Delilah receiving intravenous fluids in an attempt to nourish and hydrate her
Mocha’s triumph! How beautiful she looks today!
Mocha on the day of her arrival
Angie Wilson
Their stories have two things in common: 1. they were gravely harmed and 2. They have been mercifully saved. The heartbreaking stories of the horses, ponies, burros and mules of Equine Voices usually end happily due to the love, care and commitment from all of us at the rescue. Each day, Equine Voices receives calls from the Sheriff’s Department, Department of Agriculture, Border Patrol and concerned citizens. The calls are always disturbing and filled with descriptions of suffering and pain. Here at the sanctuary, each rescue story is replete with recovery, healing, comfort and safety. Some of our equines will make the Rescue and Sanctuary a permanent home due to the severity of their physical and emotional wounds. While others are able to recover, rehabilitate and be adopted into loving forever homes.
On a Wednesday, April 27, 2015, a call was received from the Department of Agriculture about two horses (Delilah and Mocha) that were starving and had been without water for at least two days. In the 90 degree weather of April, this could be a death sentence. When we arrived at the site, we were shocked and appalled by the condition of the two mares. They were bags of bones!
We didn’t know when these horses had their last meal. Their bellies were completely filled with the sand that they had been consuming as they foraged for anything to satisfy their hunger. This is what horses do when there is no food and when starvation occurs. The owners were not feeding them so they ate sand to fill their ravenous bellies. After three vet visits, intravenous fluids, tubing and sedation, we could not save Delilah. Her body was so impacted with sand that it had turned to a cement-like barrier inside her. On Friday, May 1 Delilah was freed from her pain. She was euthanized and laid to rest at the sanctuary.
Mocha’s gut was full of sand too, but fortunately the impaction and cement-like barrier did not form inside her. After months of critical care, Mocha has emerged as a strong, proud, beautiful mare. She has been integrated into a herd of five horses who give her strength, support and confidence. Because of Mocha’s resiliency and healing, she is now ready for adoption. Thank you to the Pima County Sherriff’s Department, Dr. Hutchison, Jackpot Veterinary clinic and all who helped with this very distressing case of animal suffering and neglect.
Please join us in support of horses like Delilah and Mocha and reserve your tickets to Equine Voices’ ninth annual Wine and Dine Gala to be held at the Historic Arizona Inn on Sunday, November 8, 2015. 4:00 p.m. Cocktails and Silent Auction; 6:00 p.m. Dinner and Live Auction. For reservations or for more information please contact Angie at 520-398-2814 or [email protected] or log on to our website at www.equinevoices.org.