Richmond, VA – Yesterday, one of the 130 horses rescued from a Virginia farm underwent risky surgery to save her life. The horse, June, is emaciated from her prior life of neglect and her poor body score (1) made her a bad candidate for anesthesia.

But June’s intestines were filled with sand and gravel…things she ate in an attempt to stay alive. Without the surgery, June’s fate was sealed, so Richmond Animal Care & Control made the decision to take the chance. The agency said:

Things went south a little quicker that we hoped with Baby June a few hours ago and we made the decision to Hail Mary colic surgery. We understood the risk of anesthesia and it was either euthanize her, or try surgery; thanks to your donations, we could try! The amazing Dr. Noll at Woodside Equine Clinic just finished surgery and June is not only still alive, but standing up and a little mad at the entire situation; which makes us smile.

Describing what was removed from her intestines:

June’s large intestine was blocked with THIRTY POUNDS of gravel and sand. We are not out of the woods yet, but she is doing as well as we can hope for her at this time! We will keep you posted on her recovery and hope it’s uneventful and successful!

You can follow June’s recovery at this link to Richmond Animal Care & Control’s Facebook page. 

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