ROY - SEPTEMBER 27, 2010



Roy at Stone Mountain

Roy, our wonderful 28-year-old (or thereabouts) Carriage horse, who came here from Stone Mountain about 5 years ago, is likely dealing with a brain tumor. Recently he has had episodes of spinning in circles until he falls. Bloodwork was done, but revealed nothing to indicate why Roy is spinning. With normal bloodwork results, it is presumed that cancer is unlikely, leaving us with the distinct probability that a brain tumor is the cause of Roy's behavior and weight loss.




After spinning Sept 25, 2010

In Roy's fragile condition, it would not be easy for him to travel for an MRI. The motion would only make him more unstable. Besides, if an MRI showed a tumor, Roy would be a poor candidate for surgery in his current weakened state. Anesthesia would pose a serious danger to him. At his advanced age (and I'm told that 28 years is a long time for a horse of Roy's size), we would not wish to put him through any misery that could not hold out the promise of increasing his quality of life.

For now, we are watching and waiting to see how we can best support and help our beloved Roy. He still walks the barn and the yards when he is able and spends time in the covered ring, where he is least likely to hurt himself when he falls. I'm told that, lately, he seems to be learning to control his spinning by leaning against solid objects. That will be truly helpful in keeping him from falling and injuring himself. Most of the time he seems comfortable, and we've seen no signs of pain.

Roy in good health a few years ago

A sweet one-eyed mare, Sapphire, is often seen with him. When I was last there, Roy had fallen in the ring and Sapphire stood close by as if watching over him. We will watch her as well to see if her behavior may indicate a change in Roy's condition.

When Roy is ready to leave us, we will do everything we can to make his passing easy and gentle. While he is with us, we will revel in his presence and spend precious moments showering him with love and attention.

Roy - September 21, 2010

Roy in 2009

Roy is a handsome, large horse who has been at the rescue for about five years. He was a Carriage horse at Stone Mountain before he retired here with us.

Roy was scheduled to be euthanized the day Save the Horses picked him up. He was very thin and his owner thought there was no cure for for his condition. But, with loving care from rescue volunteers, he remained in good health until about 10 days ago. He seemed to have a mini mal seizure or, perhaps, a heart syncopne. During the episodes, Roy spins around until he eventually falls.


Dr. Marcella recently put him on steroids which seemed to control inflammation and help stabilize Roy, at least briefly. The hope was that we could eventually wean Roy from the steroids and place him on less problematic anti-inflammatory medication.

Spot on Roy's eye

Yesterday a spot appeared in his eye that was not there before. We are hoping blood work will show us the cause of the problem, but cancer or a brain tumor is suspected. Either of these conditions would be devastating. His age  (around 28 years) and condition make further testing and anesthesia dangerous for him. In the meantime, Roy is not improving and is slowly weakening. Watching him waste away is painful for all who love him.

On a personal note, I always enjoy seeing Roy on my Saturday mornings as a volunteer. Roy is always wandering around the rescue, free to roam at will. I would often see him stretched out in the pine shavings in the barn during the winter months. He looked like a giant dog settled into his bed of shavings; he practically dissolved in them since his coloring was so similar to that of the shavings. The sight of him there would always put a smile on my face. Although he is a huge horse, at least to me, a novice horse woman, he is definitely a gentle giant. It's such a joy to see him walking through the barn or out in the yard, making his rounds and supervising the staff. I hope that Roy can continue to make me smile on many more Saturday mornings.

All of us at the rescue are praying for Roy and his caregivers. We wait with grave anticipation for test results and decisions resulting from them.

MYRACLE GOES HOME

After Finayle's death, Myracle was having a hard time adjusting. Her mother had been her only equine companion for the 19 days of her life. Her foster, Judy, tried to place her with some other horses on her farm, but Myracle would have none of them, kicking, biting, and bucking. Our little filly was quite the handful and only Finayle seemed able to handle her tantrums. Although she did not need a nursing mother, Myracle needed a companion horse, preferably a mare that could provide her with the kind of affection only another horse could offer.

As a last resort, Myracle was brought to the rescue to see if Sweetie, our 35-year-old "grandma", could soothe the filly.

It worked beautifully. Sweetie quickly responded to Myracle's cries. Unfortunately, Myracle is just too young and rambunctious for the aging Sweetie and a long-term arrangement would be too much for the older horse. Another substitute mom would have to be found.

It didn't take long for Myracle to get an adoptive family. Adopters Dawn and Zach were the ones who initially brought Finayle to HRRF They lived very close to the kill buyer who agreed to sell Finayle. Of course, it would not have been wise for Finayle to remain in such close proximity to her abuser, so Dawn brought her to HRRRF. But with Finayle gone, it was time for Myracle to go to her permanent home.
 

