Harvey’s Surgery

A summary of today – it’s been a long one…

Getting ready to go to the hospital this am.

We were a little late leaving – Penny and Penelope wanted help us load. LOL! Once there, Gracie went right to work on munching on her hay. “Don’t worry mommy Theresa, I’m a brave boy and everything will be ok.”

Watching was not easy. Dr. Lugo and the staff took very good care of Harvey.

Harvey’s little knee was misplaced (congenital defects are not uncommon in miniature horses) so Dr. Lugo had to move it, along with attached ligaments, etc. This was a pretty intense surgery. Good news was that the groove was present – now we pray that everything stays in place. He got quite a few internal and external stitches. Here are a couple of links that explain the condition much better than I can.

http://www.acvs.org/AnimalOwners/HealthConditions/SmallAnimalTopics/MedialPatellarLuxations/

http://organichorsesupplements.com/feeding-weanlings-yearlings12-24m-nutrition/feeding-miniature-horse12-24/adolescent-mini-health-issues/

Surgery took 1.5+ hours but Harvey woke up ok and wanted to nurse. And he did put weight on his back leg for the first time!

Gracie missed Harvey and whinnied for him during surgery. She is a good momma.

And then he rested, which is good.

He needs to rest and heal. And he needs continued prayers.

Harvey was a bit uncomfortable when I had to leave the hospital late this evening but he’s getting pain and other medications. He will need to stay at the hospital for a few days where they will be monitoring and treating pain, monitoring for infection, bandaging, etc. The next couple of days are critical. He’s far from being out of the woods. He’s on an IV and is getting medications for his tummy too. Please continue to keep Harvey in your prayers. He’s a fighter but still, he’s just a baby. I hope he knows we are trying to help. Thank you all for caring about this little angel and his mom. I’ll update in the morning after I get to the hospital.

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