Feed me, please.

The request for help with very thin to emaciated horses has been answered by us eight times this year with the last three since mid August. Meet Dreamer who came into the care of the rescue on August 21st after responding to a Facebook and Craigslist ad. His owner claimed no matter what she did she was not able to get weight on him. She had even had his teeth done earlier this year and consulted a vet and many friends. One of our adopters contacted me to and offered to foster him if we could put him under Equine WellBeing Rescue and cover medical bills and others if she could provide hay and feed. So with Rianne's assistance Dreamer was transported to her ranch the very next day.

Dreamer had sores all over his body that were partially healed, his mane and tail matted, and very depressed. Rianne took him to Dr. Forbes at Aspen Vet Clinic for a complete exam and several tests were run to see if an illness was causing the weight loss. All test came back negative. He was sent home with topical medication for his wounds, pain meds and Gut Buster to help his stomach. He has also been blanketed from the elements since there was not fat to keep him warm, even a summer rain can give an emaciated horse the shivers. We put him on a refeeding program based on the UC Davis program for emaciated horses and slowly added larger amounts of alfalfa daily, senior feed and Enrich Plus to his diet. Last week we had his dentistry done and found 4 of his upper molar (chewing teeth), two on each side had already been removed and he had a broken lower molar that needed an extraction. Lack of chewing teeth can be such a huge cause for weight loss because they can't grind hay or alfalfa enough to get all the nutrients they need. A complete soft pelleted feed like Equine Senior is needed to provide their daily needs.

We are very pleased that after six weeks Dreamer is finally starting to regain his muscle mass and enjoy life again. His wounds are almost gone, his coat is shiny and he has a personality, greeting Rianne when she is out with the horses. He is no longer depressed or worried where his next meal is coming from and Rianne has told me how remarkable the personality changes are to watch by just feeding a horse the right amount of food. He is on his way to regaining his health and will make some family a wonderful riding horse when the time is right. On September 8th, two more skinny mares made their way to the rescue in Snowflake, both had already had vet work and dentals done and they still were not gaining weight. The family told us they were given to them, but now they want to get out of owning horses and they could not find anyone else to take them because they were thin. Both are rideable and our hope was we could get them back to health. Meet Lady and Lacy. Both have been with us now for almost 4 weeks.

By increasing their daily intake of pelleted senior feed, Enrich Plus in addition to some alfalfa and free feed orchard grass they have consistently been building muscle and before winter should have a little bit of fat to keep them warm on the chilly nights. Right now each of the mares are eating 17 pounds a day of senior feed, with our other oldsters that need senior feed we are using a bag a day. At $15.99/bag that is $495/month for senior feed alone.

Mihi and Peanut, mother and daughter arrived on 2-18-18 and you may remember Mihi, who is eight years old, had surgery to remove an infected tooth. Both are doing so well now. Peanut, who is 5 years old (not a yearling as she looked like on day she arrived), is in training with Aliki Otey and is doing great. Mihi is next on our training list as funds become available.

Ruby Rose came to us in June from another rescue and needed immediate vet care spending several day at So Cal Equine Hospital running a fever before going to our board member, Karen Ayre's home till she was well enough to travel to the rescue. Ruby Rose arrived in Snowflake 10 days ago and is adjusting well. Ruby has pain issues with her hind legs and hips and will need to be on Equioxx (previcox) for the long term at a cost of $1/day other wise she is doing awesome.

Sydney was rescued with her mom on June 28th. Momma was so thin her system was already shutting down when we got her to the rescue the vet said she could not recover so the only loving thing to do was release her from her pain. We did blood work and fecal test to determine Sydney's health needs put her on a specific diet and nutrients to help her recover. Daily handling and time in the pasture with the other horses, Sydney has become a very healthy and happy filly and is the light of our lives.

Other than Mihi, who had a long term infected tooth and needed surgery, all of these horses most important need has been the proper amount of food. They were all being fed, just not enough. We want to be sure that all the equine in our care always 'get enough' to remain healthy. We have 25 here at the rescue, three in foster we provide for and two in training we provide for making a total under our care of 30 horses, donkeys and mini donkeys. We have dentals coming up for several, fall deworming for all, vaccines for some and regular hoof trims. Please consider a donation, small or large, to help us continue to provide the proper medical, health and dietary needs of these sweet, sweet souls. We take our name 'well-being' seriously and through your support are able to change their lives. Simply click the Donate Now button and you can help Dreamer, Lacy and Lady recover and help the others too. Please share our email with your friends who might like to see our mission of providing loving care for equine in need and thank you so very much.

Many, many thanks for all you do to help the rescue! Christine

Donate Now! Thank you SO much.