Support Lauren in Memory of Riker

On the evening of 5/6, Riker was rushed to Tufts Emergency Hospital. At first, the thought was that he had an impaction leading him to be colicky. Upon examination, the vets explained they found his intestines had stopped working, he had an enlarged stomach, spleen and kidneys. The vets said he was producing 4 liters of fluid into his abdomen per hour, when usually horses are supposed to be at 1/2 a liter an hour. Lauren and the vets came up with a plan and Riker went into supportive care at Tufts. At 11:30pm on 5/8, Lauren received a call that Riker had taken a turn for the worse and needed emergency surgery. At 1:45am on 5/9, Lauren received another call and was told that his liver, kidneys, intestines, spleen and stomach were all inflamed and yellow. The vets had found a mass in the intestines, and said his spleen was the largest they have ever seen. Based on these observations, it is believe it was most likely cancer. At that point, Lauren was informed that there was nothing more the vets could do, and made the decision to euthanize her best friend knowing he would not be able to come out of surgery comfortably.

In addition to the tragic loss of her best friend and equine soulmate, Lauren is burdened with thousands of dollars in veterinary bills.

For those who have not met Lauren, she is an incredibly hard worker with a heart of gold. She is selfless and is always there for others regardless of circumstances. Regardless of how much she works, this debt is unimaginable. Fellow equestrians understand the pains and struggles of losing their equine partner. Any donation, no matter the amount, will help with this burden. Thank you for reading, and thank you in advance for your generosity.