Ekky's Emergency Colic Surgery
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Laura Summerhayes, and I am currently a student at Tafe, studying Vet Nursing. I am asking for some help for my best friend.
My best friends name is Ekky, he is Standardbred horse. He used to race in the Australian Harness Racing Circuit. When he retired, my dad gifted him to me. We have been best friends for 9 years now and I can always count on him to make me smile. He is kind to everyone, from kids, to beginner riders to experienced riders. He is happy to see everyone and loves to please his riders. He loves swimming, sand baths and food.
My dad passed away a few years ago and Ekky is my last connection to him. Ekky is family now and forever.
So last month when Ekky didn’t want to eat breakfast and was not very happy, and then started to show signs of colic we took him straight to best equine vet we knew. We caught his condition early and he was monitored and given paraffin oil to treat what was thought to be a simple impaction.
Next they ultra-sounded his stomach and intestines and the vet found that Ekky’s spleen was not where it should be. Instead it was on the opposite side of his stomach with impacted large intestines! The Vet had never seen as bad a displacement of a spleen like this before and there were only two options available to us, operate or euthanasia!
As a valuable family member, and the last memory of my dad, I had only one choice and Ekky had surgery.
After surgery Ekky had to stay with the vet for 2 weeks and then be stabled for another 8 weeks in a waterproof stable. Once the vet has cleared him, he can then be put in a small grass paddock on sunny days. He has to wear a girdle, which my mom has kindly made for him to keep his wound and 72 stitches clean. He has to be closely monitored, and fed every 2 hours.
My Mom and her friends have worked very hard to get the stable structure up and a roof on. And have put up temporary walls made of tarp to keep him dry in his stable. We have run out of money to complete the stable and need around $3250.00 to complete the stable. Ekky loves to roll and sometimes gets his legs caught in the temporary walls! We have been lucky so far that he has waited for some one to come untangle him.
The vet sent their bill this week for $9822.25, which is more than I had even dreamed it could be!
I am just a student and my mum has her own horses to pay for, and can’t help out financially. She has tirelessly been helping where she can, but the bills are just too big for the both of us and we need some help. I have suspended my course, and looking for work to pay all the bills. We really want to give him the best chance possible to come back from this. We are determined to continue giving him the best possible car for as long as we can even if it is more than we can afford. After all he is family!
Please, if you can donate a few dollars that would be greatly appreciated. If you can’t donate, just sharing this with your friends would be helpful to spread the word. Thank you so much for reading my story and from the bottom of my heart thank you for helping my best friend/family recover from his surgery. Xx
My best friends name is Ekky, he is Standardbred horse. He used to race in the Australian Harness Racing Circuit. When he retired, my dad gifted him to me. We have been best friends for 9 years now and I can always count on him to make me smile. He is kind to everyone, from kids, to beginner riders to experienced riders. He is happy to see everyone and loves to please his riders. He loves swimming, sand baths and food.
My dad passed away a few years ago and Ekky is my last connection to him. Ekky is family now and forever.
So last month when Ekky didn’t want to eat breakfast and was not very happy, and then started to show signs of colic we took him straight to best equine vet we knew. We caught his condition early and he was monitored and given paraffin oil to treat what was thought to be a simple impaction.
Next they ultra-sounded his stomach and intestines and the vet found that Ekky’s spleen was not where it should be. Instead it was on the opposite side of his stomach with impacted large intestines! The Vet had never seen as bad a displacement of a spleen like this before and there were only two options available to us, operate or euthanasia!
As a valuable family member, and the last memory of my dad, I had only one choice and Ekky had surgery.
After surgery Ekky had to stay with the vet for 2 weeks and then be stabled for another 8 weeks in a waterproof stable. Once the vet has cleared him, he can then be put in a small grass paddock on sunny days. He has to wear a girdle, which my mom has kindly made for him to keep his wound and 72 stitches clean. He has to be closely monitored, and fed every 2 hours.
My Mom and her friends have worked very hard to get the stable structure up and a roof on. And have put up temporary walls made of tarp to keep him dry in his stable. We have run out of money to complete the stable and need around $3250.00 to complete the stable. Ekky loves to roll and sometimes gets his legs caught in the temporary walls! We have been lucky so far that he has waited for some one to come untangle him.
The vet sent their bill this week for $9822.25, which is more than I had even dreamed it could be!
I am just a student and my mum has her own horses to pay for, and can’t help out financially. She has tirelessly been helping where she can, but the bills are just too big for the both of us and we need some help. I have suspended my course, and looking for work to pay all the bills. We really want to give him the best chance possible to come back from this. We are determined to continue giving him the best possible car for as long as we can even if it is more than we can afford. After all he is family!
Please, if you can donate a few dollars that would be greatly appreciated. If you can’t donate, just sharing this with your friends would be helpful to spread the word. Thank you so much for reading my story and from the bottom of my heart thank you for helping my best friend/family recover from his surgery. Xx
Organizer
Laura Summerhayes
Organizer
