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| Desperado: Under weight & neglected |
In 1999, HPS helped rescue the very large Carol Lewis herd of Saddlebreds
from starvation. Two of the few healthy horses were placed with a lady in Union county. In 2005, we lost
touch with her after her phone number was changed and mail was returned. Our new placement review team was able to find
the woman's whereabouts with a little investigative work. They were upset to learn that one of the horses had died.
Placement agreements require caregivers to notify HPS if an animal becomes very ill, injured or dies. It also requires
a 30-day notice before an animal is moved, and the new location must be approved by HPS staff.
Arrangements were
made to look at the remaining gelding. His caregiver stated that he had not had dental care for several years and was
due for his rabies shot. The placement team arrived on site to learn that the gelding had been moved to another location
some time before.
At the next location they found him and were surprised at how thin he was. He was
covered in botfly eggs and his hooves were in desperate need of trimming. The property owner said that he had heard from the
caregiver several weeks before but could not remember the last time she had been out to see the horse.
The team
then made the difficult decision to enforce the placement contract and remove the horse from the care of the woman.
Too many covenants of the contract had been violated and the horse was in undesirable condition. Thankfully, the team
found Desperado and removed him when they did because it later came to light that the caregiver was planning on moving
him again....out of state. Desperado was brought back to
the sanctuary. His hooves have been treated to remove old abcesses and cracks. He was placed on a special diet
to help regain his lost weight. Desperado had fully recovered and was placed in another home in 2011. The new
caregivers had trouble keeping his weight on him but stayed in contact with the sanctuary and sought advice. Unfortunately
they were not able to successfully keep his weight up and they were also starting to have financial problems so rather that
putting Desperado's well being in jeopardy they made the wise decision of doing what was best for Desperado and returned
him to the sanctuary. We are trying once again to get Desperado to gain weight.
Desperado 1999: Initial Rescue
Desperado 1999: Day of Placement
Desperado 2009: Reclaimed by
HPS
Desperado: August 2010 Recovered Again
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| Desperado back under saddle at HPS in 2010 |
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