A case of owner ignorance

[holly heifer]

:x Folks bought pony from salebarn 6 months ago, they were told pony did not need wormed or vaccines for a year. Pony is
about 5 years old. Folks fed pony , but never brushed him.
Pony went down in the rain friday and was too weak to rise,
pony was laid in an out building on cement floor. Sat am vet ask me to help get pony up. Pony had struggled so hard to rise,
that he has blood running from his mouth from beating his head
on the floor We got pony up and took him to my place to hopefully recover. Pony will be wormed slowly, started on
small amounts of senior feed and grass hay. Body condition score : 1 ! :shock: Nothing but hair and bones. Fecal was
off the chart for worms. We have to pick up pony to stand him up. Once up , he will eat, drink and urinate. Pony is better
today. I think he will make it. My pet peeve is people getting
any species of animal and then not researching or asking questions as to the care. These folks seem very sorry about
the pony's sad state, and keep telling me that they just did
not know any better! I am trying to educate them on
body score ( you have to feel the pony! not just throw feed
at it! :x The pony has NO body fat and is wearing a blanket
to keep from freezing. Also, education about worming, vaccines, feed( he has been eating people food! :x ) ect.
I have worked so hard these past few days to breathe life
back into this frail little guy. He is about 40 inches tall, and
does not want to succumb to worms!

 

[Pooog1]

Some people shouldn't be allowed to take care of themselves, let alone any type of animal. It really doesnt take much to figure out what to feed and how to properly care for an animal. Even the basics and this poor little guy would have been better off. Good for you for taking care of him, there should be more people like you in the world!

 

[Gale Seddon]

Holly Heifer, when I read your post yesterday, it made me so angry I couldn't even reply. Pooog1 said it all, very politely, I might add. I agree that it's good of you to take this on and hope he'll pull through under your care. I sure hope he doesn't go back to where you found him. Eating people food, etc., it just really burns me up! You are way more generous in your estimation of their good intentions and not knowing any better than I could be. Let us know how he gets along...not sure I could stand to see a picture, but equines do bounce back well. Hope this one does!

 

[holly heifer]

Pony is doing well- second fecal showed just a few
worm eggs, plus tapeworm. ( first fecal was " off the chart")
Pony is able to stand unassisted, whinneys at me, and eating
small amounts many times per day. Owners were told pony
could not go back to them unless they provide him with a
shelter, blanket, proper feed, vaccination and worming.
He is just down the road from me so I can keep an eye on him.
The vet will not dismiss him from my care for a while. He still
needs TLC. I am trying to "educate these people" which is hard
since in this day of internet info , books and neighbors with
knowledge of livestock, it is real hard for me to keep my cool!
There is just no excuse for this! The " I did not know
any better" line just does not hold any water with me!

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Another good example why "some" people (?) should be neutered and spayed... Other horror stories are on the TV Programs "Animal Planet" and the Miami (and other) animal police shows...

 

[smart_slider]

good for u!! good luck helpin that poor pony out; we got a pony who was in pretty bad shape... he is older than the hills and he is all hair!! the previous owner thought that a child standing up in the stirrups was abuse... anyway, she thought she was helping him, but was really killin him slowly... we got him and we are having a tough time getting him to eat... he is SUCH a picky eater! good luck to u!
ss

 

[Kelly]

It is so nice that you are able to help this pony. It sounds like you are doing wonderful for it. Be careful with the senior food as it has a lot of sugars = high nsc. Ponies are very prone to Insulin Resistance and they do best with low nsc hay and feeds.
Does it have any signs of laminitis?
What kind of people food was being fed? I am really curious.

 

[holly heifer]

Pony is now on safe choice feed ( low carb and sugar)
The senior feed was just to get him started again. Once his
strength returns, he will be in a dry lot ( no grass for ponies!)
and on grass hay and Plantinum supplement. He has no evidence of founder or laminitis. The owner was giving him
cookies and I suspect old bread. :roll: Today he is really
good, walking well and whinnying at me He will be discharged from my care in another week or so,( If a suitable
shelter is erected) I will continue to monitor him. I have never
seen a horse that close to death actually recover!

 

[just learnin]

Good job Holly Heifer
I can't believe people get animals and don't have a clue and don't research to find out what they should be doing.
People food???

 

[holly heifer]

pony is on the road to recovery- gaining weight , normal
appetite,water intake, poop, ect. fecal was normal!! 8)
Took him back to his owners on saturday. They had built him a suitable shelter, feed and hay. He will get his booster vaccinations in 3 weeks. The only thing wrong --- it is about
o degrees and they did not have a heated bucket or tank heater!!!! They were told to get one!! :x

 

[mustangkoda]

good job holly

keep an eye on him, you might get the little guy back. some people seem to "forget" to do things when they think they are no longer being watched. (though some are just uninformed, hopefully they've learned).