Ruby is a lucky horse who has an entire community behind her, pulling for her recovery! She got a visit today from one of her major benefactors, SAFE supporter Bernice S, who spent some time with our girl in the company of SAFE president Debi Shatos. Debi reports that Ruby’s outlook on life has definitely improved, and she has a sparkle in her eye that was not there last week. Turns out Ruby is a complete and total snuggle bug, who loves scratches and hugs. She wants to stand as close to you as possible at all times and will inch closer and closer if given the chance. One has to wonder how lonely it must have been for her to be shut away from view at her previous home.
Health-wise, Ruby seems to be improving, but she is far from being out of the woods. Her anemia has improved, but it’s not yet where we want to see it. She also has an elevated white blood count, which has Dr Mueller worried about infection, although right now, she’s not showing any signs of that. Her diarrhea is nearly cleared up and she’s consuming plenty of water now. Things are moving in the right direction, and we continue to feel optimistic that she will pull through.
But Ruby is still horribly, terribly thin. As you’ll see from these photos, she still has a long way to go to regain a normal body weight. She does have a surprisingly lovely coat of hair for a mare in her condition. She’s going to be stunning once she is healthy again.
So many people have stepped up and donated to the SAFE Veterinary Fund to help us with Ruby’s considerable medical bills. We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed — it means a great deal to us to know that so many hearts went out to this poor mare. We hope you all will have a chance to visit Ruby when she is finally able to come home to Safe Harbor Stables. It’s our hope that she’ll be released from the vet hospital in time for our Open House on May 25, but it’s probably too early to predict at this point. We’ll keep you posted!