Since Finayle's abuser had recently moved away from the area, Dawn and Zach felt it was now safe to bring Myracle to their farm. Dawn and Zach have a beautiful Morgan mare, named Suzie, who had lost two foals before they got her from an abusive situation. Could Suzie be the right foster mom for Myracle?

Pictures say a thousand words and as these photos show, the introductions went very well. It appears that Myracle has found a substitute mare who can help her get through the loss of her mom.

We wish you well, Myracle and it will be wonderful to watch you grow. We're sure that Finayle is resting in peace knowing that her little miracle is being well cared for. And Suzie finally has a foal to nurture. Miracles happen at HRRRF!

STRAWBERRY - POST-SURGERY

Strawberry, our beautiful 15-year-old Medicine Hat paint who arrived at her temporary foster home in Florida on August 28, 2010, had eye surgery on September 1, 2010.

Although cancer in her eye was not at first suspected, there was clear evidence of cancer on her vulva. Dr. Lee determined that Strawberry's eye was so severely damaged, she needed to have it removed. As it turned out, the eye was squamous cell carcinoma, just like her vulva, but Dr. Lee removed both and believed he got clear margins, so Strawberry is officially cancer-free at this time.

While we have not ridden Strawberry, we believe she could make a good riding horse. Before being abandoned, she was purchased as a riding horse for a family's daughter. Strawberry's foster, Patti, says that Strawberry is a little mistrustful of humans, perhaps due to some unkind treatment at some point in her life. Patti said she had some difficulty trimming her feet; Strawberry was nervous and uncomfortable with that. Despite her anxiety, Strawberry allowed Patti to saddle her and even lay across the saddle. Strawberry needs an adopter who has patience and affection to offer to help her regain her confidence and trust.

Strawberry is recuperating nicely in foster care in the Pensacola area of Florida and we expect a full recovery. With expensive surgery, such as eye removals, HRRRF is pressed for donations and welcomes any assistance from our wonderful circle of friends. Strawberry is now available for adoption, and with her gentle disposition, we know she will make a lovely companion for some lucky individual or family. Patti says she is even unafraid of her dogs, chickens, and peacocks!


This beautiful girl will need a home where she can be inside during summer days and hot weather to protect her eyes from sun damage, which is generally the cause of squamous cell carcinoma in light colored horses. Of course, she could be out at night and during comfortable winter days, when the sun is not so strong. Most of all, she needs love, kindness, and a compassionate human companion.

To make a donation, please see our website at http://www.savethehorses.org/. To make an inquiry about adoption, please contact horseinc@aol.com. We would love to find a permanent or foster home as soon as possible. Other horses in Florida are waiting for space once Strawberry is adopted, so spread the word about her.

MYRACLE AFTER HER LOSS September 5, 2010

After her mother's death, Myracle was, of course, upset. Born on August 12, she was only 19 days old when Finayle crossed the Rainbow Bridge on August 31, 2010. Myracle has been surrounded by human caregivers since the moment she was born and naturally found some comfort in the many volunteers who are helping her get through the loss of her mother. On August 31, 2010, the night Finayle died, Judy Henson (who was fostering yiracle and Finayle), wrote on Facebook:

September 1, 2010: "Last night was tough. As you would expect, she (Myracle) was missing mom. Sweet Lori stayed with me and we sat in the stall and tried to soothe her until about 9:00 PM. My husband and son Bobby came home and took one look at me and said go to bed. Bobby went out and sat with her until it was his bedtime and then Brian (my husband) grabbed some cushions and our Dog Sally, and hit the "hay" literally until 2:00 AM (I can't believe that man hasn't left me yet) and then we fed her some more milk and got her to sleep again. She did good and we went out again at 6: AM and started our day. Dawn (Myracle's new adopter) came around 9:00 AM and the decision was made to take her to Cheryl's and see how Sweetie would respond.

Sweetie loves babies. Here she is with
our newest baby, Patience.

We put Myracle in the large arena by herself to gt acclimated to the arena and she started calling for her mom. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sweetie walking towards us. She had heard Myracle's cry. Cheryl opened the gate and Sweetie walked in to greet her. I was waiting for Myracle to deliver a nice swift kick to poor Sweetie (like she did to all my horses) when all of a sudden they kissed, talked and then Myracle tried to start nursing Sweetie!!! OMG I could not believe it. If I had any tears left I would have cried. Amazing things happen at that rescue. I think I may have just witnessed another miracle."

