Rowdy (deceased
12/2/07)
Rowdy (deceased
12/2/07)
STATUS: --------------
BREED: Grade Paint
AGE: 7 months
GENDER: Stud Colt
TRAINING: None
JUNE 2007 Rowdy arrived at Angel Horse Rescue with his mother, Scarlett, as a result of many caring individuals pulling together and raising the funds to save several pregnant mares and mares with newborn foals from a slaughterhouse feedlot in Texas. Angel Horse Rescue drove to Lubbock, TX and picked up two of these mares along with their foals and brought them to the rescue. Rowdy has infected scrapes on his swollen hocks. The vet examined him and gave us oral antibiotic paste and ointment to treat his infected wounds. The vet discovered a bony growth in Rowdy's hock that is a result of trauma very soon after birth, possibly from being stepped on by his mother or other horses in the crowded feedlot pens. As Rowdy grows, the enlargement of his hock will be less and less noticeable and the vet feels he will have no lasting problems from his injury.
DECEMBER 2007 Rowdy was a feisty, friendly little guy and soon became our favorite pest, begging for hugs and attention. On many occasions, we were compelled to stop and watch his clownish acts, racing across the pasture, and bucking and playing tag with his buddy Smokey, another feedlot foal. He also liked to pretend he was a champion barrel racer, cutting around the big tree and running as fast as his little legs would carry him. It was during one of these games on a Sunday morning that Rowdy took a bad step and fell. We were watching as he jumped up from the ground and our laughter at his antics quickly faded as we realized something was horribly wrong. We called the vet on the cell phone as we ran out to Rowdy’s side. Rowdy had snapped his front cannon bone (lower leg) and although the vet arrived within 20 minutes, there was nothing he could do. Rowdy was euthanized to end his suffering as quickly as possible. We are extremely grateful to our vet for his immediate response. Rowdy’s death has left a painful void here at the rescue and serves as a reminder to all of us of how quickly and unexpectedly loved ones can be lost and that we should cherish each and every day we have with them.