Sassy - Page 3

August 31, 2007
Sassy continues to improve, getting stronger every day. She is now quite persistent when she wants to go out and graze, so a halter and leadline are now needed at times to keep her from going too fast! Her right eye is doing great and the infection in her left eye has been under control all week. Eye medication treatments were reduced to every 4 hours (yeah!) Thursday afternoon.
One problem Sassy is having is the heat. She cannot sweat right now (a common problem with weakened horses) as her body was so depleted of proper nutrition. So she now has a misting system in her stall to help keep her cool during the daytime heat. The photos above are from a "midnight" turnout to graze.

September 1, 2007
The cooler weather today was fantastic for Sassy. She was very active in her exploration of the farm, meeting the horses and grazing along the fenceline with them. They were mesmerized by her, as seen in the photos above, and she was content to hang out with other equines.
A young USERL volunteer played "My Little Pony" with her and Sassy sported braids and pony tails all over. She loves attention and follows people around for scratches and treats.

September 3, 2007
Sassy has had an incredible weekend! She had a quiet day Saturday, probably due to her whirlwind activity on Friday as well as being dosed with dewormer (her gums were pale Saturday). But Sunday Sassy returned to her inquisitive self and is now more independent; can get up and down on her own, walks strongly and can get away faster now when she sees the eye meds or thermometer in hand. Her eyes are doing wonderful, with sight remaining in her rt. eye. A young farrier, Frank Marques, came by to trim horses and worked on her hooves. Sassy put up quite a fight and will be a handful when she is fully recovered, but now sports more normal looking hooves (and it has helped her mobility tremendously!). She's had 4 hoof trims since she arrived to slowly get her hooves trimmed back to normal. Her physical therapy to strengthen atrophied hind leg muscles has also made a big difference in her mobility. She can now flex her hocks and stifles almost normally.
She continues to "not sweat", so this is the main concern of this week as temperatures get hotter again. Luckily, her misting fan and cooling alcohol baths do the trick. It is unlikely she will return to sweating this year, as it has taken a minimum of 6 months to replenish past rehab horses to where they could once again sweat.
Wonderful volunteers and 4-H teenagers gave the foster a much needed break over the weekend. Their giving of time and care was much appreciated! Sassy's remarkable recovery from such a guarded prognosis would not be possible without all the support for her. She's now out of immediate danger, but still has a long way to go for a full recovery. USERL thanks all that contribute for her.

September 5, 2007
Sassy continues to do great! Instead of a photo, a video is above. It is Sassy going out to graze after her breakfast. She is moving well and seeing very good out of her right eye. The misting fan is working great for the midday temperatures to keep her cooled down. Sorry for the poor skills of the camera operator. The camera got turned to the side as she was being fed an apple.

September 9, 2007
Sassy is still recovering great! After a follow-up with our veterinarian on Thursday, Sassy's eye meds have been changed somewhat since they are doing so well. She still requires eye meds every 4 to 6 hours to ensure her right eye continues to have sight.
A double stall was partitioned with a low wall so that Sassy can have socialization with an older, gentle mare during her rehab. She is enjoying the companionship.
Sassy is slowly gaining in weight, and with it strength. She now does a half trot when she wants to get somewhere in a hurry. The flexibility in her legs continues to improve with physical therapy.

September 11, 2007
Sassy continues to improve daily. She is quite mobile and demanding about where she wants to go - which is usually graze or eat. To the left is a photo of her coming back into the barn from grazing to eat her feed (she heard the foster pouring it in her bucket). Her personality is delightful and she's enjoying exploring the farm. She got startled by a loud noise yesterday and came trotting quickly into the barn, navigating around muck buckets and shaving bags to get back to her stall. So her muscle strength is improving great and her eye sight in her right eye continues to remain good as well.