 | Annie... |
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November 2004
Age: 3-4 months Training: halter broke/gentle Breed: Grade / unknown Gender: Filly Passed away: October 2006 |
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In
November 2004
Annie arrived at the rescue as an orphan.
She was approx. 3 - 4 months old, severely malnourished, sick and full
of parasites. Even though she did not appear to have any previous human
handling, she was too weak to offer much resistance. The vet felt that
if we were able to overcome her infection, she had a good chance of
surviving. Her ankles were swollen from low protein edema and her
thick, unhealthy foal coat was caked with mud and manure and hid her
extremely emaciated little body. The vet had difficulty finding
enough muscle to inject the antibiotics. Annie didn't know what
grain was, and displayed little interest in hay. Her lifesaver
turned out to be a gentle donkey named Jack that we placed in her corral
for companionship. Annie immediately adopted him as her "uncle" and Jack
showed her that grain was a good thing. Annie's appetite
returned and Jack always stepped back and allowed her to eat her fill at
feeding time. Thanks to Jack, several rounds of antibiotics,
consistent worming and lots of TLC, Annie began to recover. It
took several months for Annie to gain a healthy amount of weight and
during that time she became extremely gentle and quiet, never attempting
to bite or kick no matter how unpleasant her treatments were.
Annie was adopted in April of 2006, and began her training under saddle. However, she suffered a leg injury while at her adoptive home and was not recovering well. Her adopter required a horse for riding, so Annie was returned to the rescue in June 2006. With sufficient time and proper rest, we expect Annie to recover and hopefully be sound for riding. Because of her exceptionally gentle and calm disposition, we plan to begin training her as a therapeutic riding horse for disabled children and adults in the spring of 2007, giving her ample time to recover and finish growing. Because of her future career plans at the rescue, Annie is now a permanent resident and is no longer available for adoption. However, please consider sponsoring Annie to help defray the costs of her care as she recovers and begins her new life. AUGUST 2006: Annie was still showing signs of pain in her ankle, so we took her to Oklahoma State University Veterinary Hospital for x-rays and an in-depth examination. The x-rays revealed severe osteo-arthritis brought on by trauma to her right rear ankle with no hope for improvement. After consultation with several vets at the hospital, the options were considered limited with euthanasia being the vets' strong recommendation. Surgery to insert a plate and screws to immobilize and fuse the joint was discussed, however it was not considered an option with a high chance of success. Annie was returned back to the rescue with instructions to be given a daily dose of bute for her pain until a final decision is made. We have separated Annie from the other horses and she is turned out with Bud, our elderly gelding, for company to minimize any movement that would cause her additional pain. OCTOBER 2006: After several very difficult weeks, the agonizing decision was made to end Annie's pain and the vet was called to euthanize Annie here at the rescue. Annie was a very special little horse, and her death has left a painful void here at the rescue. |
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