Ambrosia was just taken in for surgery to remove an abscess on one side.
They will remove the one on the other side either Thursday or Friday.
Please pray for her.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
www.bhfer.org
Please check out Dawn’s “Horse and Man” blog today – Ambrosia is the bucket fund recipient! Horse and Man is an awesome blog – very informative.
You can sign up to receive it automatically. Dawn does a wonderful job! Thank you Dawn!
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
www.bhfer.org
horseandman.com
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I was surprised one day this week when I opened a Fall 2012 UF Veterinary magazine that I picked up – one of its articles hit home! Click here http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/files/2011/08/REV-VetMedNewsletter3-27.pdf and go to page 9. It was a year ago this month – September (28th) 2011 that Dr. Porter, owner of PHD Veterinary Services, came out to x-ray Baby Girl’s head injury. He identified bone fragments and sent us to UF for a CT scan. I’ll never forget Dr. Morton sitting down with me to review the scan – it was grim. The odds for Baby Girl were poor. But her positive and can-do attitude which helped her to survive for 2+ months, before coming to us, with a horribly infected injury proved to all of us what a fighter she was. You could just feel a positive energy around her. And here is a link to the newspaper article – Baby Girl made front page! http://www.gainesville.com/article/20111218/ARTICLES/111219630
Baby Girl was our 2011 miracle. The first picture was taken the day after she arrived in August 2011. This 2nd picture was taken in July 2012 with Dr. Porter.
I won’t get into Baby Girl’s story in detail here but if you go to our Daily Blog from last year you can follow her story from the beginning – it’s a really good story of perseverance and love. Like Aaleyah Belle, a miracle baby that came to us in 2008 while only a few hours old with a severely wry nose (surgically repaired at UF in 2008), Baby Girl never gave up and she became another miracle story. These are just two examples of horses, with a huge love for life, that have taught or reminded us to never give up! Ambrosia has the same drive and will to survive – when I think about what she has endured, how neglected her needs went, I just can’t imagine not giving her an opportunity to overcome. While there is no guarantee that the treatment she needs will be a success, I have faith in her and her care team. She has the will to live and we want to give her that chance.
We truly appreciate the help that has come in for Ambrosia’s needs but we need to raise more funds. Melissa will be putting a jewelry auction on FB tomorrow and we have some other things in mind. Donations are still needed – no amount is too small and any amount is appreciated. Can you help? If you can’t donate funds, please share Ambrosia’s story with family and friends, perhaps they may be able to help. Again, no amount is too small and donations are tax deductible. Please help us to make this mare’s future possible.
I truly believe that Ambrosia survived and found her way to us for a reason and just in time – I don’t think she would have survived much longer. And, I believe in miracles. Thank you all – God bless and have a wonderful night!
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
www.bhfer.org
Now that we have a plan for Ambrosia it’s time for us to share it. I spent a good part of yesterday at the hospital again. They did not have to drain anymore fluids yesterday or today. A few more tests were done and we reviewed her case to determine where to go from here. We’ve given her time to see how (if) she improves and she amazes us – each day she is stronger. She is eating, drinking, and has even started whinnying when she wants something – different hay, mash, etc. She gets hand walked – she loves to graze. Yesterday we gave her a bath which she adored. Her care team says that she is a very strong mare and is ready to move forward in her treatment.
The issue is two abscesses, one on each side, that need to be surgically removed. Since she has been at the hospital, her heart rate, which was in the 70’s, has gone down and maintained into the 40’s. Her temperature has been normal. She is eating and drinking. She maintains a positive attitude. Her care team has commented more than once about what a strong willed and sweet mare she is. She has a lot of determination. Her eyes are brighter–she’s a fighter.
While Ambrosia has come a long ways in her recovery she has a ways to go. Antibiotics are not enough at this stage due to the accumulation of fibrin (an insoluble protein that’s the result of the inflammation process) and abscesses (as the body walls off the bacteria). While both the fibrin and abscesses are good things in the short run, in the long run they lead to the accumulation of fluid around the lungs and cannot be treated successfully by IV antibiotics—there are simply too much and too isolated from the blood stream. Her body has worked to her advantage and walled off the abscesses.
Ambrosia needs two surgeries – one for each side. Each surgery basically includes removing a few inches of a rib to allow the surgeon to reach into the pleural space (area between lungs and ribs) and manually clean the fibrin and abscesses out and flush out the remaining material. Cleaning these areas out is something we will have to continue to do here, along with the flushes, daily for about 30 days. The commitment it is going to take from us with her aftercare is a big one. But it is what it is. We hope to get some UF students that want to get into the vet school involved to help out. We have students that do volunteer and this will be a good learning experience for them. This is our first case like this and we want to share it in hopes that others that may be put into a position such as this will have something to refer to.
The surgery is fairly straightforward but she will need treatments daily – we will continue to have to clean out the two cavities until they heal over. It could take up to a month. She will be on antibiotics. She should be able to come home a few days after surgery. Dr. Stieler, Dr. MacKay, and her care team are doing a great job and they say Ambrosia is ready. This is the only way she will have a chance to recover and live a comfortable life. Her attitude is great and we all agree that Ambrosia truly is quite the mare. She deserves a life if we can provide what she needs. She didn’t ask to be dumped and neglected. No horse deserves to be neglected as she was. God put her in our path for a reason and I have to have faith that the means will come to provide for her and her surgery. It’s a miracle that she survived until she could get help. And so we move forward…
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
www.bhfer.org
BRIEF UPDATE
Theresa is having issues with her eyesight so she has asked that I post a brief update.
