Faith
August, 2010Just when we thought it could not get any more shocking, a little pony we called Faith arrived at the rescue centre.
Faith was found at a local yard, with horrific injuries to her legs. She had been tied up with a rope around her neck and when she became entangled in the rope it made deep cuts into her legs. The owner did not call a vet or remove the rope, and by the time she was discovered the circulation to her lower front right leg had been cut off, leaving the flesh dead and rotting.
As the dead flesh fell away, bone, tendons and ligaments became clearly visible. Dorothea, the vet treating Faith, says she has never seen anything like it, and doubts whether any other vets have either. She said she would only expect to see such a sight on a veterinary teaching model – not a live horse!
Dorothea had to remove more dead flesh to stop infection taking hold. She estimates Faith would have been dead within two days if treatment had not been started.
To ensure Faith gets the best help possible, Dorothea is in close communication with one of Spain’s top horse vets, Gaspar Castelijns in Barcelona. Stem cell treatment is being used to help the wound heal, with healing properties extracted from Faith’s blood made into an ointment to encourage the damaged area to re-grow. Even if all goes well, though, Dorothea estimates that it will take a year for Faith’s leg to heal.
The biggest worry now is that the bone in her foot will collapse, as it has no tendons left to support it. In between treatments to clean and medicate the wound, Faith is being kept in a plaster cast in a bid to stop this happening.
Despite everything she has been through, Faith is a lovely, gentle-natured pony. As soon as she arrived at the rescue centre, she neighed happily to the other horses, and seemed to know she was safe and would get the best possible care. She is calm and friendly, and stands patiently as the vet and centre volunteers attend to her wounds.
We will do everything we can to help Faith and give her the chance of a happy life, but we do need help. With no official funding, we rely on the kindness of individuals to help our rescue horses, and we need sponsors or donations to help Faith.
Faith's case has been referred to el Servicio de Protección de la Naturaleza de la Guardia Civil (SEPRONA), the arm of the Guardia that is responsible for animal welfare issues. SEPRONA officers are investigating the case.
UPDATE September 5th, 2010
Sadly, Faith’s condition has deteriorated. She became ill and was today rushed to Alicante animal hospital with suspected internal bleeding and blockages. She is now undergoing tests to find the cause of the problem.
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UPDATE September 8th, 2010
Good news - Faith has been given the all clear by Alicante animal hospital, after the blockage was cleared. She is now back at the rescue rescue centre.
AND - two men have been arrested on suspicion of mistreating animals in connection to her case.
UPDATE February, 2011
Only last month we reported how well Faith was responding to the stem cell treatment on her injured leg. Now, following x-rays vet Dorthea sadly confirmed that part of her canon bone has died. Without surgery Faith will die.
Click here for more information on the Faith Appeal.
Click here to see ways of sponsoring Faith.
THESE RESCUES AND ONGOING CARE CAN ONLY CONTINUE WITH YOUR SUPPORT.