When it rains, it pours! We need your help....

I started to write this on 9-3-15   We are on day four of rain. Not throughout the day, but sporadic thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon. It started Monday when the winds picked up, I went out to further secure the carport shelter in the new donkey enclosure. I was holding on to one of the supports when a micro burst picked the shelter, me and some of the pipe panels right off the ground. I landed about 20 feet away and the shelter way over by the hay barn. Worried that it would continue to fly through the air like a projectile, I drove the tractor to it and put the bucket just above it so it would go nowhere.  A few bruises and sore muscles but I will be better in a few days.

Shelter after the micro burst that carried it over 50 feet.

Last Tuesday I noticed Gwen was extremely swollen on her right chest (pectoral) area and initially thought she was kicked. Then I heard from Dr. Christianson that there were several reported cases of Pigeon Fever, also called Dryland Distemper, in the area. I spoke to a friend who also had a horse showing symptoms and her vet also report several cases.  So we quarantined her and have been keeping a close eye on her.

UPDATE 9-22-15  This has been a grueling few weeks and it seems the storm was just the beginning. I have healed from my scratches and bruises and we have fixed that shelter and assembled another so now all the donkeys have cover.

Much of the last few weeks has blown by as I have been providing nursing care for several horses. Gwen did have pigeon fever and Duncan also developed it, though with our tough bio-security measures, quarantining the sick and making sure people and animals stayed away from them, we have been able to keep the others from catching such a highly contagious sickness.

Paco, one of the donkeys that came to us from the Humane Society of N TX, came down with a runny nose after shortly after the donkeys arrival the end of August. He has been put in a separate quarantine enclosure and getting antibiotic treatment as we watch to see if this might be tooth related since he sometimes chews oddly. When he is a little easier to handle we can check his teeth. In the meantime, twice daily meds.

Paco Lips in quarantine with a runny nose

A little over a week ago we had unwelcome visitors, someones dogs were running loose. I chased them away from the barn but it was later that we realized both Autumn and Princess had puncture wounds in their right hind leg just above the hock. With the stress of movement in the area the punctures quickly stretched to large wounds and they two are getting antibiotic treatment along with tetanus shots.  They are getting better but require cleaning and bandaging daily.

Continued 9-24-15  A second storm came through two days ago leaving puddles and mud everywhere.  We got over an inch and since we are down hill from many places in the neighborhood we had rivers running through our pastures. We lost about $150 worth of hay that got wet and has since mildewed. Lots of clean-up, but blessed that we were able to house all the horses in the barn during the worst of it.

Gwen has produced new abscesses, just when we thought she had healed fully. Yesterday I lanced the newest one and about 3 cups of drainage came out of her chest. She had a slight fever so we are treating that along with cleaning the area, expressing any new fluids and tight fly control. She seemed to be feeling a little better today.

It is with great sadness that Duncan lost his battle with pigeon fever. His abscesses were internal and statistically only 40% of horses can recover from that. At age 27, he was in great pain when the abscess ruptured internally on the 18th. His vital signs were off the charts and he was in obvious pain so the difficult decision to put him down was made.  While his initial freedom from pain was instant, the emotional pain has taken its toll on us. I will be doing a separate blog post in his memory.

Some good news to share is that 7 of the donkeys are available for adoption. Joey has been adopted by a local family that we love and he is in a great new home as a family horse. Liam has finished several months of training including lots of time out on the trail and working with various obstacles to see how he would be as a competitive trail horse. He has a solid mind and very steady.  Now he just needs to find the right family that wants a well loved horse to make their own. CC Bloom, one of our Dann Sister horses has also finished her training, went to her first horse show on Sunday and is now with a potential foster family.

Princess has been with us for 3 months and is now at a very good weight and her mood is awesome. As soon as her leg wound heals she will be back out with the herd again. She does require senior type pelleted feed every day.  As a member of the A Home For Every Horse Program, we received coupons from Purina for 20 free bags of feed which went quickly with her eating 20lbs of feed a day. But we are thankful to have gotten the coupons and love being part of that program.

We also received vaccines for 10 horses from the AAEP and Unwanted Horse Coalitions "Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign" in coordination with Merck Animal Health as savings to us of approximately $509.

On August 8th we hosted an ATV open house for people who enjoy both off-road riding and have a love for horses as a way to introduce some to the rescue and thank others for their support. We had a nice sunset ride and dinner and a good time was had by all. The hit of the event was everyone meeting Chancer, Raylan and Avery.  They loved the babies. We raised a little over $400 which was so appreciated.

 


This has been a very busy summer. A new enclosure was built for the donkeys, shelters purchased for that and the outside quarantine enclosure and pipe panels with costs totaling $1850. Training for Liam $1000. Veterinary expenses for all the recent health care $554.25, medicines, health care supplies and bandaging over $400. Upcoming expenses include hoof care, dentals, vaccines and the castration of the 3 colts, Avery, Raylan and Chancer with estimated costs of $2500. Hay runs $375-$400 a week and pellets and supplements $70 a week.

