Let’s Deck the Stalls with Boughs of Plenty for 2018
3 Days Left, Blue!
Blue is a young mustang gelding out of Nevada who came to AAE at the beginning of the year after being asked for assistance by Virginia Range Wild Horse Sanctuary and Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund. He had been carrying around a large mass of proud flesh (granulation tissue) over his rear fetlock/pastern area for some time. He was not halterable when he arrived at AAE, and we knew we had a big job ahead in helping Blue.
Before we could evaluate the mass, he had to be gentled, haltered, and his legs/hooves handleable. With a straightforward mustang, not a big deal, but Blue had some substantial fear/trust issues. Initial efforts with befriending and haltering him were lukewarm. Thanks to Dr. Stolba and Team LBEMC (throughout Blue’s journey), we were successful enough to sedate him, radiograph the bony area beneath the mass and collect tissue samples for biopsy. We wanted to make sure there was not an underlying reason for the mass other than old injury before getting too deep into corrective measures if they would be for naught. It was not an easy feat. Even with sedation, he kicked quickly and with purpose.
Radiographs and biopsy showed no obvious issues, so the work continued. Weeks in, Blue seemed to have had a reaction to something and developed a mysterious condition that turned out to be a form of vasculitis. He developed sores/ulcers throughout his mouth. They were horribly painful. Though his history and symptoms didn’t suggest, we had to quarantine him for testing for vesicular stomatitis. Thankfully, it was negative. We scaled back our efforts to reduce his stress and allow him to heal. But, the mass was growing.
After several weeks, he improved, and we resumed course. He would take few steps forward, then a few steps back. Finally, after many weeks with nominal results, we had a marathon day. We worked until we broke through. The next day, our learning curve was much shorter, and the next and the next, until finally, we could halter, touch all over, and pick up his left hind and handle it all over. We tested with bandaging materials and wrapped it up, and he was a gem!
We scheduled surgery, and in August, he lost nearly seven pounds in a matter of minutes. The mass looked like a big brain, and it weighed in at nearly seven pounds. Imagine what that must have felt like with every move. Needless to say, it was done!
However, the mouth lesions returned, and more and worse this time. They were on his body, around his anus, and on his sheath. Poor guy, these things were awful, and they appeared to be an autoimmune issue. At one point, we questioned his prognosis and quality of life. Before jumping to conclusions, we biopsied the tissue and a couple rounds later, ended with the vasculitis diagnosis. The best thing was we changed up his meds, and the sores began to heal.
In the meantime, the next test came when it was time to change his first bandage. With a bit of sedation, it went fairly smooth, but cleaning the lesion was a little challenging. But, wow, it looked amazing! Such a tremendous improvement. It was like a victory in and of itself, even though not healed.
After several bandage changes, Blue was getting resentful of the needle for sedation, so we tried without. It went well with cleaning a few times, but oddly, after a few times, he didn’t like it when placing the medicated bandage over the lesion. He stomped it off, over and over. It was a little intimidating, but really, he was only trying to get the “big white bug” off his leg. He didn’t kick out or kick at. His stomp was purposeful in knocking the bandage off his leg. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the bandage on so we had to go back to sedation for a bit. Eventually, we could remove the bandage, clean the lesion, and replace the bandage without issue, without sedation, thankfully.
Today, the lesion has almost healed, but there’s a small area where the granulation tissue is persisting. Next week, Dr. Stolba will be back, and we’ll be trimming it off. All in all, Blue has made tremendous progress. The lesion should be healed soon, and Blue can finally be a horse. He deserves it. He’s faced so many challenges. He’s a fighter, and he continues to battle on! Love this boy!
Blue still has concerns when approached for haltering. He really prefers to be in the stall when haltered, so now he practically heads to the stall on his own, then waits. Once haltered, he stands quietly for the routine, and it seems he’s truly beginning to enjoy the interaction. In time, when there’s no more strings, he’ll cross over entirely. “Til then, we’ll keep on keepin’ on until he’s healed.
We don’t get over trust issues just because someone tells us we should. Trust is earned
For Blue, it’s the same. We take baby steps, and we must earn it. In time, we will.
