Mercy Me, Some Farewell Pictures Options

[mydakota]

Some of you know that I got my 2 horses from Emerald Valley Equine Assistance horse rescue. It has been a very positive experience for me, and my horses have been everything I hoped for when I went out looking for them.

In the 4 years since, I have taken in a foster from EVEA every summer. It is a positive experience in so many ways. It eases the financial burden on the rescue, who, like all other rescues right now, is full to capacity and bursting at the seams. It lets the foster horse enjoy more one on one attention than it could possibly get at the rescue facility. It allows me the opportunity to experience so many health and training situations that I would never come up against in my own horses and allows me to broaden my horsemanship in ways I never would with just my own 2 horses as "guinea pigs". I love fostering. Really really love it.

Not all rescue situations are the same. Take my own 2 horses as examples. My gelding was owned by Oregon State University, and used for the vet students to practice on. He had a serious injury, and required surgery, as well as needing to be gelded. The vet students at OSU did all the work on him, and when he was all patched up they had no need for him anymore. If noone takes them, they euth them. Luckily for me. EVEA took him in, and I later adopted him. Love him to death. We are a great match. Even though he was rescued in a very real sense, he had not been abused. He had been properly fed and cared for before being taken in by the rescue, and was healthy when the rescue got him. My mare was an entirely different thing. Her owners had simply moved away, and abandoned her in a dirt corral. Where she starved. Nearly to death. And was finally siezed by the county and taken in to the rescue an emaciated, pregnant, weak shell. Some people are not worth the very air they breathe.

I just got this years foster this afternoon. Some of you have been following Andi's thread on the large siezure in the Burns area of Oregon. My foster this year is a little grey mare from that siezure. We are still not sure if she will make it. She is a 1.5 on the BCS. She has several bedsores on her right side that are oozing yellow fluid, she is quite anemic, and she is full of lice. (mostly dead now , thanks to treatment) We are still not positive she is going to make it. She is sweet and people friendly. I really want her to live. It is hard to not be filled with rage when I look at her. And the worst part? The woman from whom she was siezed has been convicted of this before in Texas. Makes me sick.

I am feeling pretty negative about people right now. I could use some positive thoughts over here.

Thanks,
mydakota

This post has been edited by mydakota: Oct 26 2009, 08:16 PM

[desperate horsew...]

Some people are a waste of human skin, aren't they?

Big hugs to you for taking on this challenge. Prayers going out to you and Andi and all the others who are involved in this and other rescues of this nature!

[slowgaiter]

God bless you for taking on these challenges....would you please keep us updated.... I would love love love to take in a foster equine... so far everything here where i live is fine... when something does come up... we donate hay,grain,what ever the animal needs. I love spending the time with them,brushing,treatingthere wounds or just watching them eat...I will haul them out of place from --ll and take them where ever they need to go...so yes some of these so called humans are just not meant to here,....with us who care....good luck....hugs and kisses to the mare..every little bit does help...

[Andi]

I know you will do everything in your power to help her pull thru.

Did Sandy tell you about getting her to the fairgrounds and then to the field she was in when we went and helped Sandy take them?

Honestly, it would have been hard for me not to tell the Vet to put her, that palomino and that sorrel gelding down on the spot. They were all 3 "1" in body score and all had horrible lice problems and pressure sores all over and the little sorrel Mustang gelding has a nasty wound, from a t-post it looks like, under his jaw.

I guess the gray mare could barely walk and they had to lead her about 1/4 mile to get to the trailer. And had to stop many times -- took almost 45 minutes to lead her to the trailer.

Then, at the fairgrounds, a well meaning, but ill-informed person gave them dairy quality alfalfa -- free choice, no less, and went thru a 50 lb. bag of senior feed in 24 hours between the 3 of them!!! And alfalfa pellets. And she sprinkled sulfa powder over the feed, not knowing if one was getting more than the other or whatever. She didn't even know what the stuff was. <sigh>

Then, instead of trailering them the 1/2 mile or so to the field they were in when Sandy came to get them, they led them! The next day after bringing them from the place where they were rescued from! On hard rocks and pavement! With their feet in horrible shape and so scrawny and weak.

