April 10th, 2014

Dr. Porter examined Cookie’s eye – the cancer has progressed. We will be taking her to UF – it’s highly possible that she will lose her left eye.

Sisco’s front right was x-rayed – he’s been on and off lame. He walked pretty good for Dr. Porter yesterday but we did x-rays anyway. Sisco has navicular. So, to say that yesterday was not a good day is an understatement.

I’m recovering well from my recent injury and have been back at work a bit – careful to not do too much. My nose is healing fine but my neck has been an issue. I had my first ever acupuncture treatment yesterday and found it to be a very positive experience. I’ll be receiving treatments for the next couple of weeks and go from there. But, I will say this, I felt good when I left the acupuncturist’s office yesterday. Better than I have in a long time. Bob said I looked and moved like I felt 10 years younger when I got home. But that was before Dr. Porter’s visit. Now I better understand why Betsy Rose and Gentleman love their treatments by Dr. Julia.

Dr. Porter was out yesterday to look at Cookie’s eye, Sisco, and do some x-rays on Oscar. None of the findings were good. The most upsetting for me was Oscar. A little background for those new to Beauty’s Haven – Oscar was too weak to stand the day I picked him up in our minivan in February. We had been advised by the previous owner that they had been given misinformation on what to feed a donkey and that the had lost weight to the point of being so weak he could not get up. He rated a body condition score of 1. Once at the rescue, a vet immediately examined and treated Oscar. He got IV fluids, vitamins, etc. Blood work was done which indicated anemia and malnutrition – his liver and kidneys were pretty stressed. We really didn’t know if he would make it. But he’s a tough little guy!

Traditional and holistic vets, farriers, and a dentist are all part of our core care team – all work together. But no matter who is on your team one thing you can’t do is turn back time. Poor and improper nutrition can wreak havoc on the body – including the feet. Sometimes effects aren’t immediate. Oscar had been fed sweet feed, oats, and cracked corn by the owner before she was told by a vet tech that “she should only feed him horse quality hay but she could give them sweet feed as a treat now and then”.  This feeding regimen could have caused some real issues.

Oscar’s feet were long when he arrived here – he has had 3 trims here in the last 8 weeks with the farrier doing little bits at a time. He was treated for thrush and white line. Oscar improved and he grew stronger. We moved him to a paddock with Pistol – they would run and play and we enjoyed watching them. A few days ago Oscar popped an abscess and seemed uncomfortable so we had the farrier out again and while the farrier was doing a touch up another abscess resolved. Because of Oscar’s history, and what we were seeing, we opted for x-rays which revealed a rotated coffin bone and deep abscesses which Dr. Porter believes is the result of improper feeding. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again – donkeys can NOT be fed like horses. Donkeys need more fiber and less protein than horses. We feed them Triple Crown Safe Starch forage and good grass hay.

Oscar is just turning 2 years old next week and he’s dealing with a serious issue. Although, I’m not sure he knows it’s serious – he doesn’t appear to be in any pain but he is lame. Dr. Porter drained another abscess yesterday and has prescribed a treatment plan. It’s going to take quite some time for Oscar to recover and he IS going to recover – he just has to. He needs time to grow out a healthy foot and he will need little adjustments often to optimize recovery. There are more abscesses that we are trying to draw out. His foot is cushioned and wrapped. So, for now, he will be staying with Betsy Rose around the barn. He will have another set of x-rays in a month. Please pray for Oscar – we need another miracle. And if anyone would like to help with Oscar’s x-rays and vetting it would be greatly appreciated.

The first photo is Oscar the day after he arrived back in February.  The second is Dr. Porter with Oscar yesterday.

Bo went to his adoptive home today! Thank you Jayne for giving Bo his own human family. Congratulations Bo!

April 11th

Serenity – she’s doing very well!

Hannah Morse, a journalism student from UF, visited yesterday for an interview and to take some video and photos. She got to meet most of the horses. Bryce was very interested in what she may have had in her back pack – he’s quite the character! “Got treats?”

