Road to recovery for Calypso
Donation protected
Meet Calypso. Calypso was born on our small farm in Princeton, MA on June 22, 2016. He was bred with aspirations of becoming a performance sport horse. Calypso has a great personality and is such a pleasure to be around. On Friday November 24th Calypso was found in his paddock looking distraught and non weight bearing on his left front foot. Shortly thereafter Calypso was examined by our veterinarian and it was determined by x-ray that he had fractured the coffin bone on his left front leg. We were devastated at these findings. The thought that Calypso may never have a normal life as young horse was gut wrenching, his future as a performance horse was the last thing on our minds at this point. The initial thought was that surgery was the only option. After consulting with our veterinarian who also consulted with two equine surgeons we came up with a couple options. As far as fractures go in horses, this bone is the best case scenario, however the extent to which he has fractured his coffin bone makes this case more complex. Unfortunately in Calypso’s case the fracture is the entire length of the bone and involves the joint - due to his young age and continued growth it all becomes a lot more complicated. Courses of treatment are split with one surgeon recommending a screw be set to stabilize the coffin bone fracture, and the other surgeon suggests to stabilize the hoof wall with a cast and possibly a special shoe moving forward which will allow healing to take its natural course given the age of the horse and his continued growth. In both cases the outcome is unknown because of the nature of the fracture and the involvement of the joint in a young horse, there is little supporting data in horses of this age receiving treatment for this injury. If surgery is deemed the best option it must be performed within two weeks of the injury. Our decision is ultimately based on Calypso’s quality of life, and unfortunately cost.
We started our farm in 2011, literally building it from the ground up as we could afford, working multiple jobs and starting a family. You have to love farming to be a devoted farmer, no days off, no vacation, long hours and little financial reward. Breeding and training our own horses as part of our business is part of our reward. Our farm has been a success thus far, but it cannot support the costs associated with a major surgical intervention. Balancing the costs of protecting against the unknown and running a business so it sustains itself leads to some difficult decisions. Calypso is not insured. If the situation was one in which the clear choice was the humane one, to euthanize, we would not hesitate. At this point we have talked with our vet about options and no one believes Calypso is currently in a state where he is suffering and given the opportunity and correct treatment he has a very good chance to fully recover from this. Everyone has a story and this is Calypso’s. Asking for help is difficult, but we want to give Calypso the best possible chance. So far we have proceeded with applying a cast around Calypso’s hoof to help stabilize the fracture that is inside. Moving forward we will x-ray him again on Monday and again within a week of the injury. If things are healing well we plan to let Calypso heal on his own. If not, we will proceed with surgical intervention. In both cases it is likely that Calypso will be on stall rest for nearly a year with slow rehabilitation after that with hopes of a full recovery. So far we have accumulated nearly $1,000 of medical expenses in diagnosis and treatment. If surgery is necessary preliminary estimates are an additional $3,500. We have decided to give Calypso every reasonable opportunity we can afford. We are asking for assistance covering the costs of his medical care. Any money donated will not be used for regular care it will go strictly to his vet bills. We have also decided that Calypso with always be owned by us regardless of the outcome. Our hope is that he can pull through and go on to have a successful career as a riding horse. Because the costs are unclear, it is our promise that we will pay it forward and donate additional money that we do not need for his treatment to someone else in a similar situation. Thank you for your generosity, and please continue to follow Calypso’s journey on his road to recovery.
We started our farm in 2011, literally building it from the ground up as we could afford, working multiple jobs and starting a family. You have to love farming to be a devoted farmer, no days off, no vacation, long hours and little financial reward. Breeding and training our own horses as part of our business is part of our reward. Our farm has been a success thus far, but it cannot support the costs associated with a major surgical intervention. Balancing the costs of protecting against the unknown and running a business so it sustains itself leads to some difficult decisions. Calypso is not insured. If the situation was one in which the clear choice was the humane one, to euthanize, we would not hesitate. At this point we have talked with our vet about options and no one believes Calypso is currently in a state where he is suffering and given the opportunity and correct treatment he has a very good chance to fully recover from this. Everyone has a story and this is Calypso’s. Asking for help is difficult, but we want to give Calypso the best possible chance. So far we have proceeded with applying a cast around Calypso’s hoof to help stabilize the fracture that is inside. Moving forward we will x-ray him again on Monday and again within a week of the injury. If things are healing well we plan to let Calypso heal on his own. If not, we will proceed with surgical intervention. In both cases it is likely that Calypso will be on stall rest for nearly a year with slow rehabilitation after that with hopes of a full recovery. So far we have accumulated nearly $1,000 of medical expenses in diagnosis and treatment. If surgery is necessary preliminary estimates are an additional $3,500. We have decided to give Calypso every reasonable opportunity we can afford. We are asking for assistance covering the costs of his medical care. Any money donated will not be used for regular care it will go strictly to his vet bills. We have also decided that Calypso with always be owned by us regardless of the outcome. Our hope is that he can pull through and go on to have a successful career as a riding horse. Because the costs are unclear, it is our promise that we will pay it forward and donate additional money that we do not need for his treatment to someone else in a similar situation. Thank you for your generosity, and please continue to follow Calypso’s journey on his road to recovery.
Organizer
Miranda Thibodeau
Organizer
Princeton, MA
