Rescue stories
Becky's Christmas Wish
A member of the public alerted us to the plight of 32 year old Becky in mid 2010.
The elderly Shetland’s condition was shocking. She was shut in a stable, meaning she was suffering from atrophy (muscle wastage) as she was not able to walk around, and her legs were stiff. Her teeth were in a poor condition so she was struggling to chew food, and was therefore very underweight.
Because she had little muscle and had difficulty eating, Becky’s body condition was scored at 1, on a scale of 0-5 where 0 is emaciated and 5 is obese. Her pelvis was prominent, as you can see from the photograph below, and her ribs were easily visible.
Becky’s coat was covered in lice. The irritation was so intense that she had rubbed away her coat until her skin was red raw and bleeding. Her feet were overgrown, putting her off-balance and adding pressure to her already wasted muscles.
After a steady journey to our headquarters, Becky’s first step on the road to recovery was taken in the form of a bath! This was to help ease the irritation caused by the lice. Next on the list was quite a drastic haircut… Our vets shaved off her coat, as well as her mane, so that treatment to her raw patches could be administered more effectively.
Becky received some specialist dental treatment so she could eat more comfortably. Teeth are often overlooked, but they are the gateway to digestive health. Horses’ teeth constantly emerge from the gum to replace that which is worn away through eating. Becky’s were at the end of their working life – and, as she had not seen an equine dentist for some time, sharp hooks had formed on her teeth, making eating a painful activity.
The sharp hooks were removed by gently rasping them down, and Becky was put on a ‘No Long Fibre’ diet. She cannot cope with long fibre food like hay, so we give her regular small meals of soft feed that she can chew easily to compensate.
After only a few weeks of care, Becky’s black coat grew back beautifully, with hardly any scarring from her constant rubbing to show for her struggle. She continues to live with a group of elderly ponies and donkeys who have a similar diet to hers.
Redwings is proud that this elderly little lady has made such a remarkable recovery. Please click here to read Becky’s 2010 Christmas Appeal.
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