Updated 9-28-15  It just keeps getting better....over the weekend while trenching to put in more exterior faucets throughout the property and also some irrigation, the electrical wiring to the barn was damaged and now need to be repaired.   I am beginning to feel like we are being tested to see what we can handle.   Eleanor Roosevelt said, "A woman is like a tea bag, you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."

We need your help! While we try to find homes for the donkeys and horses that are adoptable or can be fostered and continue the health care for the sick and injured, we would appreciate ANY donation that you could make to help us meet our expenses.  100% of your donation goes to care for the equine.  I have never taken any salary nor does the rescue pay rent, we continue to donate our time to keep costs down and help everywhere we can.   If you can help now it is really, really needed.

Checks can be mailed to PO Box 2722, Snowflake, AZ  85937 or you can click this link to our PayPal account:

We currently have 22 equine and one cat at the ranch from ages 10 weeks to 27 years old that have been saved from bad situations and your donations make all the difference in the world to them.

Chancer's life is in our hands!

Thank you, thank you so very much!

Christine
President/Founder
760-703-4860

She rides with the Angels now....our sweet Nikia.

Saturday, August 29th we had to lay our sweet Nikia to rest.   A vibrant Arabian mare, just 20 years old that should have lived for another 10 years.  A tooth disease and cancer shortened her life, but not how much love she has had while being part of the rescue.

Nikia came to us in 2011 and till we found the right adoptive home for her, both Lary and I had the joy and pleasure of riding her.  She was awesome on trail.  Through water, around vehicles, she even did parades in her younger days.

In 2012, she was adopted by our friend Linda, who also adopted Joey, one of the orphaned foals from a Fallon feedlot.  Nikia became best friends with Linda's horse Annie and together the whole family was able to enjoy horseback riding.  Family circumstances changed and Nikia came back to the ranch in October 2014 and fit right back in with some of her old friends, Gwen and Danny.  

The tooth disease, EOTRH (Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resportion and Hypercementosis) is not curable, but in some horses is manageable through the extraction of affected teeth and supplements that can sometimes slow the progression.    

The upper photo shows how the two outside incisors root area had gotten bulbous from the resorption and the lower photo shows a cavity and weakening in the tooth that compromised its strength.  Her upper incisors looked very similar.    Dr. Christianson and I discussed removing the affected four teeth which is very invasive. Her jaw was also weakened by this disease creating more risk with any extraction.

We knew she had some lumps and bump over the years, it is common with gray horses but we also discovered that she recently presented melanoma under her tail and on her anal area.  Having dealt with this with Fancy we know how quickly it can get bad and didn't want her suffering....at all.

Knowing Linda was moving to live here at the ranch, we waited a few weeks so that Linda could be reunited with Nikia and we all could say goodbye together. These decisions are never easy.  On the outside of the horse you really couldn't see any indication of what was going on inside which makes it even more difficult for an otherwise healthy looking horse.

When the time came, Linda, Lary and I stood by her side and many tears were shed and the sadness of the loss continues today.   She was an awesome trail horse that anyone could ride.  She was brave, sure footed, got along great with other horses and ridden by kids, parents and grandparents too.  She touched many, many lives and was so very loved.  We feel a tremendous loss.

Run pain free Nikia........our sweet angel! 

Princess needs our help. Purina remembers Lucky.

We are so very humbled that Purina Horse Feed, a sponsor of the A Home for Every Horse program has highlighted Equine WellBeing Rescue on their Facebook page today, July 22, 2015.   Earlier this year Purina also ran Lucky's story in Trail Rider Magazine too.  Trail Rider Magazine article.

It is usually the big rescues with lots of resources that get media coverage so we are so very grateful that a small rescue, with a small following and limited resources has been included in Purina's stories and recognized for all of our hard work helping horses.

As part of the A Home For Every Horse program, we receive 10 coupons from Purina for free bags of feed in the early summer and then again late fall, which come in very handy with the senior horses who require pelleted feeds because their teeth no longer have chewing capacity.

We recently took in an emaciated mare with only one eye, her name is Princess and here are her intake pictures her first day at the rescue on 6-26-15.

She is a 25 years old registered Paint horse and was losing weight because she was being fed alfalfa that she couldn't chew. She now gets 20 pounds a day of senior/pelleted feed (one bag every 2 1/2 days) as of today, June 22, 2015, she has put on 75 pounds. The picture below was taken last week and she had put on 60 pounds at that time.  We will be very happy if she continues to add 15-20 pounds a week since she was at least 200 pounds underweight when she arrived.  