September 3, 2010: "Today Our Baby went to her new and hopefully final home. Zach and Dawn (her adopters) wanted to try her with their Mustang mare who had previously lost two foals (before they rescued her from the kill truck) and see if they could become companions and perhaps their mare might even start producing milk again. We loaded her up and put a little halter on her and took the short ride to their place. Her mare is very docile and we slowly introduced them and everything is just fine so far. Myracle did try to nurse her very quickly and it didn't seem to bother her mare at all. So when I left all was well. Dawn and Zach said they welcome anyone who would like to come and visit as they know Miracle has a lot of our hearts."

Farewell Finayle. Rest in Peace.

We'll be following Myracle's story for quite some time to come. All of us at the rescue, whether or not we have met this beautiful filly, have spent much time worrying about her and her mother. Finayle has left us to care for the baby she could not stay to raise herself and we will honor her sacrifice and watch over Miracle. Although Myracle has a new family, we remain committed to her and will be there if and when we are needed. We wish Dawn, Zach and Myracle lots of joy and happiness together.

To be continued . . .

FINAYLE AND MYRACLE

Finalye, August 9, 2010

On August 9, HRRRF purchased Finayle for $200 from a kill buyer. She was taken into foster care because of her awful condition. A vet visit confirmed that her condition scored a 1 on the Hennekke scale, indicating her severely depleted body weight, which certainly was not surprising to us.

Finayle is down on August 9, 2010

However, we were completely shocked to learn that this dangerously undernourished horse was pregnant and due to deliver within days. Information was spread quickly on Facebook and soon hundreds of people were talking and taking an interest in a horse that no one would have otherwise heard of.

Anxious volunteers quickly gathered to prepare for the impending birth. Good thing, too. On August 12, only three days after her arrival, Finayle went into labor. A handful of volunteers were on hand to assist. The plan was to try to have Finayle deliver on her feet, hoping to enlist the support of gravity and put less demand on Finayle's breathing. But, with almost no muscle strength, she was unable to stand for the delivery. On the ground, one volunteer helped the foal by pulling for what seemed like hours, but was much closer to a few minutes, and suddenly, there she was, alive and beautiful.

Myracle's first day, August 12, 2010

Human stress levels were extremely high. The chance of losing mother and/or baby during the ordeal of birth were very real, so there was great joy when the foal arrived safely and looking pretty good, although thin. She was named Myracle because, in truth, that's exactly what she was -- a miracle.

Every day after that was an adventure. Photos of mom and baby were all over Facebook, everyone ooohing and aaahing and rooting for these two amazing creatures. Finayle only weighed about 550 pounds, so rescue volunteers were watching carefully to see if she could handle mommy duties.

Finayle had a tough road as thin as she was.

Worries persisted since baby Myracle's insistence on nursing was draining mom of energy and nutrients she desperately needed. She even wanted Finayle's grain! Behind the scenes, volunteers suggested different bottles and formulas and the search was on for other nursing sources. Eventually, Myracle began accepting some foal lac and milk pellets and has been growing and developing well.

Myracle, August 23, 2010

Finayle, too, seemed to be improving. At last weight, she was up to 680 lbs, still painfully thin, but headed in the right direction . . . until Monday, August 30. She was down and was experiencing a lot of pain. The vet, Dr. Duvall, was called and arrived quickly. She administered some medications and Finayle began passing gas and seemed more comfortable. Volunteers offered massages and constant vigil during the night. Facebook buzzed with questions and you could almost hear the collective intake of breath as we all waited through the night.

Finayle and her filly, Myracle

The morning message was not good -- Finayle was again in pain and Dr. Duvall had been called back. She worked on her for awhile and we learned that the vet would return at noon when a decision would likely be made . . . for good or bad. All afternoon we waited for word, chatting with each other on Facebook, dreading to learn the  outcome, but hoping that no news was good news. At 5:30 on August 31, we learned that Finayle had crossed the Rainbow Bridge around 5 p.m. with the aid of loving friends and Dr. Duvall. Sadness permeated the quiet messages of mourning, and concerns for Myracle were expressed.

Mom and her baby August 17, 2010

Today is September 1 and all of our lives have been changed in some way by the loss of Finayle. Although I never actually met her, her photos were so compelling that I find the tears hard to contain, tears of love and anger. Her presence and passing are haunting, but this is what rescue work too often involves. We live on an emotional roller coaster, full of elation and delight with each successful rescue and full of sadness and anger with the loss of a rescued animal because of someone's cruel abuse or neglect.

Finayle & Mracle Aug 30, 2010

Finayle with Dr. Lee on August 31, 2020

Finayle is safe and whole now and we can let her rest in peace; her legacy is Myracle and we will do everything we can to give her a life full of kindness and love. We honor Finayle for her courage and strength which helped her survive long enough to bring a miracle into the world. Finayle's story has come to an end, but Myracle's story is just beginning.