Thursday, July 29, 2010

It’s a Fine, Fine Life

Whenever I’m engaged in work that doesn’t require deep thinking – mucking stalls or putting out hay, for instance – I’ve noticed I almost always hum the song “It’s a Fine Life” from “Oliver!.” I’ve done this for years, not consciously, but on a very frequent basis. Granted, in the musical, Nancy was trying to convince herself that hers was a fine life, but in the case of performing TREES’ work it’s true. This is a fine life.

There are moments of stress, like welcoming a new arrival and not knowing if attempts at rehabilitation will succeed. Of course, saying goodbye to an Elder when the time comes is not a favored aspect of this work. Overall, however, the sanctuary lifestyle is very satisfying.

Much of the reward comes in seeing TREES’ residents respond to good nutrition, vet and dental care and regular visits from several practitioners of complementary techniques.

Just as rewarding, though, are the daily restorations of faith in humanity.

In general, people have enormous compassion for those who can’t help themselves, whether the helpless are two-legged or four. We are continually overwhelmed by the generosity of people who themselves have few “extras” in life: Neighbors who offer help in a snow storm; People who donate like new, but seldom used, items for tack and yard sales; Moms and Dads who drive back and forth so their children can fulfill community service projects at TREES; Supporters who cannot perform physical labor but can spend time researching or networking via computer, collecting things like proofs of purchase, or picking up supplies at local stores; Home business owners who offer services free or at a significant discount.  And, of course, the people who do the "dirty work," scooping ton after ton of poop, scrubbing water tanks, raking up old hay, etc etc etc.

All of those people, and many many more like them, find ways to help even though they may not be able to make large or frequent cash contributions. They do these “jobs” with no fanfare, no tooting of horns, and no expectations of compensation. They do it because they want to help.

Meeting such people makes this one fine, fine life.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Important News! -visitors, vols and staff

We've found a place very nearby that takes plastic bottles for recycling.  Therefore - beginning today, July 28, 2010 - no more water, soda, or Gatorade (any #1 or 2) bottles are to go in the trash.  For now we'll use feed bags to collect bottles, but will work on setting up more permanent collection containers (heavier bins that won't blow away in a breeze.)

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

We Don't Buy Horses

In response to several recent inquiries:

No, Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary does not buy horses. 

The horses in residence come from a variety of sources.  Some had been abandoned at boarding stables, Some were left behind when farms were sold.  Several came to the sanctuary as the result of law enforcement investigations into cruelty or neglect.  Many were victims of starvation or lack of veterinary care.  A few came to us when owners encountered catastrophic changes in their lives, putting the horses' futures at risk.

The unfortunate truth is that TREES is asked to take in far more horses than we can possibly accept if we are to maintain high standards of care.  With so many horses in desperate need of places to go, purchasing horses is not an efficient use of available space and resources needed to care for current residents or to develop educational and outreach programs. 

In response to one follow up question - No, most of TREES residents were not "saved from slaughter."  Slaughter is just one of many many dangers horses face.  The horses here, abandoned or left to "let nature take its course," were never headed for the meat industry.  They, instead, were simply dipsosed of on their own home turf, like a car up on blocks at the edge of the woods in the Back Forty.  The difference, of course, is that the car does not suffer - sometimes for months or years -  when the owner stops feeding it or denies treatment of injuries or illness.  

Rienzi August 9, 2007

Rienzi August 7, 2008


Saturday, July 24, 2010

Yard Sale July 31 Sampler

Here is a very small sample of the items available for the Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary Super Colossal Big Huge Yard Sale
Saturday July 31, 2010, 8AM - 2PM
8815 Robert E Lee Dr
Spotyslvania, VA  22551















Offered for sale:


two oriental rugs
dorm fridge
small kitchen appliances in excellent condition
dishes
rice cooker
mini stereo
pair of hanging lamps
never used foam mattress pad
never used comforters
electric blanket
never used water color box
artist easel (tabletop)
Cuisinart
vacuum cleaner
tall corner cabinet, rounded front, natural wicker and metal (bronze finish?)
CD racks
All kinds of things to decorate your apartment!

