Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A HORSE NAMED SITKA DESPERATELY NEEDS OUR HELP!

SHILOH HORSE RESCUE "A Place Of Peace For Horses In Need"

www.shilohhorserescue.com



Sitka needs your help!

The Sitka Magic Leg Fund

Help us, Help her



We have created a Sitka's Magic Leg Fund to collect donations to help us purchase a custom made prosthetic leg. Sitka has a very deformed and crippled front foot. Years ago she shattered both of her Sesamoid bones in her foot. Although euthanasia was considered at that time, we decided to try a special splint. Sitka did remarkably well in the splint, which she had to wear for almost a full year. After the splint was finally able to be taken off, she was put into specially constructed shoes. Finally after the broken area had fused as well as it could, she was able to walk freely. But, over the last few years, her leg and foot have slowly curled over as Nature found it's own way to stabilaize her foot. It is now this deformity that is causing her pain, because she bears the majority of her weight on what is really her tip of the coffin bone, and her bone is breaking down. Her quality of life has diminished and euthanasia is now being considered. Recently our vets recommended actually amputating her foot and putting on a prosthetic, but the cost was estimated at $10,000 to $12,000, far too much for the rescue to afford.

Then we were contacted by a man named Ronnie Graves in Florida (thanks to Blue Moon's adopter, Carol). Ronnie is an amputee himself and he has successfully designed custom made prosthetics for horses and burros. After looking at Sitka's photos he thinks that he can help her. He can create a prosthetic which fits over her leg, which would eliminate the need to amputate the foot.

This is experimental, we don't have a guarantee that this will work for Sitka, but we are going to try it for her sake. Sitka is healthy in every other way, her blood work is perfect, she has a great appetite, and her will to live is strong. Sitka will live out her life at Shiloh.


Mom (Sitka) and Baby Foal (Sunday) Napping Together


"Sunday" taking a walk

Another complicating factor that we have had to consider is her young foal, Sunday. Sunday was a surprise foal (the result of what we think must have been a late night rendevous with Carson, a young feedlot colt before he was gelded. That is a whole other Shiloh story in it's self!). Sunday was born premature and with his medical history and his young age of only three months, he is still too young to be weaned from his mom.

The estimated cost of this Magic Leg is $4,000.00 (the actual cost to make it).

Please consider a donation to Sitka's Magic Leg Fund to help us her give her a better quality of life. We will keep a running total of the donations received, receipts will be given, and all donations are tax deductable.

All donations collected at this month's Las Vegas Pet Expo that Shiloh will be attending will go into this Fund as well.

HUGE thanks to everyone who is supporting Sitka!

Visiting Shiloh anytime soon? Bring an extra carrot for Sitka and spend some time with her. She needs all of the support and love she can get right now.

The Shiloh Charitable Trust is a non profit organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating slaughter bound, abused, neglected, injured, unwanted horses of all types.

Shiloh is located in Sandy Valley, outside of Las Vegas, NV.

Contact Shiloh: (702) 480-8906 or (702) 249-8987

shilohhorse@aol.com


Are you doing all you can to make this world a better place to live in?

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