Laminitis Recovery: Ivy and Dea

Story

For those of you that have not been fortunate enough to come in contact with our grandmother, Dea, she is a force of nature. Dea is one of those people whose energy immediately brightens any room she walks into and will give everything she has to those who are in need. Dea is an avid animal lover and has lived on her farm for the past half century. There, she has raised a menagerie of animals including wolves and dogs who were set to be euthanized, horses that she helped birth and raise from their first breaths, and many other animals that were in need of a stable home and tender care. She has provided this loving sanctuary at any cost. Dea is currently taking care of a spunky and freckle faced mare named Ivy. Ivy has only known the world with her mother, Bella, and Dea in it. Dea has helped Bella raise Ivy from the moment Ivy entered this world and took her first steps seven years ago. Watching Ivy run in the pastures of Dea’s farm and snuggle up to Dea is the purest form of joy anyone can witness. Unfortunately, Ivy has not been able to do much running lately because she began showing early signs of Laminitis in summer of 2020. Laminitis, better known as foundering, is an extremely painful disease that is responsible for 7% of equine deaths per year. This condition causes the hoof horn to no longer be supported by the under tissue (lamina). Without the support of the lamina, the pedal bone can sink too far and protrude from the foot. When progressed to this stage the only treatment option is euthanization. The most famous victim of this disease was the racehorse Secretariat, and it is a very real threat to horses diagnosed with it if proper treatment measures are not taken. As soon as Dea noticed the early signs of this devastating disease she jumped into action and found the amazing mobile vet, Dr. Alice Beretta. Dr. Beretta, who travels across state lines to treat Ivy on a regular basis, reports that Ivy is responding fantastically to her treatments, special diet, and physical therapy. She is confident that if Ivy can stay on her current program through August of 2021, she will make a full recovery! This is exciting news, but the costs of continual farriering to make sure Ivy’s hooves grow back correctly, specialized low sugar feed, and medication to assist with healing has taken a toll on Dea’s financial situation. Adding to this financial burden is the fact that Bella, Ivy’s mother, has also begun to show signs of foundering. Thus, Bella and Ivy both eat specialized feed along with a small supplement of hay. Horses can eat up to 20 pounds a day, so Bella’s need for this more expensive feed has placed an even bigger strain on Dea’s already thin budget. Despite this, Dea will not stop until both horses are well and Ivy can properly enjoy running with her mother in the pasture again. Already, Dea has used up every cent of her life savings, sold her land, and begun to go into debt. She now relies on her small social security check, but it is just not enough to make ends meet. Dea is unable to work with her age and the ongoing pandemic, but she will not stand by and allow her babies to suffer. The treatment that Ivy is receiving will not only save her young and vibrant life, but it will also save Dea’s young and vibrant soul. Dea could not bear to lose either of her precious horses and you can help her save them by donating to this GoFundMe!Here is what Dea needs help with for the next 7 months: 40 pounds of Teff Grass is $29 Dea feeds both horses 4 pounds of Teff grass twice a day (16 pounds total daily) 40/16 = 2.5That means one bag of Teff grass lasts 2.5 days There are ~30 days in a month so:2.5(12) = 30 ^ that means that Dea buys about 12 bags per month 12bags($29 per bag) = $350$350 worth of Teff grass per month $350 x 7 months = $2,100 for special feed (Teff grass) $2,500 for special feed until August. Dea uses Teff Grass pellet feed by Standlee which is $29 a bag. The horses eat 16 pounds daily and the Teff Grass comes in 40 pound bags. $300 for anti-inflammatory medication that Ivy takes once daily. A three month supply costs $133.$2,000 for hay until August. Each bale is $9. The horses eat a bale a day and the price of hay has gone up because Dea could not buy local hay this year. $304 for a farrier until August. A farrier must come every 6 weeks and it is $60 for both horses. $833 for vet bills until August. The vet is $119 a month. If you do not feel comfortable donating through GoFundMe please contact us at [email redacted] and we will get you in touch with Dea directly.Times are tight, as everyone knows, so we truly appreciate any amount that you can donate to this valiant and important cause. Your support is helping to change the lives of two sweet horses and our sweet grandmother. Please feel free to share this with your friends and family. Thank you so much for spending your time reading about this incredible woman’s fight for her four legged babies. ----Dea’s Grandchildren Jennifer DillardB. Jacob DowneyDandro FralingerRenee SheldonAutumn Marie WaltonContact us here with any questions: B. Jacob Downey[email redacted]919.723.7814Click here to learn more about foundering: https://www.carolinaequinehospital.com/2019/02/05/what-is-grass-founder-and-how-do-you-prevent-it-a-guidehttps://aaep.org/horsehealth/laminitis-prevention-treatmentContact our veterinarian here to learn more about foundering and about Dea’s cause: Dr. Alice BerettaBeretta Equine Veterinary ServicesLavonia, GA 30553706.340.0680