure what his name will be until we get to know him a bit better. But until then, we’re calling him Miles. Miles is simply precious. He unloaded and settled into his paddock just fine. He walked around to check things out and took some time to watch the goats across the street. (Please click on the image above to view Miles on his first walkabout.)

Miles’s eyes are getting softer by the minute and they truly, express a sense of relief. I think he knows he’s going to be okay.

No more wandering aimlessly around country backroads for this boy. I don’t understand why his owner wouldn’t want him or to at least, find a good home for him vs letting him roam the streets. He is a bit underweight but we will be able to fix that in no time.

In loving memory of Penny, Miles now begins a new chapter in his life. I believe he will be just fine.

Many thanks to all who have donated to help this beautiful boy.

Sincerely,
Theresa

/by
,

Godspeed, Sweet Penny

I’ve been putting off this post all evening – my heart is heavy. Penny was down this morning. I gave her pain meds and usually, after they kick in, she gets up with little assistance. This time, she needed more assistance and in the process of getting up, she twisted and you could see discomfort and uneasiness come over her. She wasn’t herself – she was uncomfortable and agitated. Penny is never agitated.

Before noon, Penny was down again. We were able to get her up again but she walked off and wanted to be left alone. She seemed more uncomfortable – her hips were sore and she was tense all over. She was weak in her hind end. She shifted her weight from one side to the other in her backend. We gave her some time but it didn’t help – she refused her meal, hay, and water. Penny made it clear that acceptance had set in and that she was tired.

We spoke with the vet and we both agreed that Penny’s quality of life had reached the line – we loved Penny enough to let her go.

Karen stayed with Nicky during the time that Dr. Templeton helped Penny transition to Rainbow Bridge and I never left Penny’s side. She got to hear many “I love you’s” as she left this world. It’s never, ever easy and each one takes a part of my heart with them when they go, yet a part of them always stays with me. We gave Nicky time with Penny this evening to help her understand what had happened, although I think she knew before we did that Penny needed release.

Penny was born blind 35 years ago and now she sees all of the colors in the rainbow. She was precious – a brave and gentle giant with the most loving, trusting soul. She will be in our hearts, always.

Sincerely,
Theresa

/by
,

Drinkers of the Wind


Nadia and Venus, both purebred Arabians, are truly enchanted with the new fencing. About 300’ of the last section of the 25+ year old rusty fence was replaced yesterday and should be completed today.

Please enjoy the video below of Venus, the bay, who is 35 years young and Nadia, who is in her mid 20’s, happily trotting along the fence line.

Sincerely,
Theresa



MacGyver sure has filled out! He’s looking really good & is a very, very sweet boy. MacGyver is ready to start looking for his forever home.

/by
,

Teeth Twofer – Ford & Elvis Get Dental Care

Ford and Elvis had their teeth taken care of on Thursday which both so desperately needed. While Dr. Bess worked on Ford, Elvis was a very good boy standing patiently just outside the trailer awaiting his turn. We are happy to report that both of these precious boys have settled in nicely.

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday!

Sincerely,
Theresa

Got Hay?

We are less than halfway there to reach our goal for this week’s hay run for a ton of orchard, 21 bales of coastal, two bales of alfalfa and three big half-pasture bales, for a total of $1180.

If anyone would like to help with this need, please click on the ‘Donate’ button below. Or, if you would like to offer a Match Game, it would truly make our hearts sing!

Donate Now

$
Dedicate this Donation

Honoree Details

Select Payment Method
Personal Info

Credit Card Info
This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.
Billing Details

Donation Total: $50 One Time

/by

Sweet Penny

Each morning, I look out the window first thing to see if Peggy Sue is up or down. Peggy Sue can’t get up if she lays on her left side. We just have to roll her over onto her right side and then she is able to get up on her own. Once I get to the barn, I look for Frodo, Beauty and Penny. Lately, Penny has been down in the mornings (hip issue) and she can’t get up without assistance. Penny weighs 1000 lbs. more than Peggy Sue so we can’t simply roll her over.

This morning was one of those mornings when Penny couldn’t get up. We encouraged her, but there wasn’t much more we could do. She’s completely blind and it can be dangerous trying to help her. I gave her some Banamine (IV) and some time. Thankfully she was able to get up after a short while. She enjoyed her breakfast and drank lots of water while Nicky, who is also blind, remained close by.

