It was a good day for Betsy Rose. Our son Joshua and his girlfriend, Brittany, came to help out this morning. Fabio and his son, John, were here for hooficures. Ginger and her 2 daughters were here and Jenny, Judy, and Marie were also here. It seemed like a great time to take Betsy Rose out for a walk and then to let her take a nap out of the sling. It takes 7 people to get her in and out of the hoist/sling if she goes completely down.
We disconnected her from the hoist and she walked a bit and just stood in the sling. Once steady on her feet we take the sling off of her.
We put a bed sheet under her to support her until she goes down – this helps her to go down as gently as possible.
Well, when it was time for Betsy Rose to lay down she refused. She wanted to stand and soak up the early morning sun and nap! I don’t think she’s ready to be on her own yet (and I didn’t want her in the hot sun) for very long so after a few minutes we put the sling back on her and she walked back to the hoist where she was hooked back up. Maybe she didn’t want to lay down because she knows she isn’t strong enough to get up yet or maybe she just felt so good she didn’t want any help. In any event – she’s come so far we don’t want anything to set her back.
Betsy Rose was bright and alert. We put her back in the mobile hoist and she licked her lips quite a few times – she felt good. It was a lot of work for her but when is physical therapy ever easy?
And then she was walked back to the center aisle of the barn where there is shade and (usually) a nice breeze. On the way to the barn she actually pushed herself forward with the sling/hoist! Once at the barn she tripped over a matt but caught herself – she really is getting stronger! I have a video I’ll try to upload to YouTube.
Her sores from thrashing on the ground, too weak to get up or stand the first couple of days she was here, are healing nicely. She does still have a bed sore at her sternum that is being closely monitored and treated. It will be some time before she will be able to stay up for a long period of time out of the sling. She needs muscle but we don’t want her to work too much – we don’t want her to burn all of the calories she’s getting now that she is eating and actually absorbing nutrients. Her rehab will take some time – it’s going slow but with steady progress. People ask if she will make it. I really don’t know. Every rehab case is a bit different. In starvation cases the prognosis for recovery once the body is at or below 50% of the weight it should be is poor – she passed that point weighing only about 245 lbs. While blood test results indicated there was no major organ damage that doesn’t mean there are no issues. Her little heart has been beating overtime (120 bpm the day of her intake down to 60 – 70 now), her liver enzymes are high, she is anemic, etc. Many things are monitored and addressed and modifications to her daily activities are made accordingly. She gets supplements and is still on antibiotics. In my opinion, one of the most important things in her recovery is constant observation – her moods, the light in her eyes, her energy level, food intake/output, strength, stiffness, how high or low she hangs her head, her temperature, HR, etc. – you can’t get comfortable in a set routine in a case like this. Being able to notice changes and take appropriate action is important. Betsy has a positive and can-do attitude and that helps tremendously!
Betsy Rose is truly an amazing mare with a strong will to live. I imagine she was quite a spunky little mare – not just in her younger years but all of her life! She appreciates everything done for her and thanks us in her own ways. Thank you all for caring about this little mare!
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
Website: www.bhfer.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bhfer.tb
