Get Well Ben... flood victim horse
Donation protected
*Funds raised above Ben's bills will be shared back with the other horses from the flood and go towards the rebuilding of Cooksy Family Stables in San Jose.*
Anyone who has met Ben will attest to the fact that he is an amazingly special horse. He is a "people person," is sweet and kind and funny and smart, and an athlete to boot! He and I just had our 10th anniversary, as I got him for my birthday 10 years ago. We have been through thick and thin, moved from CA to TX and back, and he has been the best therapist and buddy a girl could ask for.
Ben is one of the victims of the catastrophic flooding of Coyote Creek in San Jose in late February of this year. Miraculously, all 28 horses involved made it out to safety after a few days.
http://kron4.com/2017/02/22/video-some-animals-left-behind-in-san-jose-massive-flooding/
On link above, scroll down to see video titled "Stranded horses in flood." They zoom in on Ben as he tries to eat through his fencing.
When flood waters rose exponentially, and without warning from the city, Ben and 27 other horses were stranded at their barn when it suddenly became an island, with flood waters rushing too strongly for us to even get to them to check on them, let alone feed them or get them fresh water. By looking at the water lines in his stall, it is clear that Ben was standing in water up to his shoulder for at least a day with nowhere to escape.
They went a day and a half without fresh feed or water before we could get over with boats. It was not until 3 full days had passed that the flood water had receded enough to consider riding horses out. I rode Ben out late in the afternoon on that third day.
Considering what he had been through, he seemed to pull out with flying colors. He had a fungal infection and a slight fever, but other than that seemed fine.
Well, with his high pain tolerance, and people-pleasing attitude, Ben was hiding that he wasn't fine. His body was seriously taxed. Sunday, March 12, he suddenly went off his feed and stopped drinking as well. We treated him for colic and began ulcer treatment. As of Wednesday morning, March 15, he was still not eating or drinking, so we trailered him to the large animal hospital first thing. They put him on an IV right away to get him as much fluids and nutrients as possible, and are monitoring him closely in hopes that he will bounce back to his perky self.
As of 5pm Wednesday, March 15, he was grazing, and that was a first in over three days! They hooked him back up to the fluids for the night.
Anyway, prior to hospitalization, his vet bills have already been over $800 since escaping the flood. The hospital will run us somewhere around $1500 per day.
I know that the story of the horses trapped in the flood touched many hearts, and that thousands of people were wondering how they could help. Ben and I would be extremely grateful if you could help him get back out on the trails in no time.
Anyone who has met Ben will attest to the fact that he is an amazingly special horse. He is a "people person," is sweet and kind and funny and smart, and an athlete to boot! He and I just had our 10th anniversary, as I got him for my birthday 10 years ago. We have been through thick and thin, moved from CA to TX and back, and he has been the best therapist and buddy a girl could ask for.
Ben is one of the victims of the catastrophic flooding of Coyote Creek in San Jose in late February of this year. Miraculously, all 28 horses involved made it out to safety after a few days.
http://kron4.com/2017/02/22/video-some-animals-left-behind-in-san-jose-massive-flooding/
On link above, scroll down to see video titled "Stranded horses in flood." They zoom in on Ben as he tries to eat through his fencing.
When flood waters rose exponentially, and without warning from the city, Ben and 27 other horses were stranded at their barn when it suddenly became an island, with flood waters rushing too strongly for us to even get to them to check on them, let alone feed them or get them fresh water. By looking at the water lines in his stall, it is clear that Ben was standing in water up to his shoulder for at least a day with nowhere to escape.
They went a day and a half without fresh feed or water before we could get over with boats. It was not until 3 full days had passed that the flood water had receded enough to consider riding horses out. I rode Ben out late in the afternoon on that third day.
Considering what he had been through, he seemed to pull out with flying colors. He had a fungal infection and a slight fever, but other than that seemed fine.
Well, with his high pain tolerance, and people-pleasing attitude, Ben was hiding that he wasn't fine. His body was seriously taxed. Sunday, March 12, he suddenly went off his feed and stopped drinking as well. We treated him for colic and began ulcer treatment. As of Wednesday morning, March 15, he was still not eating or drinking, so we trailered him to the large animal hospital first thing. They put him on an IV right away to get him as much fluids and nutrients as possible, and are monitoring him closely in hopes that he will bounce back to his perky self.
As of 5pm Wednesday, March 15, he was grazing, and that was a first in over three days! They hooked him back up to the fluids for the night.
Anyway, prior to hospitalization, his vet bills have already been over $800 since escaping the flood. The hospital will run us somewhere around $1500 per day.
I know that the story of the horses trapped in the flood touched many hearts, and that thousands of people were wondering how they could help. Ben and I would be extremely grateful if you could help him get back out on the trails in no time.
Organizer
Kacey Aumack
Organizer
San Jose, CA