Having so many here with special needs brings new challenges each day. But we keep the faith and we keep going.

We know that any day could be the day that we have to make the decision for Penny, but she’s not ready to give up.

Other than having trouble getting up at times, her quality of life is still good and she so very much enjoys being with her best friend, Nicky. At Beauty’s Haven, each and every life is precious and deserving.

Please keep our sweet Penny in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,
Theresa

/by
, ,

Kami & Haley

Many of you may remember Kami and her mom, Haley, who had been adopted to good friends of the rescue several years ago. Sadly, Haley passed away during the night a few evenings ago which left a hole in many human hearts. It also left Kami with no other horsey friend.

Kami’s adoptive parents talked to us about the situation, and, as much as they care about her, we agreed that it would be in Kami’s best interest if she returned to Beauty’s Haven.

We are so grateful to Sherry and Kenny for giving the girls a great home and for loving Kami enough to do what is best for her. Sherry and Kenny will be moving closer to the rescue and Sherry will be back to volunteer and see Kami.

Kami Meets Sassy

We all figured Kami and Sassy would either get along great or not at all. They had a good meeting and walked off together after they met. I thought it would take just a little time for the girls to figure out who is the sassiest and, by the end of the day, I think it was decided by Kami that she is the lead princess.

Haley will never be forgotten and she will forever remain in each of our hearts.

Sincerely,
Theresa

/by
, ,

Illness Strikes Beauty’s Haven

I am reaching out to you on behalf of Theresa who has been dealing with sick horses for the past few days. On top of her routine daily chores, the necessity of keeping the sick horses isolated from the remainder of the herd has created quite a bit more work for Theresa.

Luiji, Warrior, Sassy, Peggy Sue and then, Dancer, started coughing over the weekend. By Saturday afternoon, some started running a fever and by yesterday, they all were feverish.

Thankfully, none of them have stopped eating. The vet was out yesterday morning to examine and do bloodwork on all of the sick members of our little herd, so, hopefully, we will have the results sometime today.

A few weeks ago, Jo was examined by the vet and bloodwork was done. Based on her behavior and symptoms, the vet advised that Jo was displaying symptoms of Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (dementia). Over the past several months, changes were noticed in both Jo’s personality and behavior. At times, Jo has appeared to be lost – she would just stand in one place and stare off into space, she has spooked a few times (which is new), and oftentimes, she takes a bite or two of a meal and then wanders off which is totally out of character for her. In addition, Jo has been fighting an eye ulceration which thankfully, after a few months of treatment, appears to have finally healed.

Jo’s blood test results were not great – there were some high and low values. She is anemic (a symptom of a larger health issue TBD) and her liver is a bit sluggish, both of which has greatly affected her immune system.

Anemia is caused by blood loss, blood destruction, or by the body not making enough red cells. Because she was walking away from her food at times, and she was due for her annual dental exam, her teeth were addressed last week but nothing of significance was apparent. She started running a fever a few days ago (it is currently normal) but there is now a foul odor emanating from her mouth which could indicate that there is something amiss in either her sinus passages or respiratory system. Theresa is making adjustments to Jo’s diet and supplements, and she will likely need additional diagnostics.

Days such as these are the reason why Theresa doesn’t post on social media as much as she would like to as she, Bob and our wonderful team of volunteers are literally caring for horses around the clock.

By the time the horses are all tucked in at night, there is little time for sleep before the next morning arrives. Volunteers help on most days until mid-afternoon and they make a tremendous difference. We are so truly grateful for them – they are such a blessing and we couldn’t do what we do without them!

Sadly, we must once again ask for assistance due to the additional and unexpected vet expenses, medications and supplements created by this current crisis.

If you would like to assist with this emergency situation, just click on the “Donate” button below to forward your contribution and please know that each and every donation is greatly appreciated and no amount is ever too small.

Donate Now

$
Dedicate this Donation

Honoree Details

Select Payment Method
Personal Info

Credit Card Info
This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.
Billing Details

Donation Total: $50 One Time

Thank you, all, for your love and support. Please keep Jo, Dancer, Peggy Sue and our “Littles” in your prayers.

