URGENT! Desperate filly needs help! Update post 32

[Alteration Required]

http://i35.tinypic.com/amwd5f.jpg
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The filly in these photographs, taken today, is 10 months old. She lives near a friend of mine, some distance from me -- I've not actually seen the horse. My friend is trying to find some way to intervene. I have a couple of questions.

My friend is a little afraid to approach the owner, who has a reputation for being unreasonable to the point of ugly. She has contacted the landowner, who is not the horse owner. The land owner is something of a big wig in their small town, but he just said that the HO is "a good horseman" and is "probably trying to help the horse." He would do nothing more.

My friend contacted the local vet, who had seen the filly last Saturday. Apparently another neighbor had seen the filly down and covered with crows, and had contacted the owner, who took the filly to the vet. Someone who works in the vet's office said that it was the first time they have seen the filly, and that the owner wouldn't pay for any tests. They prescribed wormer and a general spectrum antibiotic.

There are apparently no other horses on the property, by the way.

My friend has called the animal control officer in the county sheriff's office. Thus far no action. There is no humane society anywhere near. Her next step is to visit the owner and try to buy the filly. I have offered to travel over there and back her up so she's not so vulnerable -- she will have to continue to live nearby. We want to act fast, as we don't think we have much time.

My questions for the forum:
1. what would you do?
2. what could cause a baby this age to be so poorly? What should we expect healthwise if we are successful in getting control of her?

My other question is just kind of astonished curiosity: was it really okay for a vet to let the filly leave his practice in this condition?

TIA, all of you!

[Cindyg]

http://i35.tinypic.com/amwd5f.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/9i9u0p.jpg

The filly in these photographs, taken today, is 10 months old.

My questions for the forum: what could cause a baby this age to be so poorly?

Lack of food.

It's good of you and your friend to try to intervene. I recommend you or your friend call Animal Control again and again.

It's extra kind of her to offer to buy the filly. Not everyone could or would do that.

As far as that vet -- ??? I have no idea. It's hard for me to imagine that any vet saw that filly and didn't realize she needed some groceries. My guess is that he DID tell the owner that. Frankly, I'm astonished an owner that neglectful would bother taking her to the vet at all.

Thank you for trying.

[asb_own_me]

Good god. Ten months old? That poor sweet filly. Please PM me - if I'm anywhere close I would be more than happy to help get her.

[LLDM]

Can you give us some idea of where you are located? There are some rescue groups have specialized skills in getting local officials moving. Hopefully someone here will know of someone near you. This poor little girl needs help dam quickly. Thanks you for trying.

SCFarm

[HuntJumpSC]

Get the media involved. NOW. Let it get all over the local news, it will light a fire under AC's ass. :mad:
That poor filly, her eyes are pleading for help....:cry:

[She's Pure Gold]

OMG...that poor filly! What a sweet face...thank you (and your friend!) for attempting to help her. Keep hounding AC, I agree with the media, but I would first try to buy her from the owner...Don't get the media involved before she is safe and sound somewhere, or you know where she'll end up, real quick...Please update when you can! She looks like she could be a nice looking horse with some groceries..

[Root Beer]

What would I do? I would take in that filly in a heartbeat. I would feed her, take her to the vet and smoozle with her.

But that's just me. Poor widdle pony, she needs some TLC.

[ThisTooShallPass]

You know, if you HONESTLY want help you MUST post names, addresses, county, & state where the animal is. Then ALSO the local law enforcement, the local newspapers & TV stations complete info & links.

How on earth are people supposed to help if we know nothing?

YOU have to help us help you. :yes:

[ThisTooShallPass]

I so want the throttle the owner of this foal it is pathetic :mad:

[sdlbredfan]

Get the media involved. NOW. Let it get all over the local news, it will light a fire under AC's ass. :mad:
That poor filly, her eyes are pleading for help....:cry:

This needs to be all over the TV stations in the area!

