Farley

1994 sorrel Paint gelding
Type of Rescue: Animal Control seizure
Intake Date: 10/8/2019
Adoption Date:
Time at SAFE:

Farley and three other horses were seized by Animal Control after being moved from another county to evade law enforcement. These horses were badly neglected, starved, and in desperate need of veterinary care. Sadly, a mare that was seized with this group was humanely euthanized by animal control due to her poor condition. These horses were part of a large herd living together in a barren, overgrazed pasture in King County. They were housed with multiple other horses in a heavily over-grazed paddock, and they were sporadically fed poor quality hay in insufficient amounts. None of the seized horses appear to have been capable of fending off younger and equally hungry horses to get to their food.

Farley came in very thin, with muscle wasting, stiffness, swollen limbs, problems with his eyes, including puffiness and clear discharge, and a possible squamous cell carcinoma on his muzzle. His teeth were also neglected, with sharp points and minimal grinding surfaces remaining. Because of this, the vet recommended his diet consist mainly of soaked pelleted mashes, along with small servings of alfalfa hay. On this improved diet, Farley’s health and weight improved. He still shows the effect of his neglect, and his mobility is limited. But he’s been adopted, and now happily resides as a friend to SAFE alumni Pyrhha. His adoptive “mom” Sandy keeps a close eye on his comfort levels to ensure that his quality of life remains high. 

 

Rest in Peace: SAFE Alumni Farley

Rest in Peace: SAFE Alumni Farley 

The SAFE family is saddened to report that SAFE alumni Farley, passed away yesterday.  He had been struggling to get to his feet after napping in the sunshine and when assisted, wasn’t able to stand. Dr. Schroeder from Northwest Equine was able to come out and with his buddy and SAFE Alumni Pyrrha (Zelda), by his side, Farley was able to pass peacefully.  Zelda said her goodbyes and seems to be at peace, knowing that her buddy is no longer suffering.  Thank you to Farley’s adopter, Sandy, for giving Farley such a wonderful life and making sure that he was loved and well taken of.  Our thoughts and gratitude are with Sandy and her family.

Alumni Update: Pyrrah and Farley 

Check out the photos sent to us by Pyrrah and Farley (now Zelda) adopters. Those are some fancy braids!

Farley Gets a Forever Home

Farley Gets a Forever Home 

We are happy to announce that Mr. Farley has found his FOREVER home! He joined SAFE Alum Pyrrha and the two have hit it off. When Pyrrha’s pasturemate passed away, she was doing ok but having a buddy is an important thing for herd animals. We are glad that she accepted Farley as her new pal. 

All seems well and the two seniors are enjoying the good life. They can be found eating near each other and taking naps together in the field. We couldn’t be more thankful to Sandy and her family for bringing Farley into their home and giving him the love and attention he deserves! 

Getting to Know Farley

Getting to Know Farley 

Farley has settled in well here at Safe Harbor Stables. We have gotten to know and love his gentle personality and sweet nickers. Although he is shy, he does seem to enjoy the company of people and will seek out attention from his caretakers. He and Butter are quite the pair and can be seen grooming each other in turnout much of the time.

Farley’s biggest challenge since arrival has been getting weight put on. He’s proven to be a bit of a picky eater and doesn’t finish his hay. Until we set up the iFEED unit in his stall, he also wasn’t reliably finishing his mashes of equine senior, either. But ever since the feeder went up he has been good about finishing all of his grain meals. That has helped tremendously with the weight gain, and he is now up about 80 pounds since he came to us.

We’re monitoring Farley’s comfort level closely. He is a stiff old guy even on the Equioxx. But that doesn’t stop him from pacing in his stall when he’s excited to be turned out in the morning, or from being active in the paddock with Butter. He has a positive attitude about life now, which is different from how he behaved when he first came to SAFE. Our vets have told us that he might also struggle to get around because of his lack of conditioning due to the weight loss. It has been recommended that we give him a few months to get back to his ideal weight and then re-assess his comfort level at that time. We’re on the right track with the weight gain so we hope that will help his situation. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping a close eye on him to make sure he keeps making progress instead of slipping backward and becoming more uncomfortable.

Farley: Intake Photos and Assesment

Farley: Intake Photos and Assesment 

New horse Farley arrived from animal control custody on 10/8. He’s a 25-year-old breeding stock paint gelding who stands 15.2hh and currently weighs about 1000 pounds. He’s now at a BCS of about 3.5 but still needs to gain 100 pounds or so. He has thrush in all four feet that we are treating.

