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[RC] help! Just got a project horse - 101334.2754@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
cheers to you Kathie - I'm sure the horse (what's his name??) will become a
wonderful pal. I've been thru a similar experience and do
not regret one minute of it. My two cents worth is obviously to have the horse
vetted, take it easy on the worming as
Janis said, and have his teeth looked at asap. Wait with vaccinations untill
you're sure his immune system is not dealing with
anything else and till he's been wormed correctly. Do not make the mistake I
made of trying to fatten him up quickly, his
digestive system will go haywire if it gets all this great food suddenly, and
you'll probably get colic etc problems.
I'd start on ad lib hay (NOT alfalfa), a vitamin supplement and gradully
introduce hard feed - allow at least 6 months
if not a yearfor him to get back to a reasonable weight. Probiotics can help -
ask your vet. Give as much turn out as
possible.
Apart from that, spend time handling, grooming, etc. (you might have to do some
re educating if he comes from a home where people know nothing of horses)and in
time give him something useful to do
so that he feels he's part of it all.
good luck!
-------------Message réacheminé-----------------
Exp.: "Kathie Ford", INTERNET:MsPoOh17@xxxxxxx
A: , INTERNET:ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: 01/03/2004 05:20
RE: [RC] help! Just got a project horse
Okay ridecampers...I have one for you.
I'm sure a lot of you went to the convention and hopefully had a wonderful time!
Well, I didn't go, however, as I drove to the bay area to pick up a horse I
thought was in okay condition because some folks were looking for a home for
this guy. My sister-in-law had asked my brother to call me and he did. A
horse needed a loving home.
I had called an old friend and asked her to go check him out for me (sort of be
my eyes) and let me know what she thought about him as she was only a few
blocks away. She was happy to do it and did.
Long story short, she called me back and said this guy was very very sweet, had
good feet, and a really nice disposition. This is a horse about 18 yrs old,
and the lady wanted a better home with a shelter for him. He was free.
Anyway, after hearing a real nice report I drove down with my husband and
neighbor who wanted to help out too, and it was her barn he'd be sheltered in
till the weather got better.
We drove from Auburn to Santa Cruz...when we drove up we saw this real cute
face on this guy and from a distance he looked okay. I thought to myself, "of
course we will take him home"...Once I got out of the car and we walked up to
him we were shocked to see he was almost skin and bones! It was deceiving at
first cause he is very furry. Three inch fur! I thought, oh my gosh. But his
spine had absolutely no muscle, or anything whatsoever. He had completely
sunken hindquarter and looked like he was starving.
The family that had him were nice people and we soon realized that they were
innocently ignorant about horsecare and feeding. I was shocked when the lady
didn't really even realize how seriously underweight this horse is.
Well, after taking a good look at him otherwise we decided we just could not
leave him there so we took him home. I was worried about him hauling safely
for a three hour ride, but he did extremely well, and was very alert both when
we got home and this morning when I check him. I was very surprised, and
gladly so.
Despite his horrible weight, or lack of, he has such a sweet face and a very
bright eye. He looks right back at you, and I sense a very innocent sweet
soul. His fur does have a shine to it, and his feet were good and didn't show
any signs of recent laminitis or anything bad. He seems pretty sound, however
with several neighbors imput, he does seem to have a sore gaskin, and his
stifle pops slightly. Nothing however seems to cause any head bobbing at the
trot. He is willing to go forward...Anyway, now I come to you Ridecamp for
advice...to help me and my wonderful neighbors, with great kind hearts help me
with this sweet fella....HELP!
I would really like some advice from the vets out there or anyone else who has
brought back a horse from this sort of condition. In my "gut" I feel he isn't
sick or anything...as he just looks to bright and alert. He walks around okay,
ate grass and nibbled on some hay all day. Drank 10 gallons of water, and
pooped normaly. But he needs about 200 lbs. of weight and needs desperately to
rebuild his muscle tissue back.
What I did notice is that he does dribble food, and there were long stems of
hay in his poop because that is one of the first things I checked.
I've been told to give him small meals at first so I'm doing that right now.
The only thing that does have me worried is I haven't seen him pee yet. He
does not seem to be dehydrated. I am going to call my vet tomorrow but any and
all advice, stories of encouragement, and nutrition information I could get
would be appreciated. That is one reason why I like RC so much...
I've taken photos and we will be journaling his progress. Ironically, my
husband has already bonded with him, cause he was injured in an auto accident 8
months ago, hasn't worked since then, was terminated friday by his employer
cause he can't return to work yet, etc...and somehow, suddenly he has found
purpose in this animal. I think there is a story in the making......for them
both...
thanks all!
kathieGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :
http://explorer.msn.com
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Subject: [RC] help! Just got a project horse
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