Lilac, our 3ish year old Quarter pony has been diagnosed with liver disease. She was rescued 9/14 from auction by Forgotten Horses Rescue. She was so sick the vet was called out to the auction to treat her. In addition to just general neglect, Lilac had sever infestation of worms, full of sand, and infection. She was under FHR's care for 30 days until she was stabilized. At that time she was blind and I offered to take her as a sanctuary horse once stabilized. She came to me 10/14 and did have visual problems, but as she regained her health, her vision restored. She was a happy go lucky girl until her best buddy, Ensign, passed away. She began to lose weight, was lethargic, just a general failure to thrive. At first we chalked it up to depression, then ulcers, treated her with no improvement, and finally a full veterinary work up. She was diagnosed with a pretty severe case of liver disease. While there is no treatment for the liver itself, you can treat the cause and try to support the liver while healing. The tough part is finding the cause. We still are searching for answers, but Lilac is on a supportive diet with supplements. She had an ultrasound done and was found to have an enlarged liver, kidney, and stomach. She also has polycythemia. Over the months she has greatly improved and our next step is a biopsy and blood thinning. Both should happen in the next couple of weeks. We are doing all we can and she is improving. Prayers she continues in the right direction.
We welcomed our newest sanctuary resident, Domino, this month. He is a 25 year old appaloosa pony. He is swaybacked, missing teeth, and laminitic...our kind of guy! His very loving family was no longer able to keep him and horses in his position have limited options. We are very happy he has landed safely here with us.
Sadly, Bluemoon (aka Moonshine) has returned through no fault of her own. She is getting some time to relax in the pasture and then we will start training to prepare her for adoption. So, keep an eye on her. She's a cutie!
We welcomed our newest sanctuary resident, Domino, this month. He is a 25 year old appaloosa pony. He is swaybacked, missing teeth, and laminitic...our kind of guy! His very loving family was no longer able to keep him and horses in his position have limited options. We are very happy he has landed safely here with us.
Sadly, Bluemoon (aka Moonshine) has returned through no fault of her own. She is getting some time to relax in the pasture and then we will start training to prepare her for adoption. So, keep an eye on her. She's a cutie!