I am happy to report that Ambrosia is much better today.
The vet stated that Ambrosia is much brighter and whinny’s whenever she wants something.
She is walked four times per day. Theresa gave Ambrosia a bath while at UF today which she truly enjoyed.
The vet drew fluid from Ambrosia’s chest today to determine
if anything new had developed and thankfully the test was negative.
It was merely a neighboring pocket of fluid.
Ambrosia has gained nearly sixty pounds thus far between her time spent at Beauty’s Haven and UF.
Theresa hopes to post a more detailed update tomorrow.
Please keep Ambrosia in your Prayers.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Labor Day!
jeanne
Domino is doing great! Her friend, Tony, is teaching her to be a donkey while Pam is teaching her how to respect humans. Domino loved to help us with the stalls here and apparently she is still quite the helper!
She wanted to attend Brandon’s birthday party and she did! She’s growing up – it’s hard to believe how big she is compared to our little Penny – they are the same age!
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
www.bhfer.org
Click here to see the video on FB: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=4454917692171&saved#!/bhfer.tb
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
www.bhfer.org
Brief Update
I just spoke with Theresa who is totally exhausted and is going to bed as we speak.
She wanted me to let you all know that when she left UF this afternoon,
Ambrosia was happily munching her hay and drinking her water.
Theresa will provide a more detailed update tomorrow.
Please continue to keep Ambrosia in your Prayers.
jeanne
I found Ambrosia munching on hay when I arrived this morning. She was bright eyed and comfortable – being greeted by her little whinny was a great way to start the day! She had a good night. Her heart rate went significantly down from what it had been and her temperature was normal. They took her off of IV fluids because she was drinking fine on her own.
She was quite a bit more animated today getting positioned into the stocks for the ultrasound. There was some accumulation of fluid but we were not alarmed by this. Almost 17 lbs. was drained yesterday – her condition didn’t get this way overnight. Her needs were neglected for quite some time which I think is very, very sad. When I think about the hot and humid summer we’ve had I can only imagine how very tough it’s been on her.
She is eating – she adores her meals! She does, however, drop food quite a bit and she moves her head in a way that could indicate she needs dental work which would not be surprising. This will be addressed at UF tomorrow.
Ambrosia needed some things from the rescue which Jenny rounded up and brought to the hospital. Cara stopped by for awhile too for a visit.
Until cultures are finished she is on a couple of different antibiotics. Once we know what bacteria she is fighting the antibiotics may be changed. We pray that antibiotics start to kill the bacteria and that her immune system improves and helps the healing process. However, we have to keep in mind that she is far from being out of the woods and we will take this day by day. I’ve heard many times over the last few days that it is truly amazing that she managed to survive as she did and that her attitude is inspiring – she is a fighter. She isn’t ready to give up. Something we heard from a few people at the hospital today: “Ambrosia is quite the mare!” Well, I just smiled and agreed.
We do need donations to help with her care. We needed to purchase many tubes of Gastroguard which runs about $31 a tube. She needed an ultrasound today and will likely have another tomorrow. She needs dental work. Her medications are expensive. But please keep in mind if you donate – we do not know what her future holds. I believe in miracles and the power of prayer but sometimes God has other plans. No matter how much we love Ambrosia and how deeply she has worked her way into so many hearts – should she be uncomfortable with no relief in sight or her quality of life isn’t good – we will love her enough to let her go. Until then, we do what we can, we keep the faith, we hope, and we pray.
Why do we ask for help when there are many unknowns and no guarantees? It’s simple. We are a non-profit organization with a mission to help horses such as Ambrosia and we operate totally from donations. We are not funded by the government and if there are any government grants that would help us in our mission someone please tell me because we have yet to be able to find any. We do what we do because of our love for these precious animals that have no voice – and we believe they all deserve a chance. Humans domesticated them and it’s up to humans to responsibly care for them. And I know that those of you that give – be it money, time, goods, prayers, etc. – you do so out of love too. Some very bad cases find their way to us – we don’t go looking for them. It’s our opinion that every horse deserves a dignified life as well as a dignified crossing. None deserve to die alone, hungry, cold, or afraid. Once they are with us, no matter if it is for a day, a month, a year, or longer – when they leave this earth to join the heavenly herd, they know they are respected and loved.
We are very blessed to be able to do what we do and we are proud of our accomplishments. And it’s only because of help from all of you that we are able to help the horses. Some may not see the value in a life such as Ambrosia’s in the same way we do – that is up to each and every one of you. Those that choose to help this lovely mare, or to help any of our horses, do so of free will. God bless Ambrosia and all of you – please continue to keep her in your prayers. I have to call it a day. I’ll be back at UF in the morning.
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
Make a tax deductible donation to help Ambrosia: https://www.bhfer.org/donate.html
I just spoke with the Dr. at UF. Ambrosia did well last night. She is drinking and munching happily on her hay. Her heart rate has gone down a little which is a good thing. They will be doing an ultrasound on her this morning – I’m getting ready to leave. Please keep her in your prayers.
We’re staying positive – no room for anything negative! It’s going to be a wonderful day!
And our prayers continue for those affected by Isaac.
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
www.bhfer.org
