Wishing You a Blue Christmas
The following is from All About Equine Rescue:
As we count down to 2024, join us every day this month as we share stories from the barn that show how your support has helped horses this year and every year.
Today we’re putting the spotlight on this familiar & handsome face! His story is on the longer side, but it’s a worthwhile read.
BLUE
Blue, a 2010 Virginia Range (NV) mustang, came to AAE in March 2017 after a request for assistance from the Virginia Range Wild Horse Sanctuary and the Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection Fund. Blue had a large mass over his left rear fetlock/pastern area. Despite being haltered and handled to some extent previously, he was not halterable when he arrived at AAE. It would be a long and challenging journey to help Blue, but it was one we were willing to take on.
Before we could even examine and evaluate the mass, let alone treat it, Blue had to be gentled, halterable, and handleable. If we were going to remove it, we needed to be able to handle his leg and hoof to change his bandages frequently post-surgery. Blue had some substantial fear/trust issues, which made the process even more difficult. Initial efforts to befriend and halter him were met with a lukewarm response.
Soon enough, Blue made enough progress that our vet was able to sedate him, radiograph the bony area beneath the mass, and collect tissue samples for biopsy. Even under sedation, he kicked quickly and with purpose.
Fortunately, the radiographs and biopsy detected no obvious underlying concerns, and it was assumed the mass was proud flesh (granulation tissue) that was the result of an old, untreated injury. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, Blue developed painful sores/ulcers in his mouth. He was quarantined as a precaution and was tested for vesicular stomatitis (a contagious viral disease that primarily affects horses and cattle). Thankfully, the test was negative. We gave him time to recuperate, but were eager to restart our training as soon as possible – the mass on his leg was growing and oozing, attracting flies and yellow jackets.
After several weeks, his mouth had improved and we resumed our efforts. We worked for weeks with minimal progress, but after one marathon day, we had a major break through! After six hours, he accepted handling and touching all over, so we began to practice bandaging and removing the bandage, over and over. We continued this every day until we could halter, touch his body all over, and pick up, handle, and bandage his left hind.
Blue had surgery at the end of August 2017, and the nearly seven pound mass was removed. What a relief!
Blue practicing bandaging before surgery. The mass was HUGE! Doesn’t it look like a brain?
When it came time to change the bandage for the first time, Blue was sedated and, overall, the process went smoothly (though he wasn’t a fan of having the lesion cleaned). The area where the mass had been was beginning to heal!
Blue’s health concerns weren’t over though. The mystery sores returned, and in addition to his mouth, he had them all over his body this time. We biopsied the tissue and received a vasculitis diagnosis. Thankfully, with proper medication, the sores began to heal.
Healing progressed nicely. We had a few bumps along the way (Blue grew weary of being sedated and having the lesion cleaned), and by November 2017, the lesion was almost healed. A small area persisted and started to grow back so it was trimmed off. As the months passed, the small area started to grow again. A biopsy revealed a sarcoid. We tried different medications, but nothing helped the lesion heal completely. The small area was lasered off one more time in fall 2018, and since then, the lesion has completely healed, save an awkward looking, quarter-sized scar. However, the swelling in his fetlock and pastern area has reduced, and you can barely see the scar.
Nowadays, Blue is healthy and happy, spending his time being a horse and being the best Uncle B to younger ones in our herd. Unfortuantely, he developed laminitis in pasture last spring, and now he lives in a smaller dry paddock where he can still somewhat enjoy open space. He is still untrusting and unsure at times, especially when encountering new things. Though, he’s willing to do just about anything (respectfully) for a carrot.
Blue is available for adoption as a non-riding companion only to the perfect, forever home. He needs a patient person with mustang experience and plenty of space to roam free. He has made progress over his time at AAE, but still prefers horses to humans. If someone can give him time every day, he’s sure to come all the way around.
If you think you may be a good fit for him, submit an adoption inquiry to start the process.
Our goal is to raise at least $35,000 this holiday season to jump start our funding for the new year and make sure 2024 is merry & bright for horses-in-need.
Like you, we have felt the pressure of the changing economy. Hay, fuel, supplies, and other care costs have increased substantially. The effects are compounded for nonprofits across the country, as many of us have seen a decrease in overall donations. Rising costs and fewer donations are stretching us thin, impacting our ability to serve the number of horses we typically serve. We’ll scale back as we need, but we need your support more than ever.
On average, it costs about $8 per horse each day for feed and health care for the horses at AAE. Expenses add up quickly when caring for 50+/- horses and other animals, including costs for basic care, diagnostics, treatments, medications, surgery, and emergency care, when needed.
We know your lives have been impacted, too, we’re all in this together. If you’re able, please consider making a year end donation to support this life-saving work and make it possible to help more horses-in-need next year.
Expenses can add up quickly, but your donations can, too! If every one of our followers made a $5 donation, we could surpass our goal by thousands.
You can help make similar stories to share next year by donating today. Any amount is very much appreciated, and it makes a big difference for the horses.
As seen with Blue, there are times when we have to address the unexpected, and we need the resources to provide the best we can for the horses in our care. We are grateful to have the support of our AAE community to ensure we are able to do that. Thank YOU!
Ways to Give This Holiday Season
(1) Set up a bill pay with your bank for a one-time (or recurring) donation
(2) Mail a check to:
All About Equine Animal Rescue
2201 Francisco Drive #140-174
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
(3) Drop off your donation at:
AAE Used Tack Store
4050 Durock Road #6
Shingle Springs, CA 95682
(4) Donate online using a credit card, Venmo, or PayPal by clicking hereor any of the red “Donate” buttons
(5) Text HOPE4HORSES to 53-555
(6) Venmo your donation to @allaboutequine
Your donations, volunteering, adopting, and social media shares & likes really do make a difference and make all of this work possible!
Thanks for your gracious and continued support of AAE!