June 30th, 2018

The loss of Winnie and his legacy

June 14th we received a message from our friend Beatrice Solorio about a horse in desperate need of help. Beatrice happened to drive by a pasture and see an emaciated paint gelding. She spoke with the owners who said he had dropped weight over the year but they couldn’t afford to have a vet see him. They agreed to relinquish him. We offered to fundraise for the costs, The Wings Program, Inc offered to take home in to rehab, and the ball started rolling. Thank you so much to our generous donors who made his rescue possible. He was picked up and taken straight to the vet. The pics and videos were too graphic to share. Named Winnie, he was a body score of 1. He had a large mass next to his right eye with an open hole next to it. It was filled with infection and maggots. The right side of his face was paralyzed making eating next to impossible. His right eye was sunken in. The vet cleaned him up, gave him pain meds, and we all decided to reevaluate in the morning. The morning brought no improvement. He hadn’t eaten or had a drink. He was lethargic and we made the decision to euthanize for quality of life. Winnie was walked to a willow tree and given a kind ending. It was the only gift we could offer, an end to his suffering.
A necropsy was performed. Winnie had a large cancerous tumor that most likely started at the right eye. It extended up around the eardrum and down to the hyoid bone. The tumor had caused paralysis and his inability to eat was causing him to starve to death.
There is no animal control service in this county. We are searching for ways to help and advocate for the animals. We are building a network of resources, spreading the word in our community. If you see something, say something, do something. Do it for Winnie. We will find a way to help. We recently went back to Winnie’s residence and had the remaining two horses trimmed. It’s not much but it’s something. Assisting the owners and preventing a case like Winnie’s from happening again. ❤️