Some of you may remember Sisco – he came to us in 2013. He had squamous cell carcinoma under his tail. Dr. Porter removed tumors and treated the areas with cisplatin and Sisco did remarkably well. Sisco has pink skin and we have lots of sun which is not a good combination. We prayed for a home offer to come along that could provide Sisco with nice green grass, lots of shade, and another equine friend. We were very happy when one of our adopters, Sue, offered the perfect environment for him. Sue had adopted Nash from us many years ago and after Nash lost his pasture companion, Sisco went to live with him, with the understanding that if SCC returned, we would bring him back to the rescue. Sadly, it did return, so we picked up Sisco yesterday, and he settled right back in at the rescue. We appreciate Sue for giving him a good home and lots of love for the past few years.
I had arranged for Dr. Templeton to come out yesterday afternoon to assess Sisco. Meanwhile, while we awaited her arrival, Laura was here doing hooficures and worked Sisco into her schedule. Sisco has an abscess in a front foot which we are treating. As Laura was finishing up Sisco’s trim, Dr. Templeton arrived. Sisco was a really good patient for her – he’s always been a good boy. His heart and lungs sound good. She drew blood – we should have those results late today or tomorrow. Sadly, SCC is on his lower lip and there is a mass by his anus again. Dr. Templeton debrided the area on his lip. We are treating the areas with a topical for now.
We don’t know how things will turn out for Sisco, but here is what we presently know – he is in good spirits, he’s eating, drinking, prancing around at times, and talking up a storm. We will review his physical assessment and bloodwork results with our care team and we will lay out a plan for him.
Sisco isn’t a youngster, he’s 30 plus years of age. We won’t ask much of him and we won’t let him suffer, but we will give him as many good days as possible – they all deserve that. He’s comfortably eating soaked hay in a small paddock with a nice shelter while enjoying the cooler temps and seeing old friends.
We are still trying to recover from our recent losses of Bria, Nina, Little E and Mini Magic. I haven’t had a chance to share what happened with Mini Magic (she was adopted out years ago) yet, but I will do so in the near future.
Sisco needs help with yesterday’s vet bill, as well as sponsors to help with his daily care needs. If you would like to help, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. Please also note that your donation is for ‘Sisco.’ All donations are tax deductible and no amount is ever too small.
Thank you, we appreciate all of you.
Sincerely,
Theresa
Mishka, has had a few bumpy weeks between dealing with allergies to no-see-um’s and experiencing front right foot lameness. To help with allergies, he was gifted supplements, a flymask with ears, and a really nice flysheet and neck cover that’s cool, soft, and doesn’t weigh a ton – he’s huge (2000 lbs) and to get one over him is truly, quite a task!
When Mishka became lame a few weeks ago, it was thought to be an abscess. We moved him to a small paddock by the barn and his foot was treated many times to try to draw out an abscess. We weren’t making progress and Mishka wasn’t happy being away from his friends so Dr. Cardona came out and did x-rays. The results were not great, but they could have been worse. Mishka has side-bone in both front feet which is not uncommon in draft horses. There is a slight rotation in both, his sole’s are a bit thin, and there was a suspected gas pocket in the right foot.
Once we had the x-rays, coupled with recommendations from Dr. Cardona, we called Jason Wayne Hunter (Back to Basics Equine Podiatry) to help Mishka. When Jason started on Mishka’s right foot, an abscess at the toe opened up and when Jason began working on the left foot, another abscess at that toe opened up! Mishka experienced immediate relief! Jason put wraps on both feet and Mishka felt so much better now that he was able to go back out with his friends! This made us all very happy! We’re very appreciative of Jason, his work, and his patience with Mishka. And it was great to see Kyra (she used to be a vet tech with Dr. Ted) again – we appreciate her patience and kindness to Mishka too! Many thanks to both Jason and Kyra! Jason’s Facebook page is 
Whenever one issue is resolved, however, another seems to pop up as in the case of Warrior. Dr. Julia was here earlier in the week to treat our precious little guy’s ears which are covered with oozing blisters and nodules due to his constantly being bitten by flies and gnats. I now spend a great deal of time daily, cleaning and treating his ears while trying to discourage him from rubbing on anything in sight to relieve his ‘itchies.’ I have not as yet received a bill from Dr. Julia but that is yet another forthcoming expense.
In addition, the farrier will be at Beauty’s Haven today as well as on Monday, for another round of hooficures and once again, Bob will be making our weekly hay run this afternoon which, like last week, will cost another $900. As donations have been down considerably, I am beside myself with worry but thankfully, two wonderful friends and supporters have joined forces and are offering a MATCH GAME to assist with our many needs! All donations up to 
We are thrilled to announce that a wonderful friend and supporter has come forth to offer a MATCH GAME to assist with Farrier Week as well as with procurement of the much needed and necessary supplement, Prascend. All donations up to $500 will be matched dollar for dollar. If you would like to participate in the Match Game, there are many ways in which to contribute. You may forward your contribution via our PayPal address: