Praying Cancer is Gone.

Praying the cancer is gone. He has an appointment with the surgeon 

who removed his eye in August. 

Around the barn, his name is Axel. In the world of paint

horses, his name is Think IM Zipped. He is a 13-year-old registered paint overo gelding. He was living happily at a nice boarding stable but his owner was taking much notice to the growing infection in his right eye. It isn't just a cancer, it is the fast growing aggressive cancer Squamous Cell Carcinoma. We have seen it too often in the past 10 years, The UV rays of the sun seems to be a culprit, especially on horses with blue eyes or light skin.  

For some reason, the owners decided not to treat the cancer and decided they do not want the horse. They wanted to give him away. Who'd take a horse like this? Sadly there are people who would take him, ride him until the cancer ate away his face then send him to slaughter for a few hundred dollars in profit.  

Axel owes a big thank you Dr Amanda Cerniglia and the barn owner for the alert so we can help offer him a safe and happy future. Sadly, this could have all be stopped before it got this bad if someone would have taken care of it much sooner. Unfortunately, that did not happen. 
Sadly that beautiful blue eye was removed. 

Chemotherapy was used but some drainage continues so this appointment may give up some incite as to why it isn't closed all the way. Georgia Equine Veterinary surgeon, Dr Goodin, will check him Nov. 30. I'll update everyone. I know we had many supporters who helped with Axel's surgery costs. He also has many friends who love him at the rescue. 

Thanks for your compassion. He looks handsome with out an eye, Pray it is cancer free. He will be ready to be adopted when he's healthy. He's a great trail horse.

The BUZZ Started New Years Day!

It was New Years Day 2017 and the phone rings. A man tells me his pony in injured and he has no money for veterinary care. He said he thinks it was attacked by a dog...on his penis and it's all bloody. So it's New Years Day, and it's a rescue! 

Buzz 

I hooked up the trailer and drove to Gainesville to get the little guy and found him tied to a post, standing politely. He was cute and looked well mannered. Great first impression until I opened the truck door and the smell of death and rot overtook my thoughts. I looked at the enormous swelling and my heart just broke. It looked like squamous cell carcinoma. I am not a vet by any means but having done rescue so long, I have seen so much cancer left with no medical care. People are irresponsible all too often. 

Buzz and Tom

Buzz came to the rescue and was an immediate favorite. He was very underweight and very sweet. Tom Scott and many others decided to spoil him and give him lots of love. We needed to get him healthier before he had surgery. His blood work was not very good but we did our best in the few days we had him before we took him the the University of TN for surgery. The cancer couldn't wait as it is so aggressive. 

Once they did the blood work at UT, they had to change their plan of how to operate since he

Buzz at University Of Tennessee

still wasn't healthy enough to go under anesthesia. They had to do a local and did remove most of the area around the cancer. They hoped they removed everything with cancer and he has been doing well. By March, he was ready, recovered and healthy enough to place him up for adoption. He became a happy pony for a happy little girl who adores him. They live in North Georgia and have been enjoying life together everyday. 

Suddenly, Buzz seems to be not his happy self. Of course, everyone's first thought is that horrible cancer, has it returned? The family's veterinarian has examined him and will contact the surgeon at UT.

Hopefully, after some blood work is completed, we can all feel better when they say it's a virus or something curable. Buzz deserved to live a long happy life after all the suffering he went through.

Cancer has become so much more prevalent in horses over the past 15 years or so. We have has so many cases we took in, I lost count. 90% were happy endings and the cancer stayed away. Let's hope this is true for Buzz.


Keep Buzz and his humans in your thoughts and prayers. 

Thank you for your continued support and your compassion. 

                                                       www.SaveTheHorses.org  

                https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheHorses.org/

Horse Rescue, Relief and Retirement Fund 

EIN # 58-2479748

501c3 non profit corporation Georgia

A Lifetime with horses is never long enough.

Adopting a horse is a commitment for a lifetime. 

  

November started out so sadly with Cheetah, then Kipling and Caraway, crossing the Rainbow Bridge. Sadly, that lifetime ended for 3 wonderful horses just this month. Each horse had so much to give and these adopters saw into the soul of each horse...or did each horse see into the soul of each human? I think it is definitely both and truly heart felt. The relationship one has with their heart horse must be experienced because it is so beautiful, so special. there are no words to describe the true emotion you feel in the depth of your being.

Cheetah was adopted 14 years ago by Julia and Chad. 

Cheetah

It was their first horse but even though Cheetah was blind and had abuse issues in his past, they took the big step of caring for him and helped him gain trust by showing his love. They gave him a wonderful life and he gave them his heart. Adopting a blind horse is a scary step for an experienced horse handler but Julia and Chad knew their love would conquer any fear they or Cheetah had. They gave him a wonderful life.

Kipling was adopted by Christene Robertson 12 years ago. 

Kipling

Christine knew he was, at best, only able to do very light riding because of an injury in his past but fell in love with his heart. It was about loving and caring for Kipling, not about riding. Kip was a race horse in his past life then was injured and his owner wanted a horse to compete with, and Kipling no longer had that value to her but he was worth a million dollars to Christine.


Caraway was adopted by Holly Couch 4 years ago.

Caraway

Holly wanted to have a horse to love and found out Caraway was the horse that would forever change her life. Sweet Caraway had just come back to the rescue after being a companion to an 11 year old boy who had brain cancer. She helped this little boy for 2 years as his health failed, she continued to bring a smile to his face until the day he passed.
Holly saw what a special girl Caraway was and their loved grew by the day. Caraway will forever be in Holly's thoughts and dreams. 

Thank you for your compassion and support