New Rescue: Senior Arabian Gelding in Dire Need
As time was of the essence, we decided to pick up a black Arabian gelding in dire need. Approximately twenty years old, “Cowboy” loaded successfully onto the trailer and did well on his ride to the rescue. He settled in nicely in the quarantine paddock and enjoyed the enthusiastic greeting from JoJo, Jazzy, and CaryLou in the next paddock. As always, they put on quite a show!
Dr. Valle came out to do an exam, administer blood and fecal tests, as well as a Coggins. Cowboy is not healthy, by far. A poor diet and starvation can impact many things. He is underweight, his feet are in dire need of a series of trims, and his dental needs have never been addressed. He doesn’t like anyone touching his mouth, most undoubtedly, due to discomfort from sharp dental points, blisters, etc.
Cowboy’s heart rate was extremely irregular during his exam, almost as if he was having an anxiety attack. I was fearful that he might pass out! He may have heart disease, but we just do not know.
Cowboy’s skin is also quite horrible. A horse’s skin is the largest organ on their body which helps control blood pressure, regulate the immune response, protect against the environment, and is an overall indicator of general health. Cowboy also has a sore on each of his front legs that will need to be treated with perhaps, injections, debridement, etc. When he is strong enough for this issue to be addressed, tissue will have to be sent off for analysis.
Cowboy is in such poor health that we cannot do anything to address his teeth or leg sores at this time (other than protecting them from bugs) as it wouldn’t be wise to sedate him. Sedation comes with cardiovascular and other risks and he is just so very, very fragile at this time. Dr. Valle also stated that Cowboy has the highest parasite count that he has ever before seen. Cowboy’s other numbers were out of the normal range as well.
Our plan is to tackle the parasite issue, provide him with good nutrition, supportive care, supplements, and time, and we’ll regroup next week. For now, Cowboy seems to be loving the attention bestowed upon him from his human family and he adores his mashes and chopped forage. I’m afraid to give him hay because of his dental issues which may cause him to choke.
Cowboy is truly a sweet, kind, and deserving horse, and at least for now, he has a chance. He could really use – and I am sure very much appreciate – good thoughts and/or prayers.
I’ll be adding items to our Wish Lists on Chewy and Amazon to support his needs and I hope to post an update on him daily. If you would like to help Cowboy, donations can be made via the Donate button below. Donations are tax deductible and no amount is ever too small. And please feel free to share this post amongst family and/or friends who may wish to help Cowboy as well.
