June 6th, 2013
This morning: Betsy Rose is quite a determined little pony. She tries to get up and thrashes which is causing more body sores. And she needs every ounce of energy she can get for her body to heal. She needs to rest to regain her strength so when the time is right she can get up. To try to calm her when she thrashes we use Rescue Remedy with her – she loves the smell of Lavender – and it does seem to help. Betsy Rose has been so weak at times we’ve had to help her support her head with a wrap but look at her holding her pretty little head up!
This afternoon: Betsy Rose got into her sling around 11:30 this morning and she wants to go! She is determined to walk but her body just isn’t strong enough yet.
This little pony has light in her eyes! She has her water bucket, hay, and mash all within reach. She is trying to walk more and she has put weight on all 4 for feet short periods of time.
The sling is an awesome lifesaving tool and we are very blessed to have it but it can be quite a bit of work getting Betsy in and out of it – especially when she tries to walk and she can’t. We can’t leave her in it full time – constant pressure against her organs isn’t good. And for her to get good REM sleep, which her body desperately needs, she needs to lay all the way down. But when she tries to get up she thrashes about which can be dangerous for the humans trying to help her and it causes her to get bed sores which we are treating. And she needs to use all the calories she gets to help her body to heal. When she’s out of the sling we have to roll her over every couple of hours and we also prop her up using a bale of hay. And yes, the umbrella goes where needed. 🙂
It’s just me and Bob for the most part of every day and after doing this around the clock for a few days it can drain you. We have a volunteer(s) some parts of some days for routine things – we won’t let the care for the other horses down. Our snow bird volunteers have gone for the summer so it leaves us short. If anyone knows a local labor pool that we could pay (at a reasonable price) to come at least once a day for 3 or 4 hours it would be so helpful. I won’t leave Betsy Rose unattended. I don’t know if she’s going to make it but we will do everything possible to help her recover and live out her sunset years wanting for nothing.
Betsy Rose was simply starved. When this happens the body feeds off its own fat and then its muscle. Next, it feeds off of organs and that is where Betsy Rose is. She scored a 0.5 on the Henneke Body Condition Score scale. Most horses don’t recover once they get to a 1.5. Hopefully, the damage isn’t so bad that we can’t nurse her back to health but her odds are not good. The effects of starvation may be long lasting – only time will tell. We can’t just feed her a normal diet. Food is a shock to her body and we have to take it slow. She may get worse before she gets better, but if she doesn’t make it, I don’t want her to be alone. I promised her she won’t be alone. She has a positive, can-do, attitude which helps tremendously.
Please keep Betsy Rose in your prayers – I believe there is strength in prayer and miracles do happen!
#betsyrose #bhfer @weneedamiracle #prayersplease #believe
Sincerely,
Theresa
Beauty’s Haven Farm & Equine Rescue, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
Website: bhfer.org