Our Friesian orphan, Zuzu, is looking at surgery in 2 weeks.  I am standing by my commitment of giving her the best life possible. It has not come without a cost and several have suggested I do a GofundMe.  So here we go Zuzu, this is for you!  We are looking for any token to get this sweet girl through this bump in her road.  Send her all the good energy you can and please share❤️.

Zuzu's Story:

May of 2021 a Friesian filly was born and unfortunately the victim of back yard breeding.   The owners were out of town and suspected her mother stepped on her trying to protect her from another mare.  Nobody really knows what happed in the first week of her life.  From that point, the filly was considered sub-par (Definition:  crappy, junky, cheap, inferior, shoddy,  worthless, useless, lousy) and very little attention was put into her care early on.  

This little girl had a lot going against her.  It is presumed she had poor nutrition in-vitro, she was weaned at 2 months, mom was sold when she was 3 months.  The orphaned filly lived alone in a tiny dark stall and was fed a corn-based feed which added to her poor development and OCD.   She was an orphan on the road to being put down.  The owners agreed to surrender the orphaned filly to a group trying to rescue her from being put down.  The goal was to take the filly in for a vet check to see if she indeed had a chance at life.  AND SHE DID! Her tests came back relatively good with the exception of OCD in her hocs and a club foot.    

And there she was, my little orphan:

August 29, 2021 I received a phone call to meet an orphaned Friesian at Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic.    Little did I know, I would be taking the filly home the next day with a commitment of giving her the best life possible.  How lucky was I that this incredible being with a heart of gold found me.  I immediately started Googling OCD, foals with arthritis, can OCD be cured, what joints develop OCD, club feet, etc.  

Dr. Google had me feeling very optimistic that she could grow out of some of her issues with good nutrition and care.   Which I set out to do immediately.  I named this beautiful girl Zuzu, which means gift from God.   

Life Today:

Zuzu has blossomed in her large paddock with 3 adult horses over her fence line.   My 6 yr old Friesian has become a wonderful surrogate to Zuzu.  She is loved, she is happy and the sweetest horsonality.   People constantly stop to meet her.  Children made a song about her and came to sing it to her.  We find gifts on our fence line for Zuzu as so many in our community know her story.  We lay with Zuzu and enjoy her presence and peaceful energy.  Zuzu has brought joy to so many who have met her.   She is love...She is strong...She is a survivor...She is Zuzu!  If you have not met her, please come say hello. You can also see Zuzu's story on my instagram @surfnonthehorse

The Surgery:

My main priority is making sure she is comfortable and pain free.   In early November, she started showing signs of lameness in her right fetlock which looks to be a bone cyst.  In addition to her OCD, she has a severe front left club foot.   Zuzu's vet feels we must move on doing her club foot surgery which will ultimately allow her to stand somewhat normal on her left once healed.   This will help the bone cyst on her right fetlock once she can use her left foot better.   Prior to her surgery, we will be injecting her right fetlock in hopes of her using it to heal the left.  

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What is OCD: Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a relatively common developmental disease that affects the cartilage and bone in the joints of horses. It causes clinical signs of disease in 5-25% of all horses and can occur in all horse breeds. Cartilage in joints with OCD doesn’t form normally; this causes the cartilage and bone underneath it to become irregular in thickness and weaker than in normal joints. This can cause the development of cartilage and bone flaps that can either remain partially attached to the bone or break off and float around in the joint. These loose flaps and areas of abnormal cartilage and bone cause inflammation in the joint and over time may lead to the development of arthritis.

Many OCD lesions heal spontaneously within a few months. Those that don’t, however, can cause permanent problems when not treated correctly. How the condition manifests varies considerably from horse to horse, joint to joint, and lesion to lesion.

Love Zuzu❤️