Warmly,
Jeanne

/by
, ,

Great news but a little bittersweet

I’ve been meaning to post these images for quite some time now – I’m behind, as usual, on many things. Remi and Sassy have stalls next to each other. We all know Freckles and Jerry, the Giraffe like to tell night time stories so a board was removed between the two stalls. Now, the girls can look in on one another as well as the story tellers. Freckles is with Sassy and Jerry stays with Remi. I think the girls really appreciate it.

I have some really good (bittersweet) news to share! I don’t know how many of you remember Whiskers, the day-old orphan donkey that came to us four years ago – a very similar situation to Remi’s. Well, his human mom and dad came to the farm on Monday to hang out with Remi.

I’ve been working with Remi on a few things and she was such a good girl – I was so proud of her and I’m sure she made a great impression on her visitors! She tied, picked up her feet, was great about her ears being touched, walked nicely, backed up, and even helped clean feed tubs during the visit. If you haven’t seen Remi’s progress, I have included a short video which can be viewed by clicking on the above image.

So, here’s the news… Remi is going to have a big brother, Whiskers!

She will be living at a very nice farm not far from the rescue. Remi and Whiskers will become the very best of friends, I’m sure. I can’t imagine the days without Remi here but this is what we do. It will be very hard when she goes. I’m not going to dwell on it. For now, I’ll treasure each and every moment and we will keep having fun.

Sincerely,
Theresa

/by
, , ,

Eat. Play. Love.

Remi has reached yet another milestone! She’s finally decided that she likes her milk pellets. Soon it will be bye-bye bottle! Remi is a quick learner. She’s very curious and likes to learn and experience new things and she simply, loves to please. She loves to snuggle too! Remi is growing like a weed and it is quite amusing to see her run like the wind when she gets her “zoomies.”

If you click on the image above you will see, firsthand, what a good little girl she is!

When Dr. Julia came out yesterday to examine Jo, Remi got lots of hugs and kisses. The child just plants herself in front of you and gives you that “gotta love me’ look and it’s automatic – you just want to hug her! She wraps everyone around her little hoof.

Remi was a “dummy foal” and didn’t receive colostrum from her mom – she couldn’t nurse. She was in a very bad way when she came to us 24+ hours after birth. Her white blood cell count was only 1 and her blood glucose level was only 2! The odds were stacked against her. She received plasma, around the clock care, and many prayers were said for her.

Remi is our little long-ear miracle girl who didn’t give up and a perfect reminder of why we do what we do.

This is made possible by your kind and most generous support. You all make an incredible difference.

 

An Update on Jo

We brought Jo to the rescue in October, 2019. She was fighting infection – her kidneys and liver were stressed. She had blotches of skin without hair, no fat, and severe muscle atrophy. Jo was at least 300 pounds underweight – her immune system was weakened due to malnutrition and starvation. Her feet needed attention and her teeth were in such poor condition, it wasn’t possible for her to chew. And when she did try to chew, it was very painful for her.

Dr. Bess Darrow, our equine dentist, discovered ulcerations in Jo’s cheeks, gums, tongue, and soft palate, due to sharp points. One sharp point put the palatine artery at significant risk of being cut which could have caused Jo to bleed out. Jo’s front teeth were on a slant due to misalignment. This caused limited mobility of her jaw and physically obstructed the right/left and forward/back motion which a horse needs to properly chew. Jo was starving to death.

About two weeks after Jo arrived, we were able to bring her best friend, Dancer, to Beauty’s Haven. Dancer was also in poor condition but, together, they grew strong and healthy and have been doing well. Both are in their 30s. Jo does require multiple smaller meals a day due to her teeth.

A few days ago, Jo seemed a little off, but she was eating and didn’t have a temperature. It was a day after a pretty bad thunderstorm. Jo got back to normal over the next couple of days and was doing okay. We had another thunderstorm in the wee hours of the morning and a couple of hours later, we found Jo off again.

She reminded me somewhat of what Frodo and Victoria were like after they took indirect lightning strikes several years ago.

Dr. Julia came out to examine Jo on Friday morning although Jo did seem to be her old self at the time. We should have bloodwork results back today and I’ll update again once they are reviewed. Jo does need to have her teeth re-checked which will get taken care of next week.

Jo could use some good thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

/by