Update on our little boy as of March 26, 2008 

Our little Vinny has had more than his fair share of trials in his short life, but we are confident this brave and special boy is going to come through them all with flying colors! Our vet equates Vinny's condition with that of a Holocaust survivor....his extreme malnutrition combined with being weaned at such a young age and the injuries he had suffered, have created several issues for our little guy we are working hard to help him overcome.

About 2 weeks ago, Vinny developed an abcess in his right hind foot, making it hard for the little guy to remain standing for long. Between Julie, Lisa Jo, and Josh, Vinny has been helped to his feet every hour to eat and drink. The persistent infection in his ear canal was finally gone, but now we had new issues to deal with. After repeated visits by our vet, ferrier,  and other equine professionals, it was finally determined that Vinny most likely would lose the hoof completely. Our ferrier trimmed the outer wall of the hoof to make it more comfortable to bear weight and our vet has been out to check on his progress about 5 times in the last couple of weeks.

After 2 agonizing weeks Vinny has finally turned a corner and is improving every day! He can now bear weight on that foot, and is eating non-stop! He is continuing to grow every day and has finally begun putting on some good weight, now that the infection is finally cleared up. Vinny will still lose the hoof but both our vet and ferrier say that he will be able to regrow a new, healthy hoof without any problem, and we have several options to provide Vinny with a substitue means of support until the hoof grows out.

His issues may not be over.....it will take months for him to completely recover from his ordeal...but he is making great strides towards bouncing in the pasture every day! When that day comes, you can garauntee we will be taking TONS of pictures, through tears of joy!

March 6, 2008 - Vinny continues to imrpove.  He still needs a little help getting up after his naps but just a little steadying is all that is needed, he can stand by himself which is good because the little guy is getting downright heavy to lift.  His hind legs are getting stronger and his fetlocks are straightening to a more upright posture.  We are still battling a slight infection in his ear canal, but the exterior wound is almost completely healed.  The wounds on his legs are also healing and should leave very little scarring.  

He loves to be groomed with brushes or just scratched all over with your hands.  This little guy is so loving and sweet.  It really warms my heart to have him want to be as close as possible to us.

February 22, 2008 - Vinny continues to improve slowly. Although still thin and still fighting an infection in his ear canal, Vinny has actually grown over 3 inches in the weeks he's been with us! He is getting stronger every day and now follows Julie all around the ranch, as he would his mom, and comes to the sound of her voice as soon as he hears her enter the barn at the start of the day, and away they go after his breakfast! He even helps do chores, such as cleaning out the tack room, by checking out every bag, bin, piece of tack, and occassionally Julie herself while "they" work (or at least, while he supervises).

Now that Vinny's system has stabalized and become accustomed to regular meals, he has been started on a high protein baby "mash" we hope will help with his weight gain. Because of his severely deteriorated state, we have had to be very careful of Refeeding Syndrome, and not overload his little system with more than he can handle. With slow and careful introductions to higher protein foods, we can help ensure his continued improvement!

To find out more about Refeeding Syndrome, please visit http://www.completerider.com/starvedhorse.htm " In both humans and horses, abrupt refeeding can cause dysfunction of the body's metabolic systems, which can lead to failure of the heart and lungs and ultimately to death."

Jan 25, 2008 

Vinny continues to improve and his temperature is nearly normal as the infections from his dog attack wounds abate.  His left ear canal is narrowing and will probably eventually close completely as scar tissue forms.  For now we are treating all open wound areas on his head and hind legs and they are healing gradually.

Vinny is being trained and socialized by founder Julie DeMuesy and she has been working on his walk abouts on a lead, all on his own, without Flagg out in front for him to follow behind.  Vinny is becoming very frisky and vocal as he winnies at the herd from Park County, especially his own mother, who sadly has rejected him after he was taken away from her at approximately 3 months old.  He has his foster mother Flagg for nurturing though who shares his stall and gives him all the companionship he needs.

Jan 14, 2008

Vinny has amazed everyone with his sweet and resilient nature. Julie's dog, Beau, has taken a liking to our little Vinny and the feeling seems to be mutual, despite his recent dog attack. It's amazing how willing he is to trust after what he's been through!

He is obviously feeling very secure and comfortable in his new surroundings!

Loving this sweet and special boy is very easy!

Jan 11, 2008

In only 2 days, Vinny has already made a marked improvement! The wounds on his hind legs are drying out nicely and beginning to heal and the head wound already looks SO MUCH better after only 48 hours, so we are winning our battle against the infections! 

Here's our sweet Vinny warm and snug in his own cozy stall on the afternoon of  Jan 11, 2008. He has a little serape over him to help protect him from the chill in the air.

The little guy just doesn't know what to do with so much hay readily available. He will even try to eat lying down, as if he's afraid it will be gone when he wakes up.

Vinny with our Founder and President, Julie DeMuesy. For all he's been though, he does not seem to have any fear of people, but he is also getting a LOT of love from all the members of DreamCatchers so we have no doubt he will grow to be a confident and loving horse!

Who could not love this little face!