[DressageGeek "Ribbon Ho"]

I so want the throttle the owner of this foal it is pathetic :mad:

you are being WAAY too nice!!!!

[HeartsongHorses]

I am just curious - how long has the filly been at the property next to your friend's house?

Since it is the only horse, could it be that the owner really is trying to rehab it? Especially if he went to the trouble of taking it to the vet. If he didn't care seems he would have either left it in the field, shot it, or had the vet euth it.

Also why would the vet discuss this case with anyone else? I would be pretty angry if someone talked to my vet about one of my rehab projects - or any of my animals for that matter.

Things aren't always as they appear. I would go and talk to the neighbor first and then make judgments later. Taking time and offering help/an olive branch goes a long way to solving problems with a neighbor "who has a reputation for being unreasonable to the point of ugly".

I have had two rehab projects and one of them looked pretty bad at first. I can't imagine how I would have felt if someone called my landlord, my vet, and animal control all before they came and talked to me...

BTW yes the filly is in deplorable condition, I agree. And she needs help. But what if?

[MySparrow]

Thank you all for your responses. I contacted the OP privately and this is what she said:

"So, to answer a few questions. My friend recently moved to the small town from a city far away. The filly is on land around the corner and down the road from my friend. She has not had occasion to go in that direction until yesterday morning, when she took her little daughter for a walk. She immediately began trying to find out what was going on. She was told that there were other horses on the property, but she couldn't see them from the road. She was also told by neighbors that the horse owner has had other horses go downhill in his care.

She's going over there today to try and buy the filly. I'll let you know what happens."

[Dispatcher]

Is this the new excuse now for starving horses: "...I just got him/her and am rehabbing....."

Boy, morons sure learn quickly how to keep the attention off of themselves and their despicable treatment of animals.

[Jumpin_Horses]

buying this filly is great, but, these people also need to be STOPPED from owning ANY animals again. please persue help to shut them down. media, sherriff, rescue groups, etc.

[dalpal]

You call animal control and say..."If you don't get over there and check on this poor animal by x amount of time, I wil be calling the news trouble investigator and let them handle it".....Friend of mine had this trouble with our local SPCA....she had found a horse that a man kept tied to a tree outside his business with no water........after this threat, the SPCA was more than happy to get off their lazy butts and go see what was going on.

[MySparrow]

Dalpal et al, thanks for passing on that strategy suggestion.

The first order of business is to get this filly safe. But then you're all correct -- we need to help them prevent future episodes if we can.

I'm hoping the OP is reading this!

[shea'smom]

I didn't even look at the pictures.
If the friend has no luck buying the horse, then we have to know where it is and start working on this.
Is the friend a horse person or will she need to re home the baby?
Also, I had a rescue here that was 34 when she came and past pathetic. I had her in my best paddock, by the road. I was told by someone that I shouldn't have her there as it made me look bad. :confused:
As if I would care what people thought of me over what was best for the old girl.
Please keep us posted. If I am close enough to help, I will.

[fivehorses]

I have another angle. I would contact the vet and explain the situation(friend saw the horse, would take/buy the horse, etc, etc and that the filly is going to die if not attended to properly)
If the vet truly saw this horse, I would kindly let the vet know that the condition of this horse is despicable, and would he kindly contact the local aco to investigate. Afterall, this is apparent neglect. (actually, I think on both the vet's part and the owners')

If not, I would kindly let him know that your next step is to contact the state vet licensing board and the media.

I am not good at being discreet or suttle, but sometimes a little honey with your 'threats' gets the job done. Hope you have someone who can droozle the honey...you know the saying, she wears an iron glove, or speak softly, but carry a big stick.
Please let us know.

[shakeytails]

No suggestions, but I think that critter is older than 10 months. It has an awful lot of mane and tail for an underfed foal.

[Woodland]

No suggestions, but I think that critter is older than 10 months. It has an awful lot of mane and tail for an underfed foal.

