Starvation Case!

Hello!

We were called into service today by the local humane society to come and seize a horse. They already had a warrant in hand and humane officers were accompanying us. What we saw when we got there made my heart stand still. The "pasture"... I mean ENCLOSURE, looked like the Sahara desert. Any plants small enough to be uprooted and eaten entirely were gone. Only small trees remained, stripped of bark and leaves as high as the horse could reach. There was a dry, dusty bathtub, but no water in evidence. The Last Chance has supplied this horse with high quality hay for the last two days until the warrant was secured. It appears to us that those 2 bales were the only real things that the horse has had to eat in months. The owner was absent, and an older gentleman living at the premises told us that the horse was 30 years old (oddly enough, EVERY starving horse is 30 years old, as if the age is an excuse for poor body condition.). According to his teeth (and I may not be a professional) he is closer to 20 than 30.

He dropped his head eagerly into the halter and pushed his weight with his remaining strength toward the gate, as if to say, "get me the heck out of here.". He proceeded to stumble weakly toward the trailer, and we loaded him and brought him home. He received a bath to get the first layer of 'crud' off of him. At this point, we discovered the rain rot, but the open sores on his hips revealed themselves the moment we saw him. He is now standing in clean shavings eating rich hay and nutritious grain that he will wash down with clear, clean water... things he has not seen for awhile.

On the way home, the three of us challenged ourselves to come up with a good name. We simply couldn't come up with an appropriate name. We invite all Last Chance supporters to submit names so that we don't have to just call him "Slim" or "Kitty" (because he is as weak as a kitten). Post a comment with your suggested name on the blog, and we will choose a name from everyone's suggestions.

He is going to the vet on Monday for a THOROUGH evaluation and to determine if he has suffered any liver or kidney damage. He will have blood tests done, his teeth floated, wormed, etc.

This gentle soul can't tell us about himself, but we can tell from his obvious scars that he has worn many an ill-fitting saddle as well as a driving harness. He is 14 hands tall, sweet, and possesses perfect manners. This horse has obviously served many people in varied capacities throughout his lifetime, and should never have come to his current state of health. He is still sound, amazingly enough, and should have many years in front of him, if we got to him soon enough.

Say a prayer for "Skinny", we will keep you up to date.

Always help the helpless,
~Victoria
~Rachel
~Tracy

P.S. The pics that are included below are of "Skinny", as well as Prince of Hearts for comparison, a horse that is at an ideal weight.