Touchstone Farm inc

On Feb 17th, Kris got a text from the barn. "Can you come look at Hootie? He is doing weird things."

…and so it began. We started our fight for Hootie's life right then and it continued for the next 5 weeks.

When the vet arrived that afternoon, it became clear that he was displaying neurological symptoms. He couldn't walk a straight line, he couldn't urinate, he looked depressed and lethargic, and his eyes were dull. Our hearts were breaking for him… this wasn’t the Hootie we knew.

The top contenders for his condition were EPM or EHV-1, both of which can have serious, if not fatal, neurological impact on a horse. Either outcome was terrifying, to say the least. Tests were taken for all possible culprits and we immediately began protocols for Hootie’s quarantine, and his neighbor Freddie. Latex gloves (SOOO many gloves), rain coats, and bleach pans were all bought and put in place. Designated staff to treat and care for Hootie were assigned, and a plan for limited interaction was created. These measures were all to keep our other animals safe while we waited to hear what we were up against.

One week later, we got the news, EHV-1, aka “rhino.”

EHV is an acronym for Equine Herpes Virus and infects the respiratory system, but has many different forms. EHV-1, what Hootie was diagnosed with, deals with swelling and inflammation of the spinal cord and brain. This is what causes the severe symptoms of poor balance, lethargy, and inability to urinate- all of which Hootie was presenting.

So we asked ourselves, what now? Can he do this? Can WE do this? But, he showed us he wanted to fight through so in turn, we were gonna buckle up and fight it with him. We began treatment with steroids, anti-inflammatories, anti-herpes medication, and almost daily catheterization (to relieve his bladder) for 4 weeks. Each day, we held our breath and waited. We prayed for no symptoms as we took the temperature of each of the other horses. We spent nights waking up every few hours to be sure he was up and safe. We watched with intensity so we wouldn’t miss it if he peed on his own. We met the vet(s) at his stall day after day, after day. Every day, we changed his menu to figure out what he wanted to eat. The text threads had a lot of, "Molasses seems to work today" and then the next day, "He hates molasses today, let's try chopped hay". Anything to make sure he was still eating and getting his medications.

Slowly but surely, he got stronger and he came back to the Hootie we all know and love! On the advice of many, we decided to not release them from quarantine until they got 2 negative tests back, so skip forward 5 weeks later- we were in the clear. PHEW! Our boy is back.

Unfortunately, sometimes the scariest part of a hard diagnosis isn’t the “will he/won’t he overcome this” part, but it’s the financial part. Here at Touchstone, where our horses give everything they have to our programs, and are a big reason behind our success, we never, ever want finances to be the reason we decide not to fight. We chose to FIGHT EHV-1 and Hootie beat it, and he’s here! That’s all we ever wanted. But now, we need you to help us recover.

We would be so appreciative if you could take the time to donate to our Hootie fund. As far as we’re concerned, ANY size donation is generous and we are so thankful for your support. Any funds raised beyond his medical expenses will be used for Hootie's rehab and ongoing support.