GALLERY

VOLUNTEER WEEKEND

OUR FAMILY

Thank you to Michelle Stephenson for the amazing photos!

​CURRENT AND PAST RESCUES 

IN MEMORY OF

We are so saddened to announce the passing of dear little mini horse gelding, WH Art. He presented yesterday with violent diarrhoea, & Claire (& later, Jess) of Barwon Equine attended immediately. Despite IV fluids & pain relief, his condition worsened. Blood tests revealed a poor level of protein, due to the diarrhoea. His prognosis wasn't good, but he rallied enough for us to make the trip to Werribee Equine Hospital. The wonderful staff did all they could, but, shortly after midnight, it was decided to end his struggle, as his pain could not be managed, & he was dying. We are waiting on results to see if Salmonella was involved, and as a precaution, are quarantining where needed. (this is why the centre is closed to volunteers/visitors this weekend, & for a week). For those who are new to the page, WH Art was one of 16 neglected mini horses, taken in at the centre, early June, 2013. He, like Abra, had lived permanently in a 2m x 2m stable, never seeing daylight. His feet had never been trimmed, & he stood in his own faeces. He had never been wormed or had his teeth done. After arriving at the sanctuary, Art proved to be a very cheeky, colty character. Once well enough, he was gelded, & settled to become a favourite of many of our younger visitors. We had the honor of knowing him for just short of 2 years. He will be sadly missed by all those whose lives he touched. His memory will live on, as a cheeky, bright little bloke, who strutted his stuff with pride. We'll miss you little man. Journey safely. ️Xxx

It is with great sadness that I let you know of the passing of dear little WH Monty, who was euthanased this afternoon. Monty came into care in March of this year. He walked off the float, with feet the shape and size of soft drink cans, with signs of recent abscess blow outs, in his off-fore foot. Monty had reportedly suffered for over 6 years before coming to the sanctuary. We had his feet x-rayed, which revealed over 2/3 pedal bone loss through disintegration. One vet (quite rightly) suggested immediate euthanasia, while a trimmer and another vet, felt it was reasonable to see what we could achieve for Monty, through regular trims & other therapies. We tried acupuncture, low-level laser therapy, herbal (external & internal) treatment, massage, foot pads & propolis tincture (thanks dear Julie Leitl), regular trims/filing, gentle walks & homeopathics. Monty did markedly improve for awhile, but as our wise acupuncturist, Phillipa Holm, predicted, the treatments finally served to move his physical problems to first his hips, then his shoulders, then unexplained weight loss. He soldiered on until about a week ago, when the look in his eye began to change. To me, the look in an animal's eye is critical, & tells you so much. We had our vet out again today, to confirm our thoughts, & we ended Monty's life, just a few steps from his 3 friends, who quietly stood by. To honor Monty, we will hold the memory of a most divine, tolerant, forgiving being, forever in our hearts. Please respect him, & us, by refraining from posting any judgment about our choices. We saw the light in his eyes, gave him every chance we could, until we needed to make the hard decision, imposed on us, as guardians of this precious little man. Monty, I hope you can forgive those who failed you. I trust you felt our unconditional love dear little one. Always, Carolyn

So very sad to announce the sad passing of PHHWV Soxy. Soxy came into our lives, in her early 30's, in June 2011, as a combined RSPCA/PHHWV 'case'. She was underweight, & anxious. Soxy put weight on at first, then rapidly dropped it all. Blood tests revealed an infection, & after one course of antibiotics, she was off and running. She put (almost too much at times! ) weight back on, had massages, magnetic boots, tuffrock poultices, herbal blends, acupuncture, stabling (only at first, as she didn't like it), drug therapy, company and most of all, unconditional love. We called her our Asbergers horse. Soxy needed routine, predictability, & ambience was paramount. Gates were sure to bite her, so she never failed to rush through. Her paddock was her safe zone. If anyone entered it in a hurry, she would rush to her tree, plant her rump against it, & wait for the offending person to leave. Over the years, she became less worried, but still expected a level of quietness when near her. Jadae was her human. Jadae fed her, administered her Turmeric, pepper & oil mix, &/or Meloxicam, rugged her, & Soxy loved her dearly. Soxy's world before us, was no doubt not that nurturing, & I trust she flies north now, feeling loved & remembered forever. Her arthritis got the better of her. She could not get up this afternoon, & her front legs had done all they could to support her. She was a lady to the end. Thank you to PHHWV, for entrusting their girl to us. I would not have missed this privilege for anything. Soxy will be buried tomorrow, as close to her tree as we can get. This farm will never be the same without her. Special thanks to our dear daughter Jadae- who became Soxy's life, her person, her personal attendee & human buddy. For Soxy to Trust was such an honor. We love you Soxy. Always, Carolyn & family. Xxx

WH Taki, abandoned foal. We tried for 5 days to save him, but his little body gave up.

Read my story - WH Taki

Sometimes no matter how hard our amazing volunteers try we have to do what is right when suffering becomes to great. 
Sometimes it may just be time due to age. 
RIP to all these amazing souls

NEWS MAKERS 

EDGAR'S MISSION CONFERENCE

Edgar’s Mission Kind Critter Conference 2015
"If we could live happy and healthy lives without harming others... why wouldn't we?" www.edgarsmission.org.au