MoonShadow Update

I checked on MoonShadow through the night last night and each time I did he was resting. But in the morning sun I was happy to find him up and looking at the barn. It’s amazing how quickly they learn where food comes from. His refeeding program is a slow process. One of my biggest concerns is what may have been fed to him, and how much, before we picked him up yesterday. I am sorry to say that based on new information, I think that Twilight may have been fed to death. Or perhaps it was a combination of she was too far gone when her last owner took possession of her and then she was fed too much too soon. We’ll never know. In any event, it was a tragic situation and I just hope and pray we get through the next couple of weeks ok with MoonShadow.

He’s really thin – almost as bad as Twilight. And if he were body clipped you would see how thin he is.

He has rain rot and is sore all over.

You can see at the end of the crescent moon the dent in his skull. It doesn’t seem to hurt him when I touch it.

He has an issue in his back left and there are some recent scars along that leg. We may have to have x-rays done of his left stifle – he can’t put weight on that back left leg but for a few seconds at a time.

No fat. No muscle.

Hopefully, he found his way to us in time. And Twilight was his guide – may she find comfort knowing that he is here.

His feet were done today but need more work. MoonShadow was so weak that he could not stand longer than a few seconds on any foot. The podiatrist will be back next week to trim some more.

I really couldn’t get any good angles in photos to show how thin he really is but I tried. I couldn’t brush the unhealthy hair off – he was too sore in some areas.

He is truly a sweetheart. We want him to have some down time for a couple of days. Hopefully next week we can have his teeth done – his mouth has many ulcerations in it that we can see. I don’t want to think about the ones we can’t see.

He held his head a tiny bit higher today. And there seemed to be a little more light in his eyes. I don’t know if he will make it or not but we will do everything possible to help him. And we are only able to do this because others care. God bless all of you that are helping with his care costs and by keeping him in prayers and sharing his story. He has a long road ahead of him. We invite you to join us on his path to recovery. We’ll be posting updates so everyone can keep up with his progress. And if you’re in our area stop in and visit. See what your donations are doing – how you are helping us to help the horses.

We are not sure that the “Salt” we found data on is this horse. Tomorrow we will to read the tattoo again. The “Salt” we found data on is a chestnut and this horse is a bay. We need to do more research. But it doesn’t change anything – Twilight’s MoonShadow has had a terrible life for quite awhile. When I think about how cold and hungry he must have been in the cold months – even recently when it went down to 38 degrees at night – it makes me very sad. When I think about him watching Twilight wither away to nothing, likely wondering if that too would be his fate, I get sick. No horse deserves this. Ever.

I’m very glad he is here with us. I pray that he recovers – please keep him in your prayers too.