It’s time to update everyone on Elyza Rose – I think we’re “over the hump” now. After she came to us, Dr. Julia Simonson did a physical exam on Elyza, including blood work. Elyza was obviously underweight, her feet needed trimmed, her teeth were a mess, she was dehydrated, and her coat was long and matted. It’s possible she has Cushing’s disease but we didn’t test for it – sometimes unhealthy coats just need good nutrition. When Dr. Julia checked Elyza’s eyes, the only thing noted was that she had a weaker menace reflex in her right eye (that was Betsy Rose’s bad eye). Elyza had an “I just don’t feel good” demeanor which was understandable – not only had her basic needs been neglected, she had witnessed some of her pasture friends die.
After blood was drawn, we started Elyza on our routine intake refeeding and supplement program. Supplements include milk thistle (helps detox the liver), APF-Pro (supports overall immune system), aloe (helps the GI tract with its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties), etc. Blood work results were typical for a starved horse – there were some high values as well as some low. But what was most concerning were values indicating issues with her liver, kidneys, immune system, and digestive system. Additional tests were done to rule things out such as Theiler’s disease and fatty liver which came back negative. It is believed that Elyza ingested something toxic – many toxins can cause liver disease. The liver plays a vital role in the digestive process and nutrients that are absorbed in the GI tract pass through the liver. Toxins can also interfere with immune function and cause blindness. Sometimes, clinical signs of poisoning may not appear for days, weeks, or even months.
A few days after Elyza Rose arrived, her eyes became irritated. We thought it was from dust blowing off the road so we put a flymask on her. One morning, I found her lower right eyelid torn and bleeding but it wasn’t bad enough for stitches. We treated it with triple antibiotic multiple times a day and we put a hard cup mask on her to prevent her from rubbing and causing more damage. The next morning, I found her with the left side of her face wet from that eye draining which indicated possible injury. I thought this odd because she’d been wearing the hard cup mask. Dr. Julia came out and stained both eyes and found a very small ulcer in the left eye. She defined a treatment plan and advised that she was going to go out of state for several days. The plan was for her to recheck Elyza’s eyes when she returned from her trip unless the eye got worse in which case we would call another vet.
We checked both eyes daily and treated her left eye multiple times each day. We had already arranged for Dr. Cardona to come out that day to see Tinsel and Warrior and when he did, we asked him to examine Elyza’s eyes. He found her right eye to be ok – the torn lower lid had healed nicely.
Dr. Cardona also did another round of bloodwork to see how Elyza was progressing with her immune system and other issues. We were very anxious to get these results back to see how they compared to the first set of blood work that was done on February 22nd. Well, we’ve gotten the results back and I’m very happy to report that things look much better and Elyza’s eye is healing nicely, too, which is a huge relief!
Elyza is getting stronger, her coat looks healthy, and she’s gained some weight! She’s taller than Betsy Rose and she has a heavier frame but her mannerisms and expressions – well, it’s like déjà vu at times. Love this little mare!
#ElyzaRose #BetsyRoseStrong #believe #bhfer
When Elyza Rose came to the rescue, she got a physical, including blood work, by Dr. Julia Simonson.
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Elyza Rose had more of a menace reflex in her left eye than she did in her right. Betsy Rose’s bad eye was her right one.
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Elyza Rose tore the lower eyelid.
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The right eye got cloudy and there appeared to be blood in it – I became VERY concerned, knowing that she had ingested something poisonous – sometimes effects aren’t seen until days or weeks after.
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We’re happy to report that Elyza Rose is doing well!
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Elyza has put on some weight and her coat is healthy looking. She’s bright and alert. She seems to be a very happy little mare.
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We would like to offer our congratulations to the winners of the #EagleRareLife Award contest. There were so many inspiring stories – they are all winners in my book! While we didn’t win this year, we do thank all of you who voted for us. You’re all winners in my book too!
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Elyza-Rose saw Dr. Julia last week. She somehow managed to injure the lower eyelid of her right eye. She didn’t need stitches, but we wanted to make certain that the eye itself wasn’t injured.
Freckles enjoys spending time with Elyza and introducing her to more friends. Today, I found Camel telling his story about how he got here and about some of his past adventures. It was amazing – Elyza-Rose seemed to like the little ones and grazed very intently, making sure not to step on any of them.
Elyza did, however, plant her foot in another feed tub again today. According to Freckles, one of the donkeys told her a couple of days ago, that if she stood in a feed tub, a human would feel badly that the tub was empty and then put food in it. Those boys!
We went for a few walks in a grassy paddock and Elyza absolutely loved it! I think she’s gained some weight already! I know her coat looks shaggy – I clipped her in a hurry but I wanted to get that thick and unhealthy Cushing’s coat off her. I wanted to inspect for lice, ticks, etc. I haven’t had any time to clean up the poor clip job, but at least she feels better.
Yes, Elyza-Rose, you’re “home”!
Lastly, thanks to all of you, we won the SunState Federal Credit Union Charity of the Month Contest for the month of February! The $1000 prize could not have come at a better time and will greatly assist with the purchase of hay and/or other needs for our beloved herd.
Yesterday, Sophie and I made a trip to her new home! It’s not far from the rescue and she has a new friend named Dancer. Dancer is a 30+ year young TB that lost her BFF (who was also 30+ years young) a few days ago. Their human mom raised them from babies and Dancer was very, very sad with the loss of her BFF.
Dancer became more animated by the second and we let the girls meet over the fence. Then we hand grazed them for awhile. When I felt the time was right, we took our leads off and the girls walked off like they’d known each other for years. It was a warm and wonderful feeling!
I stayed for a couple of hours and watched the girls and chatted with Sophie’s new mom – it certainly didn’t seem like we were pretty much strangers. We have a lot in common and could’ve talked for hours. With every adoption, our family just expands!
And so, a new chapter in Sophie’s life begins.
This was Sophie when she came to us in 2015. She was skin on bones and had terrible teeth and feet. With proper TLC, Sophie blossomed into a beautiful and happy mare.
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Please also remember to cast your daily vote for Theresa in the Eagle Rare Life contest and please share amongst family and friends as well. Just click on this 