Gus 
Gus
STATUS: New Arrival - currently in recovery
BREED: Grade Quarter Horse
AGE: Approx. 25+ years
GENDER: Gelding
TRAINING: Halter Broke
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JANUARY 2008
Gus was seized by the Delaware County Sheriff's Department due to neglect.
The examining vet contacted Angel Horse Rescue about taking him in and we were
happy to do so. Gus is an elderly gelding and obviously malnourished and
underweight. He has a calcium deposit on his knee from an old injury, as
well as arthritis and
his right eye is partially clouded over. He is bright and alert and
thankfully, he has a great appetite. We have to reintroduce him to eating
regularly and we can only give him small amounts so as not to shock his system
and cause "refeeding syndrome" which often occurs when an animal has been
starved for an extended period and their body cannot cope with the immediate
introduction of feed. This condition typically results in death within 3
to 5 days of the initial meal. We have Gus on a special diet of beet pulp,
senior feed, probiotics and joint supplements in very measured amounts while his
digestive system becomes reaccustomed to food. Gus is particularly fond of
his salt/mineral block and enjoys munching hay out in the sunshine with his new
cozy blanket while he regains his weight.
Gus certainly has a long and difficult road ahead of him, but we are keeping our
fingers crossed that his internal organs are not irreparably damaged and we are
hoping for a full recovery over the next several months.
FEBRUARY 2008 Sadly, Gus passed away less than 2 weeks after arriving at the rescue. He laid down in his stall and did not have the strength to get back up. We called the vet out who felt that Gus may have a mild colic, but the largest factor in his inability to get up was weakness from his severe malnutrition and his damaged knees could not support him. Gus' body temp had dropped to where it no longer even registered on the vet's thermometer. We wanted to give Gus every chance and worked with the vet to supply him with liquids via a nose tube and several shots for pain in addition to IV electrolytes, but Gus was unable to overcome all of the obstacles facing him, and passed away at approximately 2:30 a.m. the following morning.