An equine rescue group received a call from their local Police Department asking if they could pick up a horse in need. When the volunteers pull up, they could hardly believe their eyes. The poor animal was a walking skeleton. With great difficulty, he was loaded onto their trailer and carefully driven to their rescue facility.
Tuff had been purchased by a man and his wife and placed on a relative’s property. While the man’s mother took care of him, Tuff was a fat and happy horse. But during the last year, the mother experienced some medical problems. Soon she became wheelchair bound. She relinquished responsibility of caring for the horse to her son. He did so for a short time and then, unexplainably, stopped.
Tuff looked to be at death’s door when a neighbor called the police
Having lost 50% of his normal body weight, Tuff had bald spots caused by severe rain rot. He had sores along his spine caused by malnutrition. His back was so sensitive that the slightest touch almost sent him to the ground. His back legs had wounds and scars, and his skin had become paper thin. Flies had attacked him ferociously causing open sores over much his body.
He was given medicated baths and an insecticidal spray in between those baths. He was kept under a fly sheet and mask, or a thin blanket at all times.
This once beautiful animal was so weak that he could only eat 4-5 bites of hay at a time because just chewing was exhausting. He was fed very small portions of high-quality alfalfa six times a day with the amount slowly increased at each meal and the number of feedings decreased gradually over the first 10 days. Tuff was gradually introduced to grains, a fat builder, and some extra vitamins very carefully to avoid metabolic problems.
One morning shortly after his arrival, Tuff stopped eating. He was taken to the vet for an ultrasound. It showed an
inflamed gut that was highly irritated, probably due to ulcers. He was prescribed a medication that would coat his stomach and was to be given before each feeding. He was also administered a shot of vitamin B12.
The difficult task of bringing a horse in an extreme condition of malnutrition back to good health may take 3 to 6 months under the most stringent supervision. Some horses don’t survive even this carefully managed recovery process.
When he arrived at the rescue he could barely move and now he knickers when his caretakers approach him and comes up to the fence to greet them.
How can anyone have such total disregard for life to let a beautiful and innocent horse die from starvation? How can one not feel remorseful for such an extreme case of wanton neglect? This nine-year-old horse has survived his ordeal only because an alert neighbor called local law enforcement. She was Tuff’s angel of mercy, his voice and his lifeline.
This is Tuff fully recovered and up for adoption. Isn’t he beautiful and obviously feeling much better.
Tuff’s vet, medication and food costs have exceeded $4,400 to date. His small rescue group does excellent work rehabbing horses, but Tuff’s costs will strictly limit the number of abused and abandoned animals they will be able to help. Please help us save more abused and abandoned horses by donating generously to Animals Abused & Abandoned here.