[SmartAlex]

Who, in their right mind, would try to save this filly?

http://horseandman.com/bucket-fund-s...et-fund-filly/

I think I shall Unlike HorseandMan on FB to save myself a rash of nasties from what I just posted.

[Reagan]

The people that let that poor filly live like that are horrible. How do you go to the barn every morning knowing she is in a stall suffering?

Put her down. She doesn't need to suffer any more then she already has. I understand people wanting to help, but the filly has no idea about tomorrow and won't understand all of the pain that she is undergoing is to help her. She will hopefully end up okay in the end of this, but what if she doesn't? She will suffer all of the pain from the surgery, etc for nothing. She is never going to be sound. There are horses who they could help with that $1500 and will be healthy, sound, useful horses.

[CharismaRJG]

One would think that she would be incredibly miserable and in substantial pain, but in all the pictures she actually looks happy, lively and alert! Best of luck for her future.

[ChocoMare]

I always ask myself (and wish I could ask them in person), a ONE WORD question: "Purpose?"

[oliverreed]

That's just heartbreaking. Put the poor thing down already.

[HydroPHILE]

*sigh*

Meanwhile...other horses in that area could probably use some help and go on to lead a normal, loving, FULL life for someone.

[minnie]

*sigh*

Meanwhile...other horses in that area could probably use some help and go on to lead a normal, loving, FULL life for someone.

big bucket of carrots.....followed by needle.

[SmartAlex]

My comment on FB was

"Oh Good God! Give the poor thing a bucket of sweet feed and a bullet. Spend the money on someone else".

Then I unliked the blog because I didn't want to spend my lovely election day (sarcasm) arguing with all the bleeding hearts like I did over the two taxidermied mules and the people who thought they should have been given their freedom. I swear, some people are just so ignorant.

[Freebird!]

SMartAlex -your post was the
one that I "liked" when I checked out that horrid picture.

[wcporter]

Disgusting.

[BeeHoney]

It's hard to tell from the photos how much the horse is suffering or not. I have a few retired oldies with arthritis that have crankier faces for sure. I probably wouldn't have a problem with an individual person choosing to keep this animal as a pasture potato if they had the resources to do so.

I do however have a problem with people raising charitable funds to support an animal like this. Her lifetime costs with surgery, board, feed, vaccinations, farrier care, special accommodations are going to be way more than $2500. If the person who has her can afford to keep her themselves, fine, but otherwise there are MANY other horses with serviceable lives ahead of them that would be a much better investment of charitable dollars.

Without one of those rare "lifetime pasture pet" homes this mare is going to be at risk of neglect her entire life. I realize that she is currently in the care of a rescue, but in my experience rescues are not necessarily always safe and stable long term homes for horses.

[Galloway]

Reading the copy was enough to induce me to spit up my morning yogurt. I think "zest", "full of life" and "we can save her, but we need money!!" should be programmed into grammar check.
As the old Jedi said, "Spend wisely my young friend, we can't save every injured and abused tauntaun in the galaxy."

Let the poor thing go.

[BansheeBreeze]

This is nothing more than selfishness. It's not people wanting to do right by the animal, it's people wanting to feel good about themselves for "helping" her. Sad sad sad.

[sirensong4]

As the old Jedi said, "Spend wisely my young friend, we can't save every injured and abused tauntaun in the galaxy."

This is awesome. And also true.

[Snowflake]

I got a lot of flack from a rescue for choosing to put down a filly I bred who had a congenital and progressive condition of the retina that caused extreme photophobia and blindness. In my opinion, she was not a candidate for adoption and funds should not have been dedicated to her care when there were other more adoptable (and safer to handle) equines in need. There was no real treatment options for her. I made the gut wrenching decision to put her down. Sometimes the hardest decisions are the right ones.

Sure, it would have been easier for me to hand her off and let her be someone else's problem but it wouldn't have been the right decision in the end. I spent hundreds of dollars getting second and third opinions from vets and I hauled her to a board certified veterinary opthamologist to make sure there really was nothing we could do. The consesus was the same from everyone. There was no realistic treatment option that would provide her a reasonable quality of life and ensure the safety of every one who needed to handle her. In my mind, it was money well spent to have that confirmation and I'll be honest in saying I felt an overwhelming sense of relief once she was buried because I knew she was not going to be faced with a life of pain, confusion and terror because of this condition. The rescue called me the day she was put down and said they found someone to take her, not to put her down and to bring her right away. I proceeded as planned and never returned their call.

[Superminion]

I often ask myself, after we put our filly down on New Years ifI made the right decision. She had somehow gotten her legs stuck under her stall door in a freak accident (nobody's fault). She had holes in both pastern joints that allowed fluid to be pushed through with a syringe, her deep digital ligaments on both hindlegs severed, as well as the suspensory. The vet said that he could patch her up, and barring infection (which she would have had to stay drugged, quiet, and still for 2-3 months to *maybe* avoid) she had a 30% chance of being sound for standing in a pasture. 10% for going back to work. Just because we could have fixed her (to the tune of thousands of dollars) it eats away at me that we made the choice to put her down while she was still under. Her eyes bright, and she was so well behaved for her work up, that you always think, well she could have been fine.

My BO and DH put things in perspective for me though. Would I have wanted to live like that? She was 7 months old, that's no quality of life for a filly to be drugged and confined to a stall for months, just to live on a steady stream of painkillers to keep the ouchies at bay. No way.

Maybe these people need that same reality check so they can invest their funds into a more worth while placement.

[oliverreed]

Re: People saying she has "bright eyes" and all the rest of that - can someone tell me how this horse could be NOT in pain?? Is it possible?

[bludejavu]

This is the group that also saved an older pony with the same problem. They lost my respect over that, but there were so many do-gooders that backed them up, I guess they think they should do it with this one too. There is a long thread somewhere here on COTH about the older pony they saved - consensus on that was the same - needs to be humanely put down.

[MistyBlue]

It's the Save Them All, ZOMG I'm Crying mentality.

Add in the Holy Crap, Look at MEEE and How Bad This Horse is and How Good It Makes MEEEE Look syndrom.

And you have Rescue Attention Whore Torturer.

Poor filly. Lot of horses don't show serious pain...prey is hard wired to NOT show weaknesses if at all possible. The ouchy horse gets eaten or driven out.

[kookicat]

Just had to comment. Poor little girl. Why would anyone look at her and even consider keeping her alive? It's just not right.