Please Help Stella's Recovery
Donation protected
This is Stella, a 5 year old off the track thoroughbred (OTTB). She raced hard for 2 years and was put into retirement once she could not perform as expected. It has been my dream to rescue an off the track thoroughbred and give them a better working lifestyle where the rider and horse work as a team to accomplish riding goals and the horse gets a loving place to call home.
As a young adult starting a career, I decided to save up money to buy my first OTTB. I saved enough money for the horse itself as well as the critical emergency fund needed for vet bills and possible injuries. Then, I bought Stella in April of 2017.
The reason behind this go fund me campaign is that just before Christmas of 2017, Stella got a grave injury while turned out on pasture. She fell on both knees and stabbed her right front knee all the way to the bone. The injury was life-threatening and she had to be taken to the UW-Madison Large Animal Hospital for treatment. After numerous days at the hospital, IV-antibiotics, and direct treatments of antibiotics to the joint she made a full recovery from the joint infection of her knee. I left off pictures of the injury because they were a little graphic. Please contact me if you would like to see them.
After recovery her knee was reassessed and they discovered that a bone chip, which they initially thought to be benign, is currently causing damage to her cartilage and joint. The vets say it must be removed as soon as possible. If it remains it will tear away the cartilage, damage the joint, and eventually result in crippling arthritis. This leaves Stella as a trail horse at best with an inevitable decline to immobility, which is clearly a less than adequate life for such a young horse.
I am asking for donations to support the surgery to get the bone chip taken out of her knee. Once this occurs she should be able to live her life fully as an eventer. I have used up my entire emergency fund just to get Stella through the life-threatening knee infection part of the injury, the costs of which were around $5500. Currently, I am a bit overwhelmed with the cost of this injury in total. I understand this is a cost when owning a horse but would be forever grateful if I could raise enough money to cover the last bit of expense this injury requires in order for Stella to recover fully.
I am hoping to get help to cover the cost of surgery as well as the pre and post veterinary appointments that will be needed. This includes the surgery itself, a knee injection of hyaluronic acid to make the joint healthy, lameness exams, ulcergard, and post-surgery care. In total, it’s estimated to cost $2800.
Any contributions are greatly appreciated by Stella and me.
As a young adult starting a career, I decided to save up money to buy my first OTTB. I saved enough money for the horse itself as well as the critical emergency fund needed for vet bills and possible injuries. Then, I bought Stella in April of 2017.
The reason behind this go fund me campaign is that just before Christmas of 2017, Stella got a grave injury while turned out on pasture. She fell on both knees and stabbed her right front knee all the way to the bone. The injury was life-threatening and she had to be taken to the UW-Madison Large Animal Hospital for treatment. After numerous days at the hospital, IV-antibiotics, and direct treatments of antibiotics to the joint she made a full recovery from the joint infection of her knee. I left off pictures of the injury because they were a little graphic. Please contact me if you would like to see them.
After recovery her knee was reassessed and they discovered that a bone chip, which they initially thought to be benign, is currently causing damage to her cartilage and joint. The vets say it must be removed as soon as possible. If it remains it will tear away the cartilage, damage the joint, and eventually result in crippling arthritis. This leaves Stella as a trail horse at best with an inevitable decline to immobility, which is clearly a less than adequate life for such a young horse.
I am asking for donations to support the surgery to get the bone chip taken out of her knee. Once this occurs she should be able to live her life fully as an eventer. I have used up my entire emergency fund just to get Stella through the life-threatening knee infection part of the injury, the costs of which were around $5500. Currently, I am a bit overwhelmed with the cost of this injury in total. I understand this is a cost when owning a horse but would be forever grateful if I could raise enough money to cover the last bit of expense this injury requires in order for Stella to recover fully.
I am hoping to get help to cover the cost of surgery as well as the pre and post veterinary appointments that will be needed. This includes the surgery itself, a knee injection of hyaluronic acid to make the joint healthy, lameness exams, ulcergard, and post-surgery care. In total, it’s estimated to cost $2800.
Any contributions are greatly appreciated by Stella and me.
Organizer
Kathryn Merriman
Organizer
Madison, WI