Agreed. This animal is in deplorable condition. HOWEVER I am getting a distinct whiff of TROLL here.

[cowgirljenn]

The best thing your friend can do is to call law enforcement. Any decent ACO (animal control officer) will go out and talk to the owner. If he/she recently got the foal, he/she should be able to prove that. Then the ACO can talk to the vet to confirm that he recently saw the foal and how he/she is treating the foal. The ACO should then follow-up to make sure the foal is being cared for.

If this foal is in TX or AR, you can email us at neglect@bluebonnetequine.org and we will see what we can do.

If law enforcement/ACO refuses to do anything, then and only then would I contact the media or post details. Having people from all over the country call and harass a good ACO can backfire on you. Give them a chance to do their job first.

[HeartsongHorses]

Is this the new excuse now for starving horses: "...I just got him/her and am rehabbing....."

Boy, morons sure learn quickly how to keep the attention off of themselves and their despicable treatment of animals.

Sorry if you feel I was making excuses for the filly's condition. There is no excuse. But shouldn't we first find out if the neighbor is truly the one responsible for the lack of care?

The OP asked "what would you do?"

I would go talk to the neighbor *first* and offer to help, and find out what the real story is before I went off half cocked and calling out the cavalry. I would find out for myself if there were other horses. Then I would start getting other people involved.

I would rather have the chance to help/educate/make a friend AND help the filly out. Just my way of doing things, that's all.

[Chardavej]

Agreed. This animal is in deplorable condition. HOWEVER I am getting a distinct whiff of TROLL here.

Please don't start with the troll stuff...please.

[arabhorse2]

Heartsong, it's admirable that you feel the best first step is contacting the owner to see if they need help, but from everything I've read, this type of person will only see it as an intrusion of their privacy.

I've learned not to get directly involved with crazy owners, because you may be putting yourself, your property, and you own animals in jeopardy if you do. There are a lot of nutty, violent people out there.

People like that don't even respond well to the proper authorities, so as an 'average joe', you're likely to get an even more vitriolic welcome.

[HeartsongHorses]

Thank you all for your responses. I contacted the OP privately and this is what she said:

"So, to answer a few questions. My friend recently moved to the small town from a city far away. The filly is on land around the corner and down the road from my friend. She has not had occasion to go in that direction until yesterday morning, when she took her little daughter for a walk. She immediately began trying to find out what was going on. She was told that there were other horses on the property, but she couldn't see them from the road. She was also told by neighbors that the horse owner has had other horses go downhill in his care.

She's going over there today to try and buy the filly. I'll let you know what happens."

The friend recently moved there. How can she know the neighbor is "this type of person" until she goes and finds out?

I wasn't suggesting she go, confront and say "What's your excuse?" How about saying, "Hi my name is soandso I am your new neighbor. (insert genuine small talk here) My dd and I were walking by for the first time the other day and noticed the sweet filly. Is she for sale?"

The neighbor's response to the visit and the question will tell a person all they need to know about if they really are "that" type of person. If the friend is genuine and polite to the neighbor I don't really see how this would turn into something vitriolic. If it did, shut the mouth, walk away and call out the cavalry.

Sounds like this is what the friend is going to do anyway. Hope we hear a good report today.

[Angela Freda]

My friend contacted the local vet, who had seen the filly last Saturday. Apparently another neighbor had seen the filly down and covered with crows, and had contacted the owner, who took the filly to the vet. Someone who works in the vet's office said that it was the first time they have seen the filly, and that the owner wouldn't pay for any tests. They prescribed wormer and a general spectrum antibiotic.
Well this kinda screams 'THAT kind of person'

If your friend talked to someone in the Vets office, what did the Vet think was wrong?

Even without tests, the owners information on the horse, incl how long s/he has had the horse would tell you alot of if this is neglect or an animal this person is acutlly helping.

What would *I* do? Contact Authorities.

