Several months ago I was forwarded an
email with the picture above of an old, beat up looking mare that was on the ‘to be put
to sleep’ list at the Riverside Animal Shelter asking if we could help. She had been abandoned and found roaming
around rural Riverside by animal control. EqWBR
had never worked with any of the animal shelters as this point so this was a
new venture for us.
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| Her arrival at EqWBR 2-12-12 skin and bones with arthritic legs |
We made the arrangements and thanks to a
group of wonderful people got donations for transport, medical care and
groceries, she needed lots of groceries.
Dr. Ryan Heaton of West Coast Equine Medicine in Fallbrook met me in a
large dirt area off Hwy 76 & Hwy 15 on our way to Ramona to give her a
wellness check. Bad arthritis in her
knees, a fused pastern/fetlock area
(ankle) probably from severe ringbone and that same leg having a slight
bend/twist from walking on the fused foot, but other than that, heart and lungs
were great and she just needed food. We
determined she was in her early 20’s.
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| 2-12-12 heading home to EqWBR from Riverside Animal Shelter - Her wellness vet check |
Food she got, while we had pasture available
she was able to graze to her hearts content.
She was fed grain daily and Previcox to help with the arthritis pain and
quickly she put on weight and it was astounding to watch her run through the
pasture and kick up her heals even with that stiff front leg. She got along well with other horses and had
her overseeing some of the youngsters we had here, and then keeping company
with some of the others. She was a
hussy around the geldings….. lots of spunk to say the least.
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| The grass is greener on her side. 4-20-12 two months after arrival. |
Trimming her feet was a challenge since
she could not sustain and balance well with the arthritis and fused leg. She could only balance on three legs for a
very short time and when she had to put weight on the fused leg it was even
shorter. We were blessed to have several
patient trimmers work with her over the months.
Thank you Ilona, Claudia & Dani for her great foot care.
We got a call from neighbor and close
friends, Dawn & Clint, asking if they could borrow Precious to keep their
30+ year old mare company. So we agreed
EqWBR would continue to provide for all her needs while staying with the
neighbor keeping sweet Bailey company.
They became fast friends and both continued to thrive.
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| A birthday present for Johanna - spending time with Precious 6-18-2012 |
Last week, with the colder days and
nights it became apparent that the pain reliever Precious was taking wasn't enough to help the added pain caused by the cold weather and she started to
struggle walking, then even standing. To
get the weight off her front leg, she transferred it to her back end and that
had now started weakening. When I went
to visit her and it was so hard to watch her.
She had even started bobbing and weaving her head out of the
discomfort. Both Dawn and I, being
equine practitioners knew this was very bad, chronic and treatment would only
be temporary.
On Tuesday, Dr. Christi Garfinkel came
over to examine her and we came to the same conclusion. Though her mind was good and her spirit still
feisty, her poor legs could no longer support her body without causing great
pain and discomfort. The hardest decision of all was made, to
release her from her pain forever and that we did. Having to let a horse go always brings tears,
even from the vet. Quite prayers were
said and Dr. G lovingly placed a beautiful fall leaf on the shoulder of her
deceased body as a tribute to her life.
Sad and tearful moments watching her
pass, crossing the rainbow to heaven. It
has been a few days and I am now able to rejoice in her life and you should
rejoice too. So many people helped, in
small and big ways, to make her last months on earth HAPPY and love
filled. She thrived, she ran and kicked
up her heals, she squealed at the geldings like a young hussy and brought
smiles and laughter with her antics to so many people.
 |
| Precious with Bailey late summer 2012 |
Thank you all for your support, thoughts
and prayers for this sweet mare.
Abandoned and left to fend for herself till picked up by animal
control. She was a fighter and taught us
all to try just a little harder and give life all we can. If she could, we can too!
Blessings to all who touched her life and
if you are having a down day or struggles in your life, please think of
Precious and her fight and will to live on and draw strength from that.
She touched many lives with her spunk, sassy attitude and was truly a Precious treasure.
RIP Precious mare and run pain free!
All our love,
Christine
President
Equine WellBeing Rescue Inc. is a 501c3 Public Charity
Donations are tax-deductible
Federal Tax ID# 45-2835562
Equine WellBeing Rescue Inc. is a 501c3 Public Charity
Donations are tax-deductible
Federal Tax ID# 45-2835562
The generosity of so many caring people allows us to care for these horses in need.
Thank you all so much!
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