Farley had a dental and vaccines with animal control prior to his arrival. Their vet found that he his teeth have decreased grinding surfaces (due to neglect and age) so it was recommended that 75% of his diet be in the form of pelleted feed. He is stiff and it was recommended that he be on Equioxx. It was noted on his first exam that he had evidence of prior uveitis, but there are no active signs of that currently. We will be monitoring this for any potential issues in the future.

Farley has a cardiac arrhythmia, but this particular type of arrhythmia  is usually considered a normal variation and is not concerning at this time.

Three New Intakes at SAFE

Three New Intakes at SAFE 

SAFE welcomed three new horses to the herd today. These horses were badly neglected, starved, and in desperate need of veterinary care when they were seized from their owner by Pierce County Animal Control. A fourth horse that was also seized with this group was humanely euthanized due to her poor condition.

The horses were transported to SAFE from Pierce County, where they had been held following their seizure as required by law. Their owner did not petition the court for their return, so ownership has been signed over to SAFE by the county.

Butterscotch

BUTTERSCOTCH is a 28 year old mare who had previously been diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease while in her owner’s care, but was not receiving treatment. She has a long, shaggy coat that has not shed out, which is a classic indicator of Cushing’s. When her levels were tested after her seizure, she had an ACTH level of 468, which is extremely high (normal at this time of year is less than 100). She is underweight (BCS 2–3), with muscle loss, long, chipped hooves, anemia, parasites, and several small melanoma on her lips, tail, and anus. A dental exam revealed a loose tooth, and the sharp points and waves that develop when a horse’s teeth aren’t floated on a regular basis. With her teeth fixed and a steady supply of good feed, Butterscotch is already brighter; in fact the vet who did her 30 day recheck described her as “sassy”!

 

Mara

MARA is a 30+ year old Shetland pony, who also has extremely high ACTH levels and suffering from Cushing’s Disease. She is extremely thin (BCS 1.5) with long hooves, parasites, muscle loss and ataxia. She also has a scarred cornea in her left eye and had copious green discharge from both eyes, indicating bacterial conjunctivitis. An oral exam revealed four missing teeth, two loose teeth, and one broken tooth, and most of her remaining teeth had very sharp points and no remaining grinding surface. So not only was Mara unable to chew hay, her neglected teeth were creating large and painful ulcers on the inside of her mouth. She’s been put on a mash diet to ensure that she’s now getting the calories and nutrients that she needs. She’s started gaining weight, and now appears healthier and more comfortable.

 

Farley

FARLEY is a 25 year old red roan breeding stock paint gelding with a BCS of 2 . He came in very thin, with muscle wasting, stiffness, swollen limbs, problems with his eyes, including puffiness and clear discharge, and a possible squamous cell carcinoma on his muzzle. His teeth were also neglected, with sharp points and minimal grinding surfaces remaining. Because of this, the vet recommended that his diet should consist mainly of soaked pelleted mashes, along with small servings of alfalfa hay. After 30 days of care, Farley is still moving slowly, but he’s gaining weight and looking healthier.

Prior to their arrival in Pierce County, these horses were part of a large herd living together in a barren, overgrazed pasture in King County. These elderly horses were housed with multiple other horses in a heavily over-grazed paddock, and they were sporadically fed poor quality hay in insufficient amounts. None of the seized horses appear to have been capable of fending off younger and equally hungry horses to get to their food. And the condition of their teeth caused them to drop partly chewed hay as they tried to eat, something that an observant owner with fewer horses might have noticed.

Pierce County will be pursuing first degree felony animal cruelty charges against the horses’ former owner for their failure to properly care for the four seized horses. They are working closely with RASKC (King Co Animal Control) who had been monitoring the herd for the past year, and who were preparing to seize the four themselves when their owner moved them to Pierce County.

The fact that the county is pursuing a first degree conviction is likely a good indication that they have a strong case against the owner. This individual is also currently facing animal cruelty charges in Snohomish County for a group of horses that included SAFE’s Amelia. Should the owner be found guilty of the charges against them, Washington state law says they’ll be prohibited from owning, caring for, or residing with any similar animals for two years (for animal cruelty in the second degree) or permanently (for animal cruelty in the first degree or a second conviction of animal cruelty in the second degree.)

But while the courts do their duty, our job is clear: to continue rehabilitating these horses and return them to good health, good weight, and hopefully, some happiness. We’ll keep you posted as to their progress, so keep your good thoughts and well wishes coming their way!