Why Didn’t the Oyster Give Up Her Pearl? She was shellfish.
Back in mid-September, in a now deleted post, Michigan KL Horses posted about a horse. The mare was a senior Belgian Draft Horse, in need of a mercy situation. To quote Melissa directly, a mercy case is “[agreeing] to take in an animal to give them a peaceful and painless passing”. The original post asked for the mare to be made comfortable & then give her a humane passing. Melissa reached out & they agreed she take the mare to the Devoted Barn, and “Pearl” was sent “home”.
On September 18th, TDB posted a Tik Tok video welcoming Pearl to the farm, including some background information. They explained how Pearl has Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Disease, DSLD. The suspensory ligament is a vital ligament that runs on the back of the leg from a horse’s knee to the ankle, or a top the hock (the knee on the back leg). This disease is incurable, very painful and worsens significantly overtime. According to the Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, “DSLD often affects more than one limb, and is usually seen in both fore limbs, both hind limbs and all four limbs. Pain and lameness in multiple limbs then develop over time”. This disease also affects the cardiovascular systems, various vital tendons & ligaments, as well as the eyes. While there is no cure for DSLD, there are some treatments that can help horses, more focused on pain management. These can or may include stall rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), therapeutic boots or wraps, corrective shoeing, stem cell injections, shock wave, magnetic, & laser therapy, & chiropractic work. DSLD is not only incredibly painful for horses, but quite costly to manage. Per the TDB Tik Tok, Pearl receives the drug Equioxx for pain management. According to TDB, their “equine surgeons” states to “give her whatever & make her happy for a couple weeks”.
On November 1st, TDB posted about their November animal sponsorship, including Pearl on the list (of which is now sponsored). This means that Pearl has been perishing in pain for at least 6 weeks (7 weeks to date as of November 7th). The picture of Pearl for her sponsorship, includes her turned out in a pasture. If alarm bells are not sounding off in your head right now, you should go back and re-read. While Melissa consistently manages to do everything wrong, this is a stoop to a new, cruel level.
To start, Pearl was brought to TDB as a Mercy case. The fate this poor unfortunate girl has met is devastating. That said, she deserves nothing less than to be let go peacefully. She does not deserve to be left deteriorating for about 4x the vet recommended time she stay. During the day Pearl is turned out. This is typically encouraged 99% of the time, except in cases of injury/lameness or pain. Stall rest is recommended for horses with DSLD, so why is Pearl being turned out in a relatively larger for 6+ weeks? Especially when there are smaller paddocks on the property where she can enjoy the fresh air with less risk of pain or injury. . Additionally, Pearl is a big girl, and DSLD make her legs incredibly weak. What happens when/if she goes down? We are getting into the winter with snow and ice making it that much harder for a horse in pain to move around. Why has Melissa failed yet another animal immensely? We likely will never know. Pearl has been left to suffer, prostituted for funds, of which I hope to go directly to her medication. Which brings me to my next point. Equioxx is only to be used for up to 14 days. Other recommended NSAIDs for DSLD also have recommended usage times of up to 5-14 days. Phenylbutazone (Bute) is a common NSAID used for horses, however long-term use may cause ulcers or other gastrointestinal issues. In short, no matter what medication Pearl may be given, she would be on them for far past vet recommended days. Vice versa, if she is given no medications now because of these reasons, then she is suffering is pain. How or why does a rescue continue to spend money on feeding a horse that’s not supposed to be here? Especially when they post weekly about scraping pennies together for feed? Why force a horse in pain to live, costing the well-being of other animals that could be helped instead? So many why’s that’ll likely never be answered.
There is no reason as to why Pearl has been robbed of passing with dignity. It is more costly to keep a horse in need of medications that run $96.00 a bottle, plus feed & maintenance. It’s been over 6 weeks, surely her feet would need to be trimmed by now. As well as Fall vaccinations & deworming? Though, do we really think Melissa keeps up on this for all her animals? Surely not. Melissa has failed not only an innocent animal, but the woman who thought she was sending her to a loving, dignified passing. It is truly appalling, cruel, but not shocking. This woman is a certified scam artist but using a suffering animal is a new level of evil. Pearl has been robbed of her dignity in passing, and for what exactly? A $30 sponsorship? Is her innocent life worth only $30? I should hope not.
Sources
DSLD Information: https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/lab/corl/dsld-information-page/
Pearl Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedevotedbarn/video/7144805704874986798?_r=1&_t=8XAqtUwD B3D&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7144805704874986798 (If this link does not work it has been removed by the poster)
Equioxx information: https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=e69ea400-a913-4d4f-861e-b9133fd65e46
TDB Horse Sponsorship page: https://www.thedevotedbarn.org/horses
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