We call him Pops in honor of "Pop's Bill", a school project by 4 inspirational young women advocating for cruelty to horses to be a felony. Visit our VIDEO page to watch their incredible 5 minute video. We provided many of the photos from years of rescue work. WARNING: have tissues handy.
Pops' story
"Pops" is here with us at Crane Mountain Valley Horse
Rescue, Inc. He is Belgian draft horse who was starved to about 60% of his body weight and shot at close range with a high powered rifle.
Pops was found May 21, 2010 with an untreated gunshot wound to
the withers, and suffering from severe neglect. The police and local
animal cruelty investigators contacted us for assistance.
Pops
has the biggest heart, strongest will and is so, unbelievably brave. Sixteen months later, this is an open animal cruelty
investigation. It finally came to trial in September, 2011 and is currently still pending. Scroll down to follow his recovery through September 27, 2011. He now tips the scale at 1,266 pounds and the gunshot wounds are healed.
Entrance wound from gunshot
Pops scored a 2 on the Henneke Scale
Note head size to body size
Update - May 26, 2010
After a bath
Day 5 - Pops has already gained about 20 pounds. On Tuesday, May 25, he had a full veterinary workup, including x-rays of his spine and withers to check for bone or bullet fragments. Miraculously, the bullet went straight through one vertebrae, without fracturing, splintering or cracking it, and it missed the spinal cord. That means surgery is not required at this time. That's very good news given his already compromised condition. It's hard enough for a healthy horse to recover from something like this.
Wound care requires flushing the holes in his back (bullet entrance and exit) twice daily with a sterile solution with betadine and peroxide, then washing the wound area and washing the puss off of Pops. The wounds drain constantly. Antiseptic is then applied to the wound, along with creams and sprays to prevent maggots. We also rigged a fly net to cover the wounds without blocking the drainage (see photos).
When Pops first
arrived, we had to flush maggots out of the wound and administer intramuscular antibiotics to clear up the
infection because it had gone untreated for so long. The smell was awful. Quite frankly,
it's a miracle he survived. He's now on oral antibiotics. Last, but not least for wound care, Furazone is applied under the wounds all the way to his belly to prevent irritation from the draining puss.
The vet also drew blood for a full workup and Coggins test, gave him a 4-way (Eastern, Western, Tetanus, Rhino) to get him started on his vaccinations. Additional
vaccinations will be done at a later date. We didn't want to inundate
him with everything all at once. His teeth, which were in horrible condition, were floated (filed). Pops has been dewormed, ticks were removed from his neck, and the burs removed from his mane, tail and fetlocks. And, he had his first bath. He LOVED it!
More updates to come.....
Rigged fly net to cover the wounds
Update - June 19, 2010
1 month into his recovery - Pops' story made the news two more times: WCAX TV and WPTZ TV. In addition, 101.3 Saratoga County radio and WPTZ TV featured stories about the rescue. The TV stories are up on line at www.wcax.com and www.wptz.com. Once on their sites, search on Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue.
These photos are of Pops one month into his recovery. He's chunking up and looking good. The gunshot wounds are healing nicely and we have the infection under control so he is no longer draining constantly.
In one of the photos, you will see that Pops participated in his first education and outreach program. Westport School Kindergarten class held a character development program and their graduation ceremony at the farm. This is the 5th year in a row we've welcomed them to the farm. With Pops' help, the children learned about responsibility, respect, and kindness.
Update - October 1, 2010
This photo of Pops was taken on September 21, 2010 four months after he arrived at CMVHR suffering from starvation, neglect and a gunshot wound. Read on to "hear" his story.
Pops has gained nearly 400 pounds and the entrance and exit wounds from the gunshot have completely closed. His will to live and adorable personality inspire us every day.
Pops is still property of the State as the cruelty investigation continues, however, we continue to foot the bills. To date, the cost of his care exceeds $9,000 and climbing.
UPDATE - March 27, 2011
Pops is still here with us 10 months after we were contacted by authorities to assist with his rehabilitation from a gunshot wound and starvation. As you can see by this photo take February 23, he is doing great.
The case is still a pending animal cruelty investigation and we continue to incur expenses related to Pops' care. Though Pops is considered "state evidence", the state is not footing the bill, we are. Thank you to all who have and continue to contribute to his care.
Pops will to live and his unbreakable spirit are inspiring. The ability to save him is: priceless.
September 27, 2011
This photo of Pops was taken September 27, 2011 for the court. Pops tips the scale at 1,266 pounds and is doing great. After 16 months, the case finally came to trial this September. At this time, the case is still pending.
A not-for-profit organization for equine rescue and rehabilitation.
