# Thinking about Joy.....



## Miniv (Dec 4, 2004)

Stacey,

She's been on my mind......Hope all is going well with her.

How are her new little shoes working?

Maryann


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## smlotsocats (Dec 4, 2004)

Hi! Joy is fabulous! She is feeling great and even runs in the round pen. I turn her out there for a few hours every afternoon, weather permitting, and let her play with my 31 year old AQHA mare who is foundered as well but is also doing great in her Old Mac boots! I need to get pics of that big burly old mare and that tiny little fragile filly playing around out there! I will be re-setting her shoes tomorrow if it gets warm enough, the Super Fast doesn't like 50 degrees or below! It is raining and cold here today so I didn't get it done today. I can't believe how she runs out there. My vet was shocked to see how well she was doing on Friday when I took her in for him to look at the shoes and give any further suggestions or changes. He had nothing to change! I have started her and my old mare on a chinese herb that I have read about that studies have shown help foundered horses. I just started it tonight but the research says that 48% of the horses tested showed a great improvement in only 2 days! Since she no longer has coffin bones in those feet I'm not sure how well it will work for her. My vet seems to think that the lameness is due to the arthritis in those last 2 joints and also due to the lost of the deep digital flexor tendon function. The place where that tendon attaches to the coffin bone is gone so that is why her feet want to flip up. With the shoes on, her foot has to stay flat. She is obviously very adept at adapting to her issues and is very happy and VERY SASSY!!! Since it was so nasty today I couldn't get her out and she was very upset! She was jumping around her stall and squealing! I took Dusty over to play with her and they had fun playing the face biting game! What a tough little horse she is!


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## ChrystalPaths (Dec 5, 2004)

Thanks for the big smile. She sounds wonderful.


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## Miniv (Dec 5, 2004)

Thanks Stacey, I needed to hear that. Larry and I fell in love with her, but knew she was going to an even BETTER home with YOU.

Tell her sometime, that Gabriel says "Hi!"




(He still misses her.)

MA

P.S. Oh....and remind me to tell you about her other name that she has!


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## smlotsocats (Dec 6, 2004)

Hi Maryanne! Larry told me about her name and how she got it. I had been referring to her for so long as Joy I couldn't change it though. Well, I did kinda change it, I call her Joyful and my husband calls her Little Bundle of Joy! Tonight she was full of the dickens and pranced out to the round pen. She ran through the gate before I could even let her loose! I took her halter off and she ran off actually bucking! I reset her shoes yesterday, trimmed them very short in the toe. Today was probably the best I've seen her walk yet. I don't know if it has to do with the shoes or the Jiagulon herb I started her on but whatever, she is doing better and better! Thank you both again for caring so much for her. She is a special little creature!

Stacy


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## Hosscrazy (Dec 7, 2004)

I'm so glad to hear she's doing so well, but what happened to her coffin bones?


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## SunQuest (Dec 7, 2004)

Hosscrazy said:


> I'm so glad to hear she's doing so well, but what happened to her coffin bones?


Hi Liz,

It is a long story, but I will give a short synopsis of what happened.

Joy was a rescue that happened in Alaska. The young lady, who is an older teenager, that rescued her indicated that she was found in horrid conditions and standing in very deep mud. Well, upon taking her to the vet, it was discovered that Joy had thrush that was so bad it had eaten into her coffin bones in the hind leg. Joy's vet did surgery to remove the infection and one coffin bone. And Joy's rescuer did all the work to help her recover as best as she can from it. Well, the really wet weather in Alaska was just making it so that Joy was not doing as well as hoped. So the wonderful young lady turned Joy over to CMHR to try and get Joy into a very dry climate where she could hopefully have some quality of life.

Well, upon arriving at Stacey's home in Arizona, Joy was checked by the vet there. One coffin bone was totally gone as the health records indicated, and the other one mostly gone. She has many issues with arthritus and once the bones in the area fuse, she will be in a lot less pain and should be able to have a reasonably comfortable life to live.

Stacey is doing a supreme job at taking care of Joy and her medical issues. Joy requires TONS of farrier work, and Stacey has the knowledge and access to the others who have experience with a horse that has lost a coffin bone. This experience is definately helping to make it so that Joy will be as comfortable as possible with her issues.

And one other thing, the young lady that rescued Joy in Alaska.... I am truelly inspired by her and what she has done for Joy. And Stacey amazes me just as much as well. It definately renews my faith in humans to know that there are wonderful people in the world that help correct the wrongs of others.


