A Cinderella story for Cider, the rescue horse

A Cinderella story for Cider, the rescue horse

01 March 2017

Report Image - CiderAugustStilson_300x300.jpg

Cider was reported missing to Stolen Horse International aka NetPosse.com in August of 2016. Cider was recovered and has been doing well back home with his owner Bev Dee. We like to see updates on the horses that have been listed with NetPosse. 

Cider’s Journey

Cider’s resiliency has astounded his caretakers. “He had about a foot and a half of hoof removed,” said Dee. “The hoof walls were curling under and we were trimming every three to four weeks to build back integrity of the hoof.

“Cider survived because of his spirit,” Dee said tearfully. “The hardest part was seeing him figure out how to walk. After he regained his mobility, it was like he discovered how to be a horse all over again.”

Once Cider’s dentition improved, he was better able to digest the feed he was eating. However, nutritional rehabilitation of horses like Cider doesn’t happen overnight.

“Cider needed to gain weight quickly, but we needed to be careful with how we did it,” Dee said. “We were very concerned about preventing refeeding syndrome.” Refeeding syndrome can occur when a horse is fed too many calories too quickly after suffering from a period of malnourishment. Heart, respiratory and kidney failure can ensue because of the sudden reintroduction of carbohydrates and other nutrients.

“We started him out slowly and worked up to 2 pounds of feed three times a day,” Dee explains. “We’ve had him on Purina® Equine Senior and Purina® Amplify High-Fat Supplement from the start. We chose this combination because Equine Senior is a complete feed with built-in forage to help horses that have poor digestion, dental problems or missing teeth. The added calories and controlled starch in the Amplify supplement helped maintain Cider’s body condition and support normal digestion for him.”

After several months of rehabilitation, Dee said Cider is looking strong. His Cinderella story isn’t over. With one look at Cider today and his golden palomino sheen, one would never guess where he was a short time ago. Cider is currently awaiting adoption in a foster home with a trainer, who is also a farrier.

“I’m just so thankful we didn’t lose him, because we could have. He has a lot of heart and he’s so kind for having gone through what he did,” Dee said. “It just amazes me he made it.”

To read the entire story, please click here: http://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/press-release/2017/03/01/cinderella-story-cider-rescue-horse/98566414/

Resource: Wisconsin State Farmer, February 28, 2017

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Debi Metcalfe

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