And the guy who owned the little field they were in threw out tons of alfalfa, fed them grain several times a day and bought a bunch of apples to feed them. I know he meant well but he very well could have killed them.

We sooooo need a "real" rescue here. We simply can't do it unless we can move some horses and quit taking in more we have no business taking in! Ok, the new guy is just a sweetheart and really, broken knee and all, he doesn't deserve a long trip to Mexico.

You are doing a wonderful thing and if it wasn't for people like you, the rescues wouldn't be able to operate either. And I agree, there are a lot of people that are a waste of air ...

[mydakota]

Okay, I wasn't going to do this. A very wise friend said that she though it would be better if I didn't post "before" pics, as there have been just so very many skinny horse posts lately. I agreed at the time that it might be better for me to wait until I also had some "progress" pics to post along side the "before" pics. But I am just so very sad and disgusted at what some excuse for a human did to this poor sweet mare that I feel like I have to show someone. I can't seem to take a pic that really shows how bad she is. White seems to really camoflage skinny for some reason. But here is the best I could do. I need a name for her. I am leaning towards "Mercy". What do you all think?







Those dark spots under her eye? Bald from rubbing at the lice.

[audrey-mae]

Awww wow. Mercy indeed.

Her eyes do look bright. I have much hope for this mare!

[Andi]

I think Mercy is a good name!

I told you white is hard to really 'show' how bad they are but you did a good job!

She has a strong will to live and is just a very sweet and loving mare. I think she will blossom in your care and in 3 months, we will see a different horse!

Thank you!

This post has been edited by Andi: Apr 10 2009, 09:20 PM

[SpiffyGrl]

Bless your heart!!! I think Mercy fits just right! I hope she recovers and makes a great horse for you or someone else!

[mydakota]

Well, she seems to be doing okay tonight. She has probably eaten 2 flakes of hay total, as well as her grain/beet pulp mash I made her. I put a little corn oil in it, as well as some probiotics. She is up and interested in what is going on. She eats in very small amounts. Then she rests. Then she drinks. Then she rests. Then she poops, then she rests. You get the idea. Thanks guys. I am very hopeful for her.

[PaintHorseKate81]

Good for you for taking on such a daunting task! I hope the newly-christened 'Mercy' pulls through under your watchful and loving care. Please keep us updated on the poor dear. . . and I agree. . . some people are just a complete waste of air, time, effort, etc. . .
I really hope she pulls through for you!

[Andi]

Good for you for taking on such a daunting task! I hope the newly-christened 'Mercy' pulls through under your watchful and loving care. Please keep us updated on the poor dear. . . and I agree. . . some people are just a complete waste of air, time, effort, etc. . .
I really hope she pulls through for you!

I have faith in 'Kota ... and in Mercy. She will pull thru. I looked in this mare's eyes, hugged her neck, felt her sigh as she snuggled her head against my chest. She has a strong will to live and knows she is in kind and tender hands now.

[mydakota]

A morning update!! Mercy nickered softly this morning when I went out to feed!! (I love it when they are vocal!) She had probably nibbled her way through another flake of hay over night. I gave her another small serving of Sr feed/beet pulp and she polished it off!!! Absolutely the most appetite I have seen so far! When I left her, she was nibbling hay! The servings I am giving her are probably 4 to 5 cups (not pounds) dry, and then I soak them, so they look like a lot more after they absorb the water. It is a small amount, but she probably thinks it is a HUGE meal. I thought it would be better, both for her body and for waste purposes, to take it out there in smaller portions 4 or 5 times a day rather than 2 larger meals. She is interested in food, but just can't eat a lot at one time. Anyway, I thought she looked bright this morning. Just wanted to let you know.

Andi, thank you for helping to get her out of there. I know how it makes me feel just looking at her, and I cannot imagine how it must be to go out there where there are 40 plus MORE of them who look nearly as bad. And then to lead them out over the bodies of the ones who didn't make it? I might have collapsed from grief. No kidding.

This post has been edited by mydakota: Apr 11 2009, 09:28 AM

[Andi]

Woo hoo!!! Glad she is doing better and perking up this morning! I had to check in before I head out for the day ... going to the cutting this morning and hopefully, to help Sandy this afternoon.