[sketcher]

Well this kinda screams 'THAT kind of person'


It does but there is some information that is based on second and third hand reporting as well as assumptions and guesses.

If the OP wants to help the horse, either approach the owner with he offer to buy or contact a loca lrescue who is experienced in these matters and let them approach the owner.

[Dispatcher]

Sorry if you feel I was making excuses for the filly's condition. There is no excuse. But shouldn't we first find out if the neighbor is truly the one responsible for the lack of care?

The OP asked "what would you do?"

I would go talk to the neighbor *first* and offer to help, and find out what the real story is before I went off half cocked and calling out the cavalry. I would find out for myself if there were other horses. Then I would start getting other people involved.

I would rather have the chance to help/educate/make a friend AND help the filly out. Just my way of doing things, that's all.

NO!!! I wasn 't directing that at you or anyone on here. It's just that on other threads, the owners of the starving animals seem to use this excuse frequently. It's reported so often I have a hard time believing that every starving animal seen going down hill on a daily basis is truly being rehabbed by its owner

[Ghazzu]

I have another angle. I would contact the vet and explain the situation(friend saw the horse, would take/buy the horse, etc, etc and that the filly is going to die if not attended to properly)
If the vet truly saw this horse, I would kindly let the vet know that the condition of this horse is despicable, and would he kindly contact the local aco to investigate. Afterall, this is apparent neglect. (actually, I think on both the vet's part and the owners')

If not, I would kindly let him know that your next step is to contact the state vet licensing board and the media.

I am not good at being discreet or suttle, but sometimes a little honey with your 'threats' gets the job done. Hope you have someone who can droozle the honey...you know the saying, she wears an iron glove, or speak softly, but carry a big stick.
Please let us know.


Licensing authorities would likely be more interested if the vet in question went running his mouth off about a patient to someone other than the owner or the relevant authorities.

IOW, if you called me to beef about someone else's horse, I wouldn't tell you anything.

[SMF11]

I've just skimmed the most recent posts, so with that disclaimer . . .

There's an emaciated horse near me. Besides calling authorities I also stopped and left a note on their front porch offering any help I could give with their emaciated horse. I did say that I noticed their other animals were in good shape, so I could tell they cared about them. Lo and behold the owner called me. She ended up being well intentioned but incredibly clueless. I gave general advice (blanket him when it's cold! Do bloodwork!) and some links to feeding old, skinny horses. She ended up switching to an equine vet (who's first words to this woman were "You've got to find a place to bury this horse" :eek: (vet is right, horse is in very bad shape).

Anyway: the point is -- yes, you might find out the owner is horrible, nasty and evil, or, you might actually be able to help this horse by talking to the owner directly. I was pleasantly surprised, in my case.

Finally, in my case, the spca was well aware of the horse, but since she was working with a vet and feeding it, they felt they couldn't intervene, so talking directly to the owner was the only way to get the situation to change at all for the horse.

[Alteration Required]

My friend called this morning to say that she had gotten too worried about the horse to keep waiting, so she contacted the owner directly. My friend is a charmer! The owner has agreed to let her have the horse. So she is now talking with the vet for a plan of action to try and help the little horse.

Hopefully I'll be able to post "after" pictures.

Oh, Woodland: I had to grin. In my normal COTH life I am pretty good at sniffing out trolls. Never thought I'd be accused of it myself!:D

[catknsn]

Glad to hear it. With these severe cases, the secret is moderation...stuff 'em full of mid-quality orchard grass hay or hay pellet mush, nothing rich, no grain, nothing sugary. Keep it simple and start slowly attacking the parasite problem and you are likely to have a successful result.

[HeartsongHorses]

Wonderful!

[MissBri]

YEAH!!!!!!!!

[Woodland]

My friend called this morning to say that she had gotten too worried about the horse to keep waiting, so she contacted the owner directly. My friend is a charmer! The owner has agreed to let her have the horse. So she is now talking with the vet for a plan of action to try and help the little horse.