I do believe that Bryce has a bit of a belly on him! LOL They are all doing great. Eliza, Bryce, Mahogany, Serenity. We are now taking adoption applications for Serenity and Bryce. They have lived their entire lives together and, ideally, we’d love to place them together. Please visit our Beauty’s Haven Equine Rescue Adoption Page where you can read about some of our adoption requirements.

This is Judy washing feed tubs after breakfast. And that’s a lot of feed tubs. LOL

April 12th

Lots going on here today!! I love it!

Victoria is absolutely stunning. A very sweet Arabian mare that is looking for a forever home.

April 13th

Photographing the photographer. Matilda loves to pose!

This was a really nice way to end the evening. Serenity is just a sweet, very sweet girl.

April 15th

Cookie needs your help. She is battling cancer under her left eye. She needs surgery AT UF which is scheduled for late this week. We have posted a fundraiser on YouCaring to assist with the cost of Cookie’s forthcoming eye surgery. Please, help us to help Cookie. Thank you, in advance, for your love and support.

April 16th

It’s dental day!! Betsy Rose asked her friends to help entertain the boys while Dr. Bess checked them out. Cloud is growing up! She had to take out two baby teeth. They were both very good.

I’m so happy for Bella. She is happy at her new foster home. Thank you Jody and Lesley Osborn! From Lesley: “It was a glorious day today and I spent the afternoon with Bella grooming and simply enjoying being with her while slowly building a trusting and loving bond with her. She loved all the attention that I gave her today and she looks beautiful…”

Many thanks to Rosemary Meredith, Terri, Vicki, and Lorilie for spending this past Saturday here clipping some of the horses!

Oscar and Pistol going at each other through the gate at the barn. It’s hard to not let Oscar go out to play. But we don’t want him being too active with his front foot issues.

Beauty’s Haven advertising found in North Carolina! I love it!

Laura Brasile visited for a couple of days last week! It’s really nice to be able to meet people that we meet on social media – we love sharing the horses and telling their stories! We miss you Laura! Romeo is doing very well!

This is Sayan. He’s a darling little Arabian gelding that recently came back. He is just as sweet as ever!

BEAUTIFUL Greg!!! This little Arabian mare grabbed my heart when she had just turned 3 years old. She is the reason Beauty’s Haven came to be! To say she’s my heart horse would be an understatement. Thank you for this lovely artwork Greg – I have a special spot for it on my desk. Greg does beautiful work – check out more on his Greg Ambrose’s Art Page on Facebook.

“Beauty Kicks Up Her Heels”
14 year old Beauty, the mare that started it all at Beauty’s Haven Farm and Equine Rescue, shows off her energy. Join in the rescue’s Celebration of Life on April 26th.

Our “Celebration of Life” is on April 26th! Our focus this year is education – what it takes to rescue and rehab horses such as Betsy Rose, Solace, etc. There will be guest speakers, music, games, a Q&A period, silent auction, and much more! We are holding this in conjunction with the ASPCA’s Help a Horse Day. We stand to win a $10K grant – we need your help to do that by attending our Celebration!

We are in need of some supplies if anyone would like to help – EquiSpot, Endure flyspray, Equyss Micro-Tek Shampoo and Medicated Spray, sponsors for Prescend and Previcox (both are Rx’s), and some double Velcro flymasks for mini’s. We also need a load of shavings.

We are an all volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit equine rescue organization that operates totally off of donations from the public. We are not funded by County, State, or Federal funds. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help us to continue what we do – we can’t do it alone. Funds are needed for hay, grain, vetting, farrier needs, dental needs, equipment maintenance, and there is so much more. There are various ways you can donate if you visit our “Donate” page on our website (theresa. All donations are tax deductible and no amount is too small. Please share us with friends, family, and co-workers – it takes a village! Thank you!

Sincerely,

Theresa

Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
Website: https://www.bhfer.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bhfer.