Tilly settled right in upon her arrival, almost like she’s been here before. She’s just as sweet as she can be and very vocal. She has a rather large lump on her right side – likely a hernia. Her feet needed attention, so on Sunday, she got a hooficure by Laura while Judy and Millie lovingly, pampered her.

Tilly has a great appetite, but she does quid – she wants to eat, but it must be very uncomfortable to chew because as she starts to eat, she then suddenly, just stops. Her teeth have likely been neglected. Tilly’s very thin which will change, I’m sure, once her teeth issues are addressed. Dr. Bess Darrow, our Equine Dentist, will work Tilly into her schedule as soon as she can.

Yesterday, Tilly was examined by Dr. Julia Simonson. The lump on Tilly’s side is believed to be a hernia but additional diagnostics are needed. She’s emaciated with a Body Condition Score of ‘2.’ Her respiration and heart rates were normal, but there is an issue with her lungs which also requires additional diagnostics. We hope to have her blood test results by the end of the day.

If anyone would like to become a sponsor for this little girl or help with her initial expenses and ongoing needs, which will not be inexpensive, it would be so greatly appreciated. Donations are tax deductible and can be made here on our website’s secure donation form, where you can also sign up to make an automatic monthly donation of any amount which may be discontinued at any time. You can also forward a donation via PayPalMe. If donating via PayPal, please designate your donation to ‘Mini Mare.’ If you select the tab, ‘Send Money to Friends or Family,’ no fees will be deducted from your contribution. All donations are tax deductible and no amount is ever too small. And please share this need amongst family and friends – perhaps others would like to help as well. Without your assistance, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.

While Dr. Julia was here to examine Tilly, we asked her to look at Warrior’s eyes as well. Warrior’s right eye has been weepy – I thought perhaps, that his tear duct may be clogged, but at times, there’s a yellowish/greenish discharge which makes me think the issue may be allergies. Dr. Julia also listened to Warrior’s lungs and detected something which requires additional diagnostics. He is an on and off non-sweater and at times, he experiences breathing issues during the spring/summer months. Warrior has allergies to no-see-ums and flies and had a terrible time with sores in his ears two summers ago. It took us quite awhile to get the sores to heal, so since then, he wears a mask with ears to help prevent further issues.

Dr. Julia believes that Warrior’s current issue could very well be summer sores in the corners of both eyes. She will be consulting with Dr. Mangan, our Equine Ophthalmologist, who is scheduled to come out later in the week. In the meantime, Warrior’s eyes will be stained to rule out possible ulceration and, if there is no stain uptake, we will be applying neo-poly-dex ointment to his eyes 3x’s a day. I’m hoping the issue is not summer sores but something else that can be treated and healed much more quickly.

I love to schedule the vet whenever we have volunteers here who are learning about the way in which to care for horses. Education combined with hands-on experience can prove to be very valuable for future horse owners. I am so very grateful to our experienced volunteers who are always happy and willing to guide them each step of the way!