Hopefully I'll be able to post "after" pictures.

Oh, Woodland: I had to grin. In my normal COTH life I am pretty good at sniffing out trolls. Never thought I'd be accused of it myself!:D

Good news!

Sorry about the troll thing - it just appeared the critter was well older than 10 mos + the single post alter...well - sorry!

Best wishes for the pretty little one on her recovery & three cheers for your friend!

[ThisTooShallPass]

So then, to put & keep EVERYONE'S mind at rest, there shall of course be a very long string of photos of this filly improving over the coming days, weeks & months???

[dacasodivine]

Good news!

Sorry about the troll thing - it just appeared the critter was well older than 10 mos + the single post alter...well - sorry!

Best wishes for the pretty little one on her recovery & three cheers for your friend!

This is my little guy on the day I brought him home. I was told he was somewhere between 9 months and a year. I have had him nearly 2 1/2 years and he has his 3 year old teeth so....

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/dobegirl2222/100_0126.jpg

I have more current pictures but the internet just got too slow.

[Marshfield]

http://i35.tinypic.com/amwd5f.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/9i9u0p.jpg


My friend contacted the local vet, who had seen the filly last Saturday. Apparently another neighbor had seen the filly down and covered with crows, and had contacted the owner, who took the filly to the vet. Someone who works in the vet's office said that it was the first time they have seen the filly, and that the owner wouldn't pay for any tests. They prescribed wormer and a general spectrum antibiotic.

My other question is just kind of astonished curiosity: was it really okay for a vet to let the filly leave his practice in this condition?

TIA, all of you!

Unfortunately, if the owner declines recommended care the veterinarian essentially has his or her hands tied. And nor can the veterinarian just take possession of the filly. I'm sure the veterinarian advocated for proper care.

[AnnaCrew]

No suggestions, but I think that critter is older than 10 months. It has an awful lot of mane and tail for an underfed foal.

She CAN be 10 months by mane and tail. This summer I got a neglected 11 mo old filly with papers so we knew her exact birth date, and her mane was huge as well for a yearling. See http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq222/ozolkalni/05-06-09/PICT1583.jpg

Hope she will be safe now!

[shea'smom]

Good news!! Now we need to know her new name, to go with her new life.

[Alteration Required]

Her name now is Daffodil, and I hope to have new pics by the weekend. She's begun on a carefully calibrated feed program, and fecal exams were done today -- apparently the vet who saw her a week ago started her on a Powerpak. This seems a bit intense to me for a horse in that condition, but the point is moot, as apparently only the first dose -- the one given by the vet -- was administered. It seems sensible now to figure out what her parasite burden is and attack it carefully.

She's covered in both rain rot -- I mean covered -- and lice. We discussed it and it seems better to attack the rain rot first, as the raw skin will not handle well the lice treatment. However if anyone has a different suggestion please let me know!

I agree that it seems like a LOT of mane for a young'un, but I've seen malnourished little ones with big hair before and I wonder if it is not almost a symptom in some horses? The vet confirms by teeth that she is 10-12 months old, and the previous owner is pretty confident about her age.

It is still touch and go with little Daffy, so my friend has decided not to tell her horse-mad child yet; she wants to give it a week or so to see if the filly looks like pulling through before letting her passionate daughter, aged 8, in on the fact that they now own a horse.

Keep your fingers crossed and your snaffle bits jingling! And thank you all for your help, concern and suggestions.

[She's Pure Gold]

Good luck, I hope she makes a full recovery and turns into a nice little horse :) Looking forward to new pictures and her progress..

[DancingQueen]

OMG. I don't know the laws in the area but it seems to me that if a vet saw the horse he or she would perhaps not be able to attain custody of the horse on the spot but should at least be required to alert the officials and ASPCA in the area.