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## SunQuest (Dec 7, 2004)

Hosscrazy said:


> I'm so glad to hear she's doing so well, but what happened to her coffin bones?


Hi Liz,

It is a long story, but I will give a short synopsis of what happened.

Joy was a rescue that happened in Alaska. The young lady, who is an older teenager, that rescued her indicated that she was found in horrid conditions and standing in very deep mud. Well, upon taking her to the vet, it was discovered that Joy had thrush that was so bad it had eaten into her coffin bones in the hind leg. Joy's vet did surgery to remove the infection and one coffin bone. And Joy's rescuer did all the work to help her recover as best as she can from it. Well, the really wet weather in Alaska was just making it so that Joy was not doing as well as hoped. So the wonderful young lady turned Joy over to CMHR to try and get Joy into a very dry climate where she could hopefully have some quality of life.

Well, upon arriving at Stacey's home in Arizona, Joy was checked by the vet there. One coffin bone was totally gone as the health records indicated, and the other one mostly gone. She has many issues with arthritus and once the bones in the area fuse, she will be in a lot less pain and should be able to have a reasonably comfortable life to live.

Stacey is doing a supreme job at taking care of Joy and her medical issues. Joy requires TONS of farrier work, and Stacey has the knowledge and access to the others who have experience with a horse that has lost a coffin bone. This experience is definately helping to make it so that Joy will be as comfortable as possible with her issues.

And one other thing, the young lady that rescued Joy in Alaska.... I am truelly inspired by her and what she has done for Joy. And Stacey amazes me just as much as well. It definately renews my faith in humans to know that there are wonderful people in the world that help correct the wrongs of others.


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## Hosscrazy (Dec 9, 2004)

> Joy had thrush that was so bad it had eaten into her coffin bones in the hind l


Thanks you for the summary - I remembered that she had bad thrush, but did not know that it had cone into her coffin bone...





I am so glad to hear she's doing better!


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## AKSnowPony (Feb 6, 2005)

oh please tell me more about Joy!!

you see... I know of a mini named Joy that was rescued once from Skagway and rehomed in Juneau. I almost took her myself and this is how I found this forum a few years ago! I had a different account but have since lost that user name and password. I think her initial rescue was in 2002? I have details of that if it will help confirm if it's her or not... I would be so thrilled to hear she got to a good home!!

she sounds just like her.... do you have pics of her anywhere?


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## Miniv (Feb 6, 2005)

Hopefully "smlotsocats" (Stacey) will see your post. She is Joy's new mom. Joy is doing great BTW. When she was staying with us in transit, she was very wooly and looked almost all white. I think she may be a light palomino? The gal who rescued her in Alaska was a young woman about 18 years old. Does any of that sound familiar?

Stacey does have a number of pictures that I'm sure she would show you. You might try e-mailing or pm-ing her.

MA


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## AKSnowPony (Feb 6, 2005)

Miniv said:


> Hopefully "smlotsocats" (Stacey) will see your post. She is Joy's new mom. Joy is doing great BTW. When she was staying with us in transit, she was very wooly and looked almost all white. I think she may be a light palomino?  The gal who rescued her in Alaska was a young woman about 18 years old. Does any of that sound familiar?
> Stacey does have a number of pictures that I'm sure she would show you. You might try e-mailing or pm-ing her.
> 
> MA
> ...



I'm not sure who ended up with Joy after the first rescue. She was in Skagway ( I was with a rescue in Haines). She was extremely emaciated when the president of a skagway rescue found her. She tried to talk the owner into giving her (and the stud) up to no avail. finally the owner called my friend in late at night because the horse was sick. Katherine rushed over to see that Joy had a prolapsed rectum. they got her into a dog kennel and onto a plane to the nearest Vet (in Juneau). she had surgery and fought the infection. at that point she was going to come up to me and I was going to foster her until a home was found. But there was someone in Juneau that had minis and agreed to take her in and do the vet bills and such? (something to that effect) and i lost track of her after that. Not sure what ever happened to the stud either...

I never saw Joy in person or pictures but had many phone and email conversations about her while this was going on... She's what made me find this forum





I will have to ask Katherine from more info ( I have since moved to South Central Alaska) since I haven't spoken to her in well over a year. I think she was even registered though I don't think the woman ever turned over he papers...