Also:
SADDLES
yard and garden tools
dehumidifier
holiday decorations
truck tires and rims NEW! (Firestone Steeltex A/T, LT 265/75R16, 123/120R M/S. Load Range E)
toys
bicycle - never ridden - 18(?) inch Huffy Rocket
books, books, books
this'n'that, knick-knacks and geegaws.

And more goodies arriving every few days, so
Come.....Browse.......Shop!

Cold drinks will be available.
All proceeds benefit Virginia's Golden Equine Oldies.

Accepting gently used treasures until July 27!

Watch for our "freebie" boxes!
All items sold "as is"
More info: info@equineelders.org or 540-972-0936

Friday, July 16, 2010

Super Colossal Big Huge Yard Sale!

TREES is havin' a sale!  Not on horses.  Or on trees.  But on almost everything else!

To raise funds to care for horses in residence at Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary, there will be a Yard/Garage Sale
Saturday, July 31, 2010
8AM until 2PM
8815 Robert E Lee Drive
Spotsylvania, VA 22551

Going back to college?

Offered for sale:
two oriental rugs
dorm fridge
small kitchen appliances in excellent condition
dishes
rice cooker
mini stereo
pair of hanging lamps
never used foam mattress pads
electric blanket
never used water color box
artist easel (tabletop)
Cuisinart
vacuum cleaner
tall corner cabinet, rounded front, natural wicker and metal (bronze finish?)
CD racks
All kinds of things to decorate your apartment!

Also:

SADDLES
yard and garden tools
dehumidifier
holiday decorations
truck tires and rims NEW! (Firestone Steeltex A/T, LT 265/75R16, 123/120R M/S. Load Range E)
toys
bicycle - never ridden - 18(?) inch Huffy Rocket
books, books, books
this'n'that, knick-knacks and geegaws.

And more goodies arriving every few days, so
Come.....Browse.......Shop!
Cold drinks will be available.
All proceeds benefit Virginia's Golden Equine Oldies.

Accepting gently used treasures until July 27!

Watch for our "freebie" boxes!
All items sold "as is"
More info:  info@equineelders.org or 540-972-0936

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Drastic Measures?

No, necessary measures.

Two years ago, when we first heard of Fitz, then 25 years old, he was living in Maryland and looking for a place to go. He hadn't had any dental attention for some time and his pictures showed he was a little thin.  TREES arranged for an equine dental technician, accompanied by a veterinarian, to examine Fitz' teeth, thinking that if he had his dental issues addressed he would gain weight more easily and be easier to place in a new home.

Addressing Fitz' dental issues, however, was more easily said than done.    At first glance, it was easy to see one incisor jutting sideways from between his lips.  A few other teeth were loose, periodontal disease was out of control and Fitz whole mouth seemed unstable.  Meredith Barlow, the attending dental technician, called TREES from Fitz' side and asked "just how much dental work does TREES want to cover?"

Uh-oh.  Fitz' immediate needs were to have three teeth extracted: two incisors and one canine.  It was agreed to remove the "sideways" incisor and canine and return for the second incisor and a re-evaluation at a later date.

In the meantime, it was becoming obvious that this would be a very "special needs" horse and not one easily placed in a new home. 

Over the next few weeks, space at the Sanctuary became available and the process to bring Fitz here as a resident began.  Fitz arrived in August 2008.



By November, we were looking at this odd sight:

Fitz' gum was deteriorating, exposing the root of this incisor.  The root itself was covered by what was indentified as a "cementoblast."  Cementum is normal material covering the roots of teeth, but this was cementum gone wild.

At about the same time, we noticed that Fitz was very lethargic, and experienced some respiratory distress with very little physical exertion. 

