When I met Hope on Wednesday morning, the first thing I noticed besides the issue of her legs, were her eyes. They were odd – at times they would roll back under the socket and you could see much of the white of the eye. She didn’t seem to watch us move about, but she did seem attuned to noises. After she was carefully loaded into the SUV, I took her to the vet for tests. Once back at the farm, she settled into Betsy Rose’s stall.
Hope can get up on her own at times, with effort, but she doesn’t walk much and lays back down soon thereafter. She’s eating and drinking some, not enough in my opinion, but hopefully, that will improve. She seems most content when someone stays with her, and she simply loves to lay her head in my lap and have her face rubbed.
There appears to be neurological issues, so we will gather our team (optometrist, neurologist, traditional vet, and a holistic vet), to assess her overall health.
Her crooked legs is one thing, but the apparent loss of vision and being wobbly in her backend and seemingly, being unaware as to where her legs are, is something else. Once we have reviewed all test results, we will plan a course of action.
It makes me sad that Hope was pretty much alone for almost four weeks – down on the ground lying in the scorching sun and even torrential rains. And during all these weeks, Hope didn’t wander from the spot where she was born which supports the thought that she may not be able to see – she had no clue as to where to go or what to do. And when her mom would go off to graze and get water, she was all alone.
She’s a very brave little girl. I’m very grateful to the humans who stepped up and contacted us and to the wonderful support from all of you.
I can’t tell you how sweet and trusting Hope is. She is simply precious. She needs prayers, lots of good energy, and likely, a miracle.
Thank you, all, so very much, for caring.
The little one had a tough time getting up yesterday morning.
She’s just precious.
She was gently picked up and loaded into the back of the SUV.
When I first saw Hope, I felt she had more issues than just contracted tendons. I will update as soon as she is seen by our team of veterinarians.
Today, we welcomed two precious twin orphaned baby goats, a little girl and boy, to our family. They were taken from their momma at slightly over a week old, only for the sake of money. Sadly, it is almost always about money. They arrived bright eyed and curious!
We purchased milk replacer which they happily drank (they were very hungry) and then they checked out their new bedroom.
All tucked in for a little while.
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 
LadyBug is feeling much better and is back out in her paddock – she’s much happier. I think our prayers have been answered!
We are thrilled to announce that a wonderful friend and supporter has come forth to offer a MATCH GAME to assist with LadyBug’s veterinary fees as well as our upcoming Hay Run. All donations up to $300 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: 
I’d like to ask for prayers for Ladybug. She was colicky earlier today. I’ll be so glad when the temperatures improve.
LadyBug’s injuries were simply horrific when she first arrived at 
SeAnna’s temperature has been normal since Saturday and I haven’t heard her cough even once. At long last, SeAnna happily rejoined the herd today!
I checked the horses multiple times on Saturday – the “feels like” temperature was 106. Little Peggy Sue’s respiration was sky high and she wasn’t sweating so I took her to the barn and we hosed her down. She got her mane braided and she stood in front of a fan and cooled down. It was really cute to see her little nose outside the feed room door. I’m just not used to having her at the barn. She’s so cute!
It was a pleasure to have a new volunteer at the rescue. Bella withstood the heat, was a big help, and said she’ll see us next week!