One more thing, Blue LOVES carrots….carrots and apples. They became the secret ingredient in his medicine. Early on, he wouldn’t eat anything, only alfalfa, no pellets, no grain, nothing. When we discovered how much he liked carrots, it was a new day. When there was a carrot, nothing else mattered.
To say he is food motivated is an understatement. He loves feeding time. He really enjoys greeting volunteers as they walk down the drive or come to his stall. His favorite is meeting volunteers at the gate at feeding time.
Before coming to AAE, Blue’s future looked grim to none. None of the other rescues or sanctuaries that were contacted were willing to help him. He sat, and he waited. The “E” word was discussed several times.
AAE set out to give this gorgeous boy the best future possible. He’s not healed yet, but his future is looking better and better thanks to everyone that has supported his journey to healing.
Blue’s story is not an uncommon story in terms of the hurdles we cross with any intake with special needs. We have unexpected bumps in the road that required more than anticipated. For Blue, it was the bouts of vasculitis. For some, it’s colic; for others, abscesses, lacerations from tree branches or scuffles with others. We can’t plan for these things, but need the resources to handle them when confronted. We are grateful to have your support now and throughout the year to assure we can manage most any unexpected issue along the way.
If you are enjoying our stories and
would like to help more horses get the help they need,
3 days to 2018, YOUR donation means more horses can be helped!
Join AAE as we Deck the Stalls with Boughs of Plenty. As the year comes to an end, we are sharing stories straight from the barn to show how your support has helped horses in 2017. This year was very special, and there are so many stories to be thankful for!
As we count down to 2018, please help us as we prepare for another year of helping horses. Your donations will assure we have ample funding for unexpected veterinary needs as we move into our next year.
We want to thank everyone for their love and support!
We hope you enjoy these stories as much as we do!
Have a great holiday season!
Save The Date!!
Our 5th Annual Boots and Bling Event is on May 5, 2018.
Tickets are available now, get them while they last! Buy Tickets Here
Event sponsorship options are available or you can donate items for the event’s silent and live auctions?
For more information contact dani@allaboutequine.org
Daily Horse Care, especially pm shifts
Used Tack Store Support, all areas
Barn/Facility Maintenance
Foster Homes, Long-Term Foster/Sanctuary Homes
Capital Campaign Support
Board Members
Fundraising/Events
Grants – Writing and Research
Volunteer, Project, and Activity Coordinators
Outreach Activities
Youth Programs
Therapy Programs
Veteran Programs
Special Projects
Admin Support
Marketing
Graphics
Social Media
Bloggers
Photographers
Media and/or Photo Librarian
Thanks to YOUR input in 2017, AAE is once again a Top-Rate nonprofit!
If you love our work, then tell the world! Stories about us from people like you will help us make an even bigger impact in our community in the future.
GreatNonprofits is the #1 source of nonprofit stories and feedback, and it honors highly regarded nonprofits each year with their Top-Rated List.
Won’t you help us raise visibility for our work by posting a brief story of your experience with us? All content will be visible to potential donors and volunteers.
Did you know YOU could earn grant money for AAE from your employer just by volunteering?
Many Employers offer money when their employees volunteer. Here are a few examples:
Intel provides a $10 grant to a nonprofit per every volunteer hour by an employee, and matches funds dollar for dollar up to $5,000 per employee or retiree.
Microsoft provides a $17 grant to a nonprofit per every hour volunteered by an employee.
Apple provides a $25 grant to a nonprofit per every volunteer hour by an employee, and matches funds dollar for dollar up to $10,000 per employee.
Verizon provides a $750 grant to a nonprofit when an employee volunteers for 50+ hours.
State Farm provides a $500 grant nonprofit when an employee volunteers for+ 40 hours.
Others top 20 matching gift and/or volunteer grant companies include
Starbucks
CarMax
Home Depot
JP Morgan
Chevron
Soros Fund Management
BP (British Petroleum)
Gap Corporation
State Street Corporation
ExxonMobil
Johnson & Johnson
Boeing
Disney
Google
Merck
Aetna
Dell
Outerwall (CoinStar and RedBox)
ConocoPhillips
RealNetworks
Time Warner and subsidiaries
AllState
and more
Check with your employer. You could help purchase our next load of hay!
Daily Horse Care, especially pm shifts