I think that as a vet you will have the right to refuse service to owners who will not/can;t pay. And as much as it breaks ones heart to see such a thing, the vet may also not be able to afford to treat a horse or take a horse in that will never get paid for.

I think there ought tp be a law that allows veterinarians to intervene in cases like this and be reimbursed for it by the animal health control or whatever.

There's plenty of people out there who would love to help but we can't take on every abandoned and mistreated animal we see. The result would be an overcrowded farm and no money to support the horses and other various abandoned pets taken on.

Here's an idea, a big bank (can't remember the name but could be goldberg or similar sounding) got 10 billion dollars in bail out money last year. They have since done quite a bit better then some other banks and have a bonus pool of about 20 billion dollars for this year. I read an article about how they would handle the sensitive issue of handing out bonuses so shortly after the bail out. The employees would get more stick and less cash etc. All in an effort to not upset the common man.

I tohugh, well, seems pretty straight forward to me. Take 10 billion and GIVE IT BACK! then pass out the rest in bonuses. Most people got goosed last year so half should be better then nothing.

I now have a better idea. The bail out was a gift and doesn't have to get repaid so take the 10 billion and give it to those who really suffer. It doesn't have to be just animals altohugh I think they should get a big chunk. They had no part in the crash of the economy! Invest in things that will help the innocent bystanders, jobless homeless and abandoned animals.

If those guys are so smart they will figure out a way to profit int he end and everybody will be happy!

[amdfarm]

I'm glad your friend was able to take her. She looks so sweet and kind. What a beauty she will become w/ some TLC. I love her name, too, seems very fitting.

[smilton]

Oral ivermectin will help with lice load. Second dose two weeks later.

[aspenlucas]

She's covered in both rain rot -- I mean covered -- and lice. We discussed it and it seems better to attack the rain rot first, as the raw skin will not handle well the lice treatment. However if anyone has a different suggestion please let me know!


I would attack the lice if it was me. That filly is very thin, and the lice are sucking the life out of her. I had a mare come in with a case of lice and she was anemic. I wouldn't hesitate to at least dust her. If it was me the rain rot would come second, and I've had them come in with huge pockets of rain rot.

[Laurierace]

Ivermectin kills the lice from the inside out.

[Alteration Required]

Thanks, all, for the advice about the ivermectin. I have passed it along, and my friend will dose her tomorrow. Daffy is also covered with ticks; will the ivermectin help with that?

All of the work has depended on my friend being able to approach the filly, handle her and treat her. She spent all of yesterday afternoon and most of today getting to the point of being able to touch Daffodil everywhere, and she is now beginning to get her receptive to the notion of a halter. I think they must have been pretty rough when they took the filly to the vet, as weak as she is, she was initially very reluctant to be handled.

Meanwhile the feeding is going well. Hopefully there will be a good outcome!

Thanks again, all.

[Meredith Clark]

Be careful with ticks, people can get some nasty diseases from ticks (more than Lyme) never pick them off with barehands, use a tool or wear gloves.

[Whitfield Farm Hanoverians]

I'd be very careful with the Ivermectin in her condition. I'd try a topical remedy for the lice & at least one worming of an easier wormer the first time as all those dying parasites can kill her too. Of course I believe you did say that she's had one dose of the powerpac didn't you? Maybe that is enough to spread out the danger.
I'm going to sleep better tonight knowing that somewhere out there a little foal is resting with a full belly & a lot of love tonight. I know that little thing thinks it's died & gone to heaven. Thank your friend for me & way to go!!! Got to love animal lovers! Y'all are good people!

[Hampton Bay]

You can always mix the wormer paste into a bucket of mushy feed. Most of the time they cannot taste those types of things.

For the ticks, I remember reading somewhere on here that if you spray them with Bug Blocker (I *think*, it's the fly spray in the bright purple bottle), that they just die and let go. Might be easier than picking them all off by hand. I rarely have ticks though, so I haven't tried it.

Alfalfa is also good for starved horses.