By Guy Page
A Barton woman is raising money to help feed and buy medicine for an emaciated mare named Dolly Parton.
The story as reported by Roy on gofundme begins when she saw a horse who “was very emaciated and not feeling well.” The other horses with ‘Dolly Parton’ were okay. She clearly wasn’t. The owner gave Roy permission to take Dolly.
“I drove by and saw that she was severely emaciated and just seemed down in the dumps and not feeling well,” Roy said.
As soon as she got Dolly home, Roy made arrangements with the vet to do some blood work and a physical exam. Dolly weighed in at 650 lbs – about 200 lbs. underweight.
A severe fungal infection of the skin requires special medicated baths. The blood work showed Dolly has PPID, better known as Cushing’s disease. She will require expensive medication for the rest of her life.
Dolly is extremely selenium deficient and anemic, which may also be causing the two heart murmurs found by the vet.
“Dolly is going to require lots of TLC, which she will get!!,” Roy wrote. “Her medication and her continued, needed blood work to monitor her recovery is going to be very expensive. This little mare is a fighter and deserves a fighting chance. If you can help in any way my family and Dolly would greatly appreciate it!”
To date, 24 donors have contributed $1,630 towards a goal of $2000.
Categories: Agriculture
I put it on my husband’s FB page and donated. Please keep us updated on how she does. We like to know.
Neither the article or link give any indication of the age of this mare. Cushings is a common ailment in older horses; with veterinarian estimates of 20%+ of all horses affected. They will tell you it can be treated if caught early on, but only to the extent of slowing it’s progression — there is no cure.
As one who has cared for horses over 30 years, during which many older ones were diagnosed with cushings and provided the recommended treatment over long periods of time (2-3 years), in every case two things happen: 1) they gradually lose their appetite and get really picky about their feed, whether it’s grain or high quality hay and grass, especially with medications mixed in, no matter how much you try to disguise its taste for palatability, and 2) as a result, they gradually lose weight. There is no cure for not eating and only one outcome.
I wish you all luck in trying to save this horse, but judging from the picture I fear it is a lost cause and ought to be euthanized and put out of its misery.