I agree, with a mare in her shape, several smaller feedings are much preferred over one or two larger feedings. Her system will assimulate the food much better.

Give Mercy a big hug for me!

[PineBarSissy]

I am sure she will pull through just fine under your care. Sounds like you are doing everything the way you need to, to get her better.
to you for taking this poor mare on. & to you also Andi for your part in this.
Keep us updated on how she is doing. She has a sweet eye.

[mydakota]

I am soaking another small portion of feed for her right now. It is a little earlier than I otherwise would, but I am fixing to leave with my own mare for a mounted Easter egg hunt and will be gone for several hours, so I want her to have a little more before I go. She is getting hay free choice, but I think the mash is easier for her.

All this multiple grain feedings for Mercy are going to make Dakota and Macai think I seriously suck!! They get one little piddly handful of grain to take their vitamins in and that is it! Life is not fair.

As for Mercy's name? When she stepped off the trailer, and I got my first look at her in person, the first words out of my mouth were "Lord have Mercy!" From the look of her, He nearly did.

[Itchysmom]

She is going to become a beautiful mare in your hands. I know she knows she is is in a loving home and apprecites all you are doing for her...hence the nicker!

Do you know how old she is? Silly question, but has a vet checked all these horses out for teeth problems and such? Her teeth are most likely bad too and that is why she has more trouble with the hay.

I wish they would bring back public hangings for people like those that do this to horses! A bullet to the head is so much better than starving to death.

Bless you for helping out, even if it is only one mare, you are doing what alot of here wish we could do.

This post has been edited by Itchysmom: Apr 11 2009, 10:03 AM

[BB Blue]

Bless you Mydakota for helping poor Mercy. I agree that people who do that to animals are not worthy of breathing.
I think smaller meals will be the best for her too and am sure under your loving care she will look much better in a couple of months.

[mydakota]

I sure hope so guys. I am in unchartered territory for me. I have never had one this skinny before. Usually, by the time they come to me, they have started their recovery already.

I am committed to doing my best for her.

[PineBarSissy]

And we know you will do your best. She has such a sweet face. I was just talking to my mom & she had heard about all this on the news(they are in Bend). I was telling her about you getting the 1 mare. She was happy to hear that.

[rodentra]

mydakota, I took in a little gelding about 10 years ago that was in this shape. Pokey was 6-7 yrs old, 14h, we think he was a mustang 'cause he was in with several BLM horses, all in various stages of neglect. He barely made the trip in the trailer, it was about 3 weeks working up to free choice grass hay. You couldn't buy beet pulp here locally back then, so his concentrates were senior horse & rice bran pellets (we started him with a cup of each & worked up). I had him for 5 weeks before I could do his feet- he wasn't strong enough to stand on 3 legs. He didn't have any lice- thank God! he was so weak I would have been afraid to subject him to the mildest of insecticide! But he had very little hair- where his winter coat was beginning to shed, there was NO hair underneath. My kids named him Pokey 'cause he had no mane- just a few little twigs poking up out of his neck. A year later, you wouldn't have known he was the same horse- handsome little chestnut with lots of chrome. Oh, and he went from the sweet little nicker in the morning to tearing his barrel feeder off the fence and playing soccer with it 'til I came out to feed! The little 4-Her who got him is on her HSET with him now. So keep it up, I'll be praying for you!!

[MondaesMom]

Oh, MD! I wish I could help out with the Burns rescue or even with the latest here in Hermiston (24 horses, somewhere around 40 some goats and two border collies, and dead stock as well). We're out of room and hurting right now for funds to assist.

Hermiston Neglect Case

What's bothering me is that some of the big hay producers' shipments to Asia were rejected and here the Harney and Umatilla County deputies are scrounging for hay to feed these animals in Burns and Hermiston. Some of the deputies are contributing their own hay to the cause here.

MD, what kind of help can we offer you for this poor little mare?