Off to the vet clinic, where ultrasound found a significant bacterial infection in Fitz' heart.  At the same time, the incisor pictured above was removed, revealing infection in the tooth itself and in the jawbone behind it.   Not uncommon in dogs, cats, and humans, it appeared that the massive infection in Fitz' mouth led to bacteria entering the blood stream and lodging in his heart.

This tooth and one other were extracted, treatment for infection was started, and several other teeth were identifed as abnormal, requiring close monitoring.

Meredith, meanwhile, was finding bits and pieces of information about other horses with dental problems similar to Fitz'.  Then, at an AAEP convention..........PAYDIRT!  We finally had a diagnosis.  Fitz suffered Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis.

As study of the syndrome advanced, most researchers agreed the only way to get ahead of the infections and other complications was to remove all of the horse's incisors.  According to all reports, the patients were immediately more comfortable after having affected teeth removed.

But, that seemed drastic!  As time went on, though, it became obvious that might be our only choice to preserve quality of life. 

Fast forward to July 7, 2010:

We could see that the angle of Fitz' incisors were changing drastically.  During our annual Summer Dentathon, xrays showed that none of the incisors were "viable."   None.



Below, the odd angles and exposed roots are easily noticeable.


Even more obvious at this angle.  Notice the small area of root becoming exposed in the area above the little wad of grass, up toward the lip attachment.

In this photo, again notice the tooth exposed the full length of the root.  Areas of decay of the teeth themselves are also easily seen.


Sedation and a little local anesthesia were administered and nine incisors were removed in less than 25 minutes.  That alone is evidence of how unstable and "unattached" these teeth were..

On this tooth, note the cavities at both ends.  Everything in between was decayed.


This tooth was also decayed from one end to the other and broked apart under very little pressure.


This one was completely hollow!


Here - on the left - is an incisor (not from a TREES horse) with a more normal, tapered, appearance.  Note that Fitz' incisor - on the right - is not tapered at all, due to extra cementum layers.  All nine of the incisors removed had the same "fat" appearance.  It is, in part, this extra cementum that pushes the teeth out of their proper positions in the gum and bone.


Fitz is on Day 6 of a 10-day course of antibiotics.  He is already more comfortable.  Naturally, we'll need to make hay available year 'round since he can no longer graze.  Is that in itself a big relief to him?   He is no longer trying to pull grass with extremely unstable teeth. so it may be.

We don't know what to expect next, but we do believe Fitz, now 27, is past the worst of his problems now. 


Big Big Big thanks to Meredith Barlow for researching this very odd issue and to both Meredith and Dr. Tracy Brown for setting our big bay Thoroughbred on the path to better health!

We're resurrecting the Blog!

After an attempt to move our news and updates to Facebook, it has come to our attention (many times) that a percentage of Traveller's Rest's followers will simply never, never, never use Facebook.  Ever. 

Fair enough.

Starting this week, we'll resume posting regular blog updates.  For FB fans, links will be posted to all new blog posts.

If you do not regularly use Facebook please remember that the TREES page is "public content."  You do not have to be "on Facebook" to view our posts.  We will continue to post lots of photos and updates on Facebook, since it is a more interactive/immediate feedback venue, but will also return to the more in-depth narratives previously posted on the blog.

Please bear with us as we work out a good relationship between the two applications. 



Geezers Rule!

(Sonny, age 39 - June 15, 2010)

Monday, July 12, 2010

SARA Group Reiki July 17, 2010

SARA Group Reiki

Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 10:00am
Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary
Spotsylvania, VA

TREES is a founding shelter member of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association. Practitioners participating in the SARA @ TREES program gather at the sanctuary once each month to offer healing to residents. Participating practitioners are also invited to work individually with sanctuary residents as their schedules allow.


For more info on the SARA program at Traveller's Rest, please contact Janet Dobbs at janet@animalparadisecommunication.com