Oh Happy Day!

Not long ago, I watched the movie "Secretariat". One of my favorite parts was towards the end when they played "Oh Happy Day". That song popped into my mind again today after PER was privileged to place another horse from the county impound, saving her from the sale pen and an unknown future.

Thank you Thomas for assisting in delivering Penny to a wonderful home where she will be loved and cared for. We also appreciate Sheriff Morgan for giving us the opportunity to place the horses that for one reason or another end up at the county impound and never get claimed.

This placement has special meaning, since the woman, Jolee Josephs is the one who first went with me back in December 2008 to investigate a neglect case involving this very horse! Jolee remembered it well and was quick to offer up a home after she was picked up as a stray and never claimed. Their first meeting was sweet as these photos show and also very rewarding to see Penny come full circle from a neglectful home, into the impound and finally at Forever Sky Ranch!

Another cool thing about this story is that during that investigation in 2008, there was another horse with Penny that was surrendered to PER since she was older and they no longer wanted to care for her. Lady is currently being fostered at Forever Sky Ranch by Jolee. We are excited that Lady and Penny will finally be reunited.

Horse rescue is very rewarding and I am so glad that I've been able to be a part of it. With the support of our community and the many volunteers, I hope we can have many more "Happy Days" for horses.

Walker Gets A Dental!

Today, Walker visited a dentist. He has been dropping his feed, but we had to wait until he gained enough weight to be able to handle the sedative. We transported him to Howard Finley's on Klondike Road, where several other equines were also scheduled to have their teeth done.

Panhandle Equine Rescue would like to thank Dr. Tyler Dees D.V.M., CEqDT for doing such a good job on Walker. We have used him in the past on other rescues and are quite pleased with his services. Our veterinarian, Dr. Hank Lee highly endorses him also, which is a plus. Howard Finley assists Dr. Dees on most dentals and makes it easier for the client, since he is very good at handling the horses.

If you are coming to the Ride For Rescue, this Saturday, March 26th, Dr. Dees will be there doing a demonstration. He also has the whole afternoon filled with clients, so he will be busy working at Coldwater Stables!

If you are interested in getting professional dental work done on your horse, you can call 251-802-0112 to set up an appointment. Dr. Dees provides equine dental services throughout the southeast. He also has a facebook page that is filled with lots of interesting photos and videos, as well as what areas he will be working in. Go to Facebook and enter "Performance Horse Dentistry" in the search box.

Walker, you've had quite a week, boy! I'm sure this will hasten your recovery, so hopefully by the end of Spring, you will be looking and feeling your best! Thank you, Dr. Dees!

The long road begins

Horse #8 was one of the horses that the sheriff's department allowed PER to find homes for. We were very grateful that we could be a part of keeping them from running through the auction and possibly going to another bad home or even slaughter.

When this horse was rescued on that cold February day, she was already in danger of dying. The veterinarian carefully examined the herd of 20 and pointed out nine that needed to be removed immediately and placed in shelter or they possibly would not survive the brutal cold temperatures along with the wind and sleet that was only going to worsen through the night. Even after she arrived at the vet clinic, we didn't know if she would survive. Her pasture mate, in the stall next to her, was in worse condition, hanging in a sling, because she was too weak to stand on her own. Sadly, she eventually had to be humanely euthanized.

After a few days, the vet told the county livestock officer that the red Arabian could go home, but after being at the impound for a short time, she got down and could not get back up. Her caretakers managed to get her back to the clinic, where she remained a few more days. On the second attempt to go home, she went down in the horse trailer and was immediately taken back to the clinic.

After a longer stay, she finally was able to leave the clinic. But, while at the impound, one of the pressure wounds on her hip busted open, leaving her vulnerable to infection. The livestock officer applied medicine to it daily.

When she arrived at PER, she was still in very bad shape. Since her survival was still questionable, we decided to keep her at our facility, instead of placing her in another home, which would have placed a huge responsibility on someone. We weren't sure if they would be able to commit to all of the extra care she would require. It was a good idea to keep her, because, sure enough, the hip wound got infected.



We were fortunate at the time, since our vet, Dr. Hank Lee, was due out that day to do yearly vaccinations on the other horses. He was able to treat her right away. He lanced the wound to drain out the infection and inserted a drainage tube. He left us with antibiotics.

Since she is an Arabian, we named her Amirah (pronounced "Ameera"), which in Arabic, means "Princess". She has a long road to recovery, but we expect she will survive and blossom to become beautiful and healthy! We will keep you updated on her progress.