Oy. Now, I hate bringing you kinda bad news on the heels of our Honey Bandit story.  But, I feel compelled since this is a phenomenal story of help and hope — so far.  Crossing fingers.

OK, now imagine being Scribbles.  You are eating breakfast under your favorite tree, as always.  This is your favorite tree because it is big, gives ample shade and protection, yet it is tall enough so you can easily walk beneath its massive yield… Then, WHAMMO CRACK!  In an instant, the tree is on top of you, crushing you with all of its heft.  “What the heck just happened?!”  And, “Owwwww.” and then, “I… can’t … breathe…”.  Awful.  Horrible.  Very scary and lonely.

If you’ve ever found a horse who was laying down and stuck (I have…), it is a desperate time.

THE AFTERMATH

Luckily, a boarder who is also a good friend named Kelly, heard the noise and ran over to Scribbles.

Here is how she described what she saw:
I was there. I was just about to leave when I heard the tree snap and watched it fall. The tree fell just as the rain started to POUR down and the winds picked up. I had just thrown all the horses some hay so Scribbles was just standing there eating when it landed on her. There was no warning, it just snapped and fell. I ran to the window and saw the tree on the ground moving… I couldn’t see the horse but knew there had to be one under it so I ran down to find her trapped and convulsing from the shocks of the electric fence she was on top of. I woke Beckys daughter and told her to call her mom at work and then I called 911 as I ran back down to the barn to see if there was anything a could do to help her. The tree was too big for me to even budge so all I could do was talk to her and rub her until help came. Becky’s daughter Rachael and I got blankets to cover her and I used my saddle pad to stuff under her leg because her struggling had caused her to rub off the skin on her leg against the tree and we used another pad over her face to shelter it from the rain and only her nose, which was pouring blood from the crushed nasal passage, was sticking out. As Becky tried to calm scribbles, I was constantly soaking up the blood from her nose with paper towels so she could breathe because the other side of her face was in the mud.

9-1-1

The operator sent the Fire Department, Animal Control and the Police.  Everyone was scratching their heads… Becky’s (owner) husband and father-in-law raced over there with a tractor and a chainsaw.  But they had to raise the tree first, somehow.  So the Fire Department used air pads to raise the tree enough to allow Scribbles to breathe easier and also to add some space while they worked the chainsaws.

The vet arrived and sedated Scribbles but thought this was a lost cause. The poor mare was drenched in rain and mud, she was in shock and fighting for every breath and she had sand and mud in her eyes and mouth.  She was bleeding profusely from her nose.

But, according to Kelly, Scribbles could hear Becky’s voice and feel Becky’s hand under her head as Becky willed her sweet horse to keep fighting.  Of course, Becky never left Scribbles.

Luckily, everyone was able to saw enough limb mass off of her to chain the bulk of the tree to his tractor to lift it off and away from Scribbles.

Unbelievably, they were able to get Scribbles up although she was wobbly.  Kelly observed that her nasal passages were crushed as well as her right eye socket.  The vet knew that she would need immediate surgery or she would soon pass.  And, he felt that Scribbles would lose the use of that eye but with surgery, she might survive if there wasn’t internal damage.

HOSPITAL

Scribbles was taken to Myhre Equine Clinic.  There, they determined that her internal organs did not suffer terminal damage.  Her kidneys were shutting down from her time on the ground, but they were able to treat that.  She had numerous cuts and abrasions but all were superficial.  The big problem was her face.   The right side is caved in from where the tree made its impact.  Her nasal passage and eye socket are crushed.  The options are to euthanize her (Becky will not have that) or perform extensive surgery.

PRE-ACCIDENT

Scribbles has not had it easy.  She came to Becky as a neglected and starved rescue horse 2 years ago.  With all the love and tenderness they could share with this sweet mare, she was nursed back to health.  From Becky’s point of view, it is amazing that such a neglected horse could still be so loving!  Scribbles became a huge part of her family as a trail horse and companion to their young niece.

WHAT NEXT?

Scribbles is only 15 and dearly loved.  The vets think that as soon as her kidneys show a bit more improvement and the swelling goes down, they could perform a successful surgery.  Right now, it is scheduled for Monday, October 11th.  And then, the aftercare…

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Having had a horse in an equine hospital previously myself, I shudder when I think about their situation… not the hospital part, the financial part.  Everything costs… the hospital stay, all the meds, surgery prep, surgery and then the aftercare.  Ouch.  And, like most of us right now, this is a huge emotional and pocketbook hit for this family.

Well, it is always special and wonderful to show your concern through a nice card or put Scribbles in your prayers. 

Or, and I’m not asking for donations since we have our Bucket Fund, as always…

However, if you have a few extra dollars and feel moved, the Vet Clinic is taking donations to help with the $5000 (estimate) surgery.  Here is their contact information:

Myhre Equine Clinic at 603-335-4777 , PO Box 1673, Rochester NH 03866.   Here is the link to their website.

You can call them and there are two ladies there who will happily take donations via a credit card or check.  They will send a receipt.

I placed a call to Amy at the clinic.  She said they are set up and ready!

She also told me that Scribbles is a tough girl… She is actually EATING hay.  Wow.  Scribbles is eliminating fine and truly seems to be OK other than her face which they are watching very closely for infection and complications.  Amy also said that Scribbles was too lonely so they moved a Clinic resident (of 5 years…) next to her and she settled down.  Now they are best buddies.

So, pass this around and let’s see if we can help Scribbles with her surgery and after care.

You just never know what can happen to you… One day you’re just eating breakfast and a tree falls on your head.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
The October Bucket Fund will benefit Honey Bandit, the mustang foal fighting for his life.  To learn all about the Bucket Fund and to donate to this incredible baby,  please click on the photo (photo credit, Trish Lowe)