Beauty & Velvet are unwell :(

Beauty and Velvet came to us in December after their owner had passed away and sadly left them and their companions in a bad way. Overfed, overweight and borderline foundering. Some of you may remember the heartbreaking story of Noel, the donkey on this property that had to be put to sleep straight away due to the severity of his founder and lack of hoof care which we estimate went on for over a decade – Beauty and Velvet were two of his paddock buddies.

These two ponies have been coming along wonderfully and we were sure that their rehabilitation would soon be complete. Both were proving themselves to be sweet natured, willing and excellent to be handled even by children. Their hooves were doing well with regular attention and they were brought back to a healthy weight.

Over the last couple of weeks Beauty had seemed a little off colour but nothing overly concerning. Her carers kept careful watch on her and monitored her however over the weekend her condition has deteriorated rapidly. She has lost weight, been reluctant to eat and has become dehydrated. She had diarrhea and was not her normal self. We have taken a blood sample and sent it off for diagnosis and the results indicate a liver problem.

She is not at this stage trouble enough to warrant euthanasia however she is very unwell. So we have begun treatment. And last night, her constant companion Velvet began the early onset of the same symptoms. We do not yet know the full cause of the problem, we need to run the diagnostics first and further blood tests to ascertain exactly what is causing their illness. One theory is a build-up of toxins over the years they have been overfed and at an unhealthy weight has affected the liver. This seems the most likely cause although we cannot rule out other problems until we get a diagnosis.

Beauty is in her early twenties and Velvet is only 12. These two best of mates have been through a lot together and we know they’ve not been separated in around 10 years. If ever.

We are putting out the call for donations to help us wear the brunt of the Vet bills to give these girls the fighting chance they deserve. They are currently in care at the Serpentine Veterinary Hospital thanks to Donna and her hard working team and we will try everything to get on top of this problem so they may live a comfortable life. We are closely monitoring their pain levels and their inner spirit to ensure that they are not undergoing any undue suffering.

Please wish our two little girls well and hope this is the last obstacle they have to overcome in order to live a happy and healthy life until their days run out naturally and without pain.

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Last edited by SecondChance on Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:10 am; edited 1 time in total

Hi Jessie, just sent a small donation through but every little bit helps!

I hope Beauty and Velvet make a full recovery, poor girls.

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Horses are our up when we are down!
www.lokenzopark.com

How are the girls doing?

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Horses are our up when we are down!
www.lokenzopark.com

Well I just got off the phone to the Vets.

Velvet is at the moment in good health and good spirits. She can go home however we're keeping her at the Vets for Beauty's sake as the two are attached at the hip and Beauty would stress without her mate.

Beauty however is not doing as well. At this stage she has a 50/50 chance of survival for another few years.

We have a diagnosis. It is a long-winded scientific name I can't spell or pronounce so I'll put it in laymans terms. Because both ponies were so badly overweight for so long, their bodies had WAY too much fatty deposits in them. We put them on a diet for fear of founder and so the body started to try and process the fat which was too much for her poor liver to cope with so it began having serious problems and she got very ill.

So now she is on supportive care, staying with Donna and her fabulous team at Serpentine Veterinary Hospital along with her mate Velvet to keep her company and we are praying like mad that next week's blood test shows she is improving because if not, it looks as though we'll lose her.

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Oh that is not good news Sad

I will keep my thoughts with her and fingers crossed!

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Horses are our up when we are down!
www.lokenzopark.com

The scientific name is 'hepatic lipidosis' or hyperlipidemia syndrome (also called 'fatty liver'). It is quite a common problem in miniature horses and ponies and also in donkeys. It was not caused by Beauty's weight loss (which was necessary to control her laminitis) but was most likely set off when Beauty was drenched, wormed and vaccinated, which caused mild diarrhoea and she went off her feed a little, this caused a negative energy balance in her body and started the whole process. The fat deposits in the liver and causes liver damage and impaired liver function. Beauty's liver function is still adequate for survival as long as we can prevent any further damage and control her energy balance by increasing her appetite. If she has another episode and recurrence of hyperlipidemia, she is unlikely to survive without very intense treatment (such as tube feeding her 4-6 times each day). Fingers crossed she continues to improve and we can stabilise her current liver function.
Maike

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"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" Mahatma Gandhi.

Ah there you go then, the correct name and explanation! Cheers Maike.

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Ohh that's terrible! Poor Beauty. Here's hoping for a sound recovery for both of them. After the ordeal they've been through, and now this Sad

Hope she's going to be ok.

Has anyone heard if Beauty is ok? And how's Velvet going?

Oh the poor little girls,

fingers crossed they survive this ordeal,

Great news! The girls are back at home.

Velvet is fit as a fiddle and has been given a clear bill of health. Beauty has improved so much too. Beauty isn't completely out of the woods yet, she'll pretty much have to be monitored the rest of her life but she's bright and happy again, and eating and drinking well.

It is now a case of ensuring she keeps eating to allow the body to regain its internal balance and get it functioning back on track.

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Ohhhh fantastic news! So glad to read that. Sounds as though it was a close call (especially for Beauty). Very Happy

Thats great news!!!
I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed so that they improve more and more Smile

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