In addition to her malnourished condition, her feet had not been trimmed in many months, she had rain rot fungus along her spinal area, very poor, dull coat with winter fur still remaining also cuts, scratches and scars all over her legs.  She has been on a deworming program, her feet trimmed, bathed with medicated shampoo and treated for the fungus.  

When she has gained 100 pounds we will give her a treatment for any sand in her intestines, though the test showed very little, but it is a good precaution for a horse that had been eating anything she could find on the ground till we got her. 

All in all we are seeing improvement.  We have found a prior owner who let us know she lost her left eye to cancer about 10 years ago.  With that information we are keeping a close eye on her right eye and how well she recovers from her emaciated state.  

Left eye removed due to cancer 10 yrs ago

It was almost a year to the date we rescued emaciated Lucky and Duncan from a bad situation, now we rescue another emaciated horse needing our help and Purina puts out a story about our beloved Lucky.  Serendipitous.  

If you would like to help us with feed or health care funds for Princess or any of the other 11 horses and 2 donkeys at the rescue, your donation is so very much appreciated. Funds can be sent via PayPal using email address "donate@equinewellbeing.org" or via mail to EqWBR, PO Box 2722, Snowflake, AZ  85937, your donations are tax-deductible.   Our 501c3 tax ID is 45-2835562.

We are such a small rescue, but with your help, we can have big results for horses in need. Thank you all so very much!

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!

Christine

Founder/President

Trail Rider Magazine article on EqWBR's horse Lucky.

6-11-2015
Horse-Rescue Story: Lucky
By Purina Animal Nutrition

Lucky was living in cramped quarters, blind in one eye, and had a Henneke Scale body-condition score of 1.  Then Equine WellBeing Rescue stepped in.  Read on for Lucky's story.

About Equine WellBeing Rescue. We started in Ramona, California, doing horse adoptions on a small-scale.  In 2007, there was a huge wildfire that started near Ramona, and a lot of people lost their homes, their barns, and all their hay.  There were many horses in desperate need. 

We had 17 horses that were evacuated to our house because we were in a safe spot.  And some people couldn't take their horses back.  Some went back home eventually, and we had to find homes for some of them. 

We operated the rescue privately until 2011, when we formally made it a 501(c)(3) organization.  Most of what we do is networking to find homes for horses, but we also provide nursing care and rehab to horses with very urgent health care needs on a limited basis.  If a horse is at our rescue, we try to do everything possible to be sure the horse gets everything they need. And unfortunately, we have to say 'no' to a lot of horses.  But we know that the ones we do have are well cared for.  We're a small rescue, and we're at our capacity now with 12 horses. 

About Lucky. I found Lucky in a really horrendous situation. He was being kept in a barn that was three quarters full of odds and ends more resembling a storage unit versus a barn. Lucky was confined to an area about 12-by-12 fee.  He was unkempt, visibly dirty and he had to share water with other animals. 

Lucky when brought to Equine WellBeing Rescue Inc.

Lucky's body condition score was a 1 when we did his intake.  He was 835 pounds, and his height was 15 hands.   He was mildly dehydrated.  We also discovered he was blind in his left eye. We estimated his age in the mid-20's. 

About Lucky's nutrition. I started feeding Lucky Purina Equine Senior horse feed, along with Purina Enrich Plus ration balancing feed.  He always had access to hay.  I fed him small, frequent meals, until he got used to eating again. 

Now, he gets a couple pounds of soaked alfalfa pellets and Purina Enrich Plus ration balancing feed once a day, and he has access to grass hay all day long. 

On average, Lucky put on about 25 pounds a week.  It takes longer for horses to put the weight on over their hips and right along their spine.  Lucky's spine has filled in now, but he still a little bony on the hips, and that might not change. 

About the difference good nutrition has made for Lucky. I started seeing a difference within just a couple weeks.  At first, he was very withdrawn.  He didn't want to be very social; he was nervous. As soon as he started to feel better, his confidence increased. His coat became shiny. 

After he started getting the nutrition he needed, he started to trot around and be more active and socialize with the other horses.  Now, he's out most of the day - we just bring him in to feed him.  Lucky knows he's going to be fed regularly; he knows he's not going to starve. He has a new home for live as one of our sanctuary horse. 

Lucky, after being rehabilitated by Equine WellBeing Rescue, Inc.
 with help from Purina Products

About the value of Purina research. Once a year, Purina has a conference for veterinarians and veterinary technicians at its facility outside of St. Louis.  Several years ago, I had the opportunity to attend.  I learned about the extensive research Purina does, how they purchase ingredients, and the testing that goes into various ingredients. I also learned about the studies they do before they change a product. 

I was able to see how they test different products with the horses, and I was able to talk with the doctors and nutritionists on staff. I also learned about the amount of quality assurance that goes into anything related to Purina products.  I started using Purina products after I attended the conference. 