[mydakota]

Oh man MM!! I had not heard of the case in Umatilla county. Just a couple of days after I agreed to take Mercy, I was contacted by Crook County about another big siezure in Powell Butte. There are 60 plus animals there as well. I am really limited, in more ways than one, to one foster a year. I had to turn them down. It made me sad to have to do so, but I don't have enough space, finances, time, or facilities to do more than that. I would have liked to help with the Powell Butte horses though, as they are so very close to home.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your offer of help. I do think I have it covered at this point. She just needs close monitoring and lots of groceries. But I will take all the positive energy you can send me. Thank you my friend.

[PineBarSissy]

Oh my gosh! Another seizure of animals! How very sad. I wish I lived there so I could help. At one time I actually almost moved to the bend area, then I met my husband & plans changed. A little off topic, sorry.
Thank you again Dakota for doing your part in this.

[Patty'sPali]

My goodness.

My first thought was " I think she's a paint" Is there a distinct line between the gray and white on her neck? Look at her skin under that hair. The gray hair will have dark skin underneath, the white hair will have pink skin. If it is, she is most likely young.

Hugs to you on helping this mare come back from the brink.

I'll be shure to keep an eye out for updates.

[mydakota]

I haven't actually looked at the skin under her hair. She is flea bitten. I think the area you are talking about is an odd concentration of flea-bite stippling on her head and neck. . We don't really know what any of them are. They could be a mix of anything. I will try to make a point of checking the color of the skin under her coat. If she is truly Arab, it will be black. She could be any breed or any combination of breeds. It is just our best guess that there is Arab in her. Her teeth seem to indicate middle age. Truth is, we don't really know that much about her,

[katybell]

You and Andi are great for doing so much to help. Too bad I live so far away I would gladly help with some of them. It's amazing how they can come back from being so down. Best luck wih her.

[mydakota]

I went out and did a bedcheck again tonight. I think she is looking pretty perky considering. She polished off 4 servings of grain/bp mash today, ate a 5th partial serving, and put away about 3 flakes of hay. Maybe 3 and a half. She is also drinking quite a bit. I have a muck tub in there for water. I think it holds 18 gallons. She drank it down to about 3 inches today.

I know she is carrying quite a worm load. She is shedding them out in her manure. I have not started deworming her yet, as we are still de-licing her and her poor system can only handle one toxin at a time. I don't think she will gain much weight though, until we can tackle that worm load. At least she seems to be developing some appetite.

[Andi]

I went out and did a bedcheck again tonight. I think she is looking pretty perky considering. She polished off 4 servings of grain/bp mash today, ate a 5th partial serving, and put away about 3 flakes of hay. Maybe 3 and a half. She is also drinking quite a bit. I have a muck tub in there for water. I think it holds 18 gallons. She drank it down to about 3 inches today.

I know she is carrying quite a worm load. She is shedding them out in her manure. I have not started deworming her yet, as we are still de-licing her and her poor system can only handle one toxin at a time. I don't think she will gain much weight though, until we can tackle that worm load. At least she seems to be developing some appetite.

That's awesome! It never ceases to amaze me what these horses go thru and still come out of it in the end. It sounds like she has started on the steady road back up!

When you are ready to worm her, you might try the 5 day panacur flush first. It's gentle enough to use it on young orphans.

Keep up the good work! I imagine this nice weather we are having helps too!

[jackie2925]

Many prayers for this girl.

Its sad that the people that do this can just move to another state and start the horror all over again.

Thank you for doing what you do.

Please take updated pictures and post so we can see her progress.

[Prairie Rose]

My Dakota, my friend,

You, my dear, ARE the positive in this situation. And I love you for it.
Thank you for stepping up and giving this mare your all.

I sure do love her eye. Lots of life there yet.

Dakota? I brought one home like that once. You know Gypsy's story................she's that lovely Arab in my avatar, the dear one we had to let cross the rainbow bridge with the help of a vet and my young son last summer. Still such a huge hole in our hearts.
But................she was a gift in our lives for a little over 7 years.

Gyspy was that thin...............and full of lice. You are feeding her exactly as the vet had us start Gyppers out. Difference is, he dosed her with ivermectin immediately. The ivermectin also helps kill the lice.

This Mercy horse--I believe she will make it, and she will become that diamond in the rough that we had with Gyspy. She will shine, shine, shine!

Cannot wait to see photos as Mercy improves!

God bless,

PR