Please Donate to our Rainbow Bridge Fund to help a horse who cannot go on. Our cost is upward of $500 for every horse that cannot heal, but every donation to the fund, no matter how small, will help a horse that needs to be euthanized. Just go to our donate page and let us know that you want your donation to go to the SERR Rainbow Bridge Fund. |
We wish every horse could be saved, that we could undo what has been done to these sweet animals. At SERR, every single horse that comes through our gates gets love, individual attention, the best medical care and food- all the things they had been denied so we know that, for a while, they all got to experience the feeling of being a beloved pet. Sometimes all we can provide is a brief time where a horse is loved, then a humane and dignified euthanization. We never make this decision without careful consideration and evaluation by our veterinarians. This page is dedicated to the horses who could not survive the abuse and/or neglect and to those who lives were cut short because of illness or accidents. We thank our devoted volunteers, veterinarian and sponsors for making this sad process as comfortable for the horses as possible. Kat and Kiara- everyone at Serenity was heartbroken when these two beautiful mares had to be euthanized after a brutal dog attack by our next door neighbor's 5 dogs on Septmber 5, 2009. These neighbors were asked previously to keep their dogs fenced in after they had chased Serenity horses and staff. For more on this story, go to King 5 News. Both foals are recovering, but had not been weaned so they are going to have to adjust to life without their mommas earlier and much more brutally than they should have.
Bandit- this beautiful arab was so sweet- he came to us and was trying to get healthy so we could geld him but he didn't make it- he colicked soon after he came to us and was unable to survive, we had to put him down (Dr DeWard and Julie were there to perform the euthanization with kind words and their wonderful bedside manner). Bandit lives on through his daughter Mystique (Teak), who is available and shares his gentle nature.
Chester- On June 24, our little 3 year old Chester was humanely euthanized. Chester was in foster care on a large pasture when he stepped on a sharp object that penetrated his hoof and fractured a bone. Our veterinarian, after treating Chester for 3 weeks, took another x-ray yesterday and determined that his prognosis for recovery was unlikely. The fracture had completely separated and a large piece of bone was now floating in his hoof. The Coffin bone was also infected.
Chester came to Serenity February of 2008 as one of the  horses rescued from PEC. He was a malnourished baby with parasites, lice, overgrown and cracked hooves and in need of a lot of health care, love and attention. After several months Chester started to grow and fill out. He became healthy and trusting. His beautiful coat, shining like a new copper penny in the sun, and his kind loving temperment always drew people to him. We at Serenity adored him and he will be sorely missed. More about the nature of these sort of injuries is posted in a special entry on our blog.
  Reba- We had to euthanize Reba on Saturday, January 31st. It was a heartbreaking situation, but one that most horse owners have endured- an accident and an injury that cannot heal. The weekend prior Reba got herself tangled in a fence in the middle of the night. Horses are checked at about 9 or 10 pm every night, then in the morning around 7:30, so we know it happened in the dark. The fences at Serenity are designed to provide maximum stretch and release but equines are notorious for testing anythng designed for safety and our sweet girl hurt her back legs. Our vet came out the day of the injury and was out a few times over the course of the week, Reba was kept in a warm, comfy stall and left on antibiotics. She received as much care as any horse owner could provide, but she did not heal- in fact- she got worse. By the end of the week, she was having extreme difficulty walking and after much consideration it was determined that she would have to be put down. Patricia has helped horses that come to Serenity make miraculous recoveries- from injuries to illness, even neuroligical impairments. But this time there was nothing that could be done. We are grateful for Patricia, Dr DeWard and our volunteers who worked tirelessly to keep her clean and comfortable and who were there for her. We will all miss Reba.  Little Betty and Katie came both of these mares were in so much horrific pain and suffering so greatly, without hope for wellness- we had to make a choice that should have been made long ago. Little Betty (right) had a club foot that could not take any pressure at all, in addition to other health issues and Katie (above) was emaciated beyond repair and had two blown suspensories, so neglected that it pained her to stand. After consulting with our vet, we knew the only option was humane euthanization. Sarah was a 22 year old Arab Mare who suffered a terrible knee injury but always maintained a quiet dignity. She bonded tightly with other horses and loved being in her stall. Because of years of abuse/neglect dear Sarah had aged a lot over 22 ye  ars and got less and less healthy until she was no longer comfortable and began having what appeared to be neurogical issues. We put her down on July 15, and she will be missed greatly.
Ginger (left)- unfortunately, this sweet old gal didn't make it- despite the valiant efforts of our vets and volunteers, she was too far gone. She came in severely underweight, lice, horrible scratches.... her poor body just wasn't strong enough. Dolly- after a great deal of time, energy and money the vets realized there was nothing we could do to make Dolly comfortable any longer. She had been used and abused for too many years and she could not get comfortable. Her back and hips appeared to have suffered some sort of serious trauma and her suspensory ligaments had cleary been injured very badly. With all that she still appeared to have been made to work. We were glad to give Dolly a comfortable, loving environment to spend the last part of her life .
Lady- beautiful lady was a thoroughbred mare who Patricia had a very special bond with. This sweet girl was with us longest and is very missed. 
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