Benefits of Purina's support of A Home for Every Horse. The fact that Purina provides coupons so we can get free bags of feed is very beneficial.  We received the coupons about the same time we got Lucky, so we were able to designate those bags of feed to Lucky and feed him Purina products and know that he was getting nutritious food. Having these types of programs available is another avenue to help horse in need. It's great that they're available, and it means a lot to our rescue. 
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Purina Equine Senior horse feed was one of many factors that helped these horses' recovery. Purina is proud to assist rescue shelters with one of many resourses needed to bring trouble horses back to health. 

Click this link to see the Trail Rider Magazine article
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The interview for this article was done in fall of 2014. It is with much sadness that earlier this year Lucky passed away due to the side-effects of the long-time malnutrition he suffered before coming to Equine WellBeing Rescue, Inc. We miss him daily and know that he was a happy and much loved horse to his final day. 

RIP our Lucky boy!

Ben's recovery after just 40 days

We are so excited to show you Ben's progress as he regains his health.  

Dramatic change most seen in his hips and pelvis area

We have seen a dramatic change in his demeanor in addition to the weight he is gaining and the muscle rebuilding.   

4-19-15 Ben's intake photo

He is getting 20 pounds of Dumor Equistages feed a day which means he eats about three bags of feed each week, 17 bags since his arrival.  He also gets 15-20 pounds of alfalfa and all the Bermunda hay he wants each day.  We also include one pound of Purina's Enrich Plus with provides 100% of his daily nutrients and the very important amino acids that promote muscle rebuilding.   

He has been dewormed and on Tuesday will get his feet trimmed again.  That same day will will clean his sheath and soon will do his complete dentistry.  His dermatitis is gone and you can see how shiny his coat is.  

Ben engages us and socializes with the other horses, comes when he is called (especially if we have a bucket in hand) and is far from the depressed horse that arrived on April 19th of this year.  

Over the next few weeks we will reduce the pelleted feed and increase the alfalfa so he can get back to a 100% roughage diet once he has bulked out and at a normal weight for his height and age. 

Click here to read read his story and arrival at EqWBR.

We can't thank everyone enough for being part of our family. Through your generous donations and support we have been able to help Ben and many others over the years.   See what you have done?

Blessing to you all!

Christine

Founder & President

Thanks to you EqWBR is awarded 2015 Top Non-Profit status

Volunteer. Donate. Review.

Yes, thanks to all those who wrote reviews, for the third year in a row, EqWBR is awarded a "Top-Rated Nonprofit" status from Great Nonprofits.  We received over 26 reviews in the last few weeks from donors, volunteers, clients, experts in the rescue industry and the public with 5 star ratings from everyone.  

We couldn't be more humbled by the comments included in the reviews and are honored by all the love and support from each of you.  

You make such a huge difference for horses in need!

Thank you, thank you, thank you from all of us at EqWBR!

Christine Griffin
Founder & President

Sharon Contreras
Vice President

Connie Braun
Secretary & Treasurer

Dr. Kari Christianson
Board Member & Medical Advisor

It's a Boy! Meet Avery born 4-26-15

It is with joyful excitement we announce the birth of Caramel's foal, a little colt we have named Avery.  He was born in the wee hours of the morning on April 26, 2015, and in the midst of the biggest spring thunderstorm and bad weather we have had this season.  This is what was rolling in as we hunkered the horses down in the barn the night of the 25th. Caramel was tucked safely in stall in a dry bed of straw out of the wind and rain.

Meet Avery! A sweet black bay gelding who looks like a carbon copy of his mom.  His coloring is so beautiful with solid black along his back and shoulders that changes to a light beige on his belly and his coat feels like a soft velour blanket or plush toy.   He is long awaited and perfect in every way!   

As soon as the sun came out we let them out of the barn to stretch their legs and so we could clean the stall without disturbing them.   Caramel is the ever gentle and caring mom. Avery was running around the enclosure at just a few hours old.  Exercise and movement is so good for them both. 

As expected Raylan and Kiotai were very curious about the new arrival. 

After a few days we let them out to the pasture to have even more room to roam and get to know the other horses.  Looks at the size difference between Raylan and Avery. 

Like any boys, they play and rough house and it is hard to get work done around the barn with these two sweeties to cuddle and time slips away watching their antics. 

Though they are almost seven weeks apart I think the two of them will be best friends for a long time. Caramel is doing awesome and both moms have gained weight and look fabulous. Such a joy to have new life at Equine WellBeing Rescue as we now have horses ranging from newborn to almost 30 years old.  

I close this post with a photo taken while Caramel and Avery were roaming the property. For a mare that came in from the Navajo reservation, used to roaming miles a day, her joy was complete being allowed to run with her new foal at her heels. 

Life is grand!

Christine