I wish I still had the emails about her but I have had a hard drive crash and lost all of that stuff





I do hope it's her so I can know that she's finally in great hands!


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## Miniv (Feb 6, 2005)

Not sure if it is the same "Joy"..... The prolapsed rectum is something I didn't know about and I did see all of her health records that traveled with her.

Joy's main problem was her coffin bone in one of her back legs. She'd had surgery on it and still had problems there when we had her.

Joy wasn't exactly a full dwarf, IMO. She was more of an "AAD" (Almost A Dwarf) in that she had some characteristics but she wasn't obviously a dwarf. Joy also lived up to her name. She was VERY affectionate and touched your heart in a matter of moments after meeting her.

In any case, I'm glad it was a Joy that brought you here.....

MA


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## SunQuest (Feb 7, 2005)

Hosscrazy said:


> > Joy had thrush that was so bad it had eaten into her coffin bones in the hind l
> 
> 
> Thanks you for the summary - I remembered that she had bad thrush, but did not know that it had cone into her coffin bone... sad2
> ...


It certainly sounds like it could be her, but the prolapsed rectum we don't know about, and nothing was mentioned to us by anyone from what I can recall. Joy was standing in very deep mud when she was rescued. The young lady that had her did wonders with her. I beleive that she had Joy for about a year before she turned her over to us because of the weather conditions being to moist for her feet to heal properly. So that would mean that she got her around 2003?

Anyway, Joy is a palamino. Don't know if that helps you any or not. Here is a picture of her that I have thanks to Stacy sending it to me right after Joy arrived in AZ and had a bath and a clip job because it was too hot there for a winter coat like she had.


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## smlotsocats (Feb 7, 2005)

I did send pics to the email I was given on the PM. I don't know your name though! Yes, Joy did have a prolapsed rectum. The rescuer told me that on the phone and it is in the medical records, the first entry there actually. She seems to have no residual problems from that injury. The vet removed about 5 inches of necrotic rectum. She was not expected to live through that but she did only to suffer further effects of the neglect. I am going to contact the horse chiropractor that I use and have her look at Joy. She is very stiff and sore at times but I don't feel that it is all attributed to her rear feet. I think the years of pain and hunching her back up have caused her more pain in her hips and back. I'll let you all know when she is looked at. This woman is great, she did wonders with Dusty when he was so sick and lame.








The weather here is cold (to us!) around 55 to 65 degrees and lately it's been cloudy and rainy. It does make Joy feel not so good but she is always ready to play! She seems to warm out of alot of it!


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## SunQuest (Feb 7, 2005)

Wow, thanks for that info Stacy. I had no idea as I didn't get a chance to see her medical records.

Joy is really turning out to be one Miracle after another!

And AKSnowPony... It sounds like you have found the very same horse that led you to this forum!

I am sorry to hear that there was another horse that was there. I only pray that he is in safe hands now.


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## AKSnowPony (Feb 8, 2005)

Thanks so much for sending the pics! I just PM'd you back before reading this...

I am so happy it's her and that she's safe that I'm crying. I have always wondered what happened to her. Bless the rescuer in Juneau for helping her and knowing she needed to get to a dryer climate. It must have been so hard for her to let her go!!

I can't believe how happy I am! I even told my hubby and he was excited (he had to listen to me when I was trying ot help Katherine get her away from the original owner and he had to pay the phone bills LOL!)

I know it seems silly how much I care for her since I never even saw her. But we spent weeks trying to help her and cried many tears of frustration that law enforcement wouldn't do a thing to help. I truly believe that if she hadn't had the prolapsed rectum that she would have died in the mud in her pen. The woman never would have let her go. Now to find Katherine's email addy again and see what happened to the little stud Joy's ex owner had. He was in decent enough shape despite his environment (simply meaning he wasn't emaciated, lame or sick at that time) I pray he has found a better home somewhere.

Thank you to all you rescuers that work so hard. I wish I could help rescue equines but at the moment all I can do are small animals. Tomorrow I am getting in a cavy that was left in a box next to a dumpster in 13 degree weather. My hubby and I build him a huge C & C cage and have everything waiting to spoil him rotten 

*hugs*

Stephanie


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## Gini (Feb 8, 2005)

Stacy..

Did you send her pictures of Joy and Granny?? They are so great together.

Thank God Joy is in Arizona!! The weather in AK is just too cold and damp

for her feet and leg issues. Sounds like she had quite a time of it in Alaska,

I hope they find out if stud is still with that woman.


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