3/23/2016, 2 weeks shy of being 5 years ago, Maisie & Iris arrived at TIER. We had been contacted by Riverside County Department of Animals Services asking if we could take in any of the horses seized 3/4/2016 in Nuevo, CA. Funds were tight as usual and we had planned to take in 1 horse. TIER ended up taking the 2 most in need of help. The older big, chestnut mare (22 yrs.), Registered Name: Slews M.D. we named Maisie. A lovely, girly mare, a bit insecure, nervous and edgy, but willing and sweet. DEEPLY bonded to the other mare, 21 yrs. old, Registered Name: Slewvivor whom we named Iris.

TIER was able to bring in these two lovely girls and care for them for the past almost 5 years because of the support and caring of our donors. Thank you!

On 3/7/2021 it was noted that 27 year old Maisies urine was brown, she was not eating her hay pellets/senior feed, and barely eating her hay. I checked her gums and they were red/inflamed. She didnt seem to be colicky, but something was definitely wrong. The fact that her urine was dark had me fearing liver failure as I had witnessed it once before in a mare named Wanda. I contacted our vet and dipyrone was administered which seemed to help.

Dr. Silverman came out and noted that her gums were still inflamed, her gut sounds were very active and then there would be a burst of activity. He administered Banamine to help her feel a bit better, drew blood for a CBC (complete blood count) and chemistry analysis. The results were not good. The test results indicated liver failure, but did not indicate what the cause might be.

A low protein diet was suggested and we ordered Oat pellets, oat/beardless barley/wheat hay which was delivered the next day. Sweet Maisie was not interested in the pellets and barely ate any of her hay. She was declining quickly. I had decided that if she quit eating or laid down, I would call the vet to end her discomfort. We gave her banamine and it seemed to help a bit.

This morning, 3/13/2021, Dr. Silverman came to TIER. We had had lightening, thunder and rainstorms the night before. The place looked like a swamp. The horses were muddy, their pens were a mess and their coats were pretty yucky with winter hair that had gotten wet. Maisie had stayed in the covered area of her stall and was not as muddied as the other horses. All the horses were watching us intently. Dr. Silverman sedated our girl and I walked her out to a sandy area. I made sure she was visible by Iris so that she would know when her friend was gone.

Iris began to call out to Maisie and then the other horses started calling. Jackie, the burro, who lived across from Maisie the last few years also joined in. Over the years I have witnessed what I call the Final Salute from the horses of TIER when one of their own was removed from the premises after crossing the Rainbow Bridge. This is the first time I have witnessed it while the horse was still living. I mentioned to the vet that they know and he agreed.

Maisie left us with grace, dignity and my respect/love. She was a big, lovely girl that we will miss terribly. We were fortunate to have known her for this short period of time. Our concern over the next few days will be how Iris is doing since she and Maisie had been together for some time before they came to TIER and had always been together since their arrival.

Once our dear Maisie had left us, I went to Iris to hopefully offer some soothing or at least acknowledgement of her loss. She came to me, bumped my hand with her nose and then went to her neighbor Lily who seemed to be waiting for her. When I left, Iris and Lily were standing together at the fence line with their heads touching.

Fly Free my beauty Maisie. You were loved and you will be missed.

Iris & Maisie have been here almost 3 1/2 months.  They are doing well and slowly gaining weight and muscle.  Iris has had a hard time with the heat and usually stays in her covered stall during the hottest part of the day.  Both of them sweat considerably and get hosed off to remove the salty layer of sweat.  Iris, because she is black, ends up looking kind of ash colored.

The girls were turned out in the arena area so they could be together, move around more and not be stuck in their pens.  They have become healthy enough to turn out so that their muscles will get more use and build up a bit.  Iris drinks a lot of water, while Maisie drinks 'normally'.  These girls have a strong bond and stick very close to each other.  Maisie seems to know that the vision in Iris' right eye is not good and tends to stay near that side. 

We have increased the amount of soaked pellets they get daily and have started adding 4-way grain.  They are each getting 6-7 large flakes of hay a day (WOW!). 

Dr. Johnson & his assistant Crystal came out to help Maisie & Iris with their dental issues.

Surprisingly, Maisie's mouth structure was much better than the younger Iris's. Genetics do play a part in those things though. Her teeth were in need of the services that Dr. Johnson provides to be able to chew more comfortably, and grind/process her food into a form which can be digested easier. We should see a significant increase in healthy weight gain in the coming months.

Truthfully, I expected Maisie to be a bit more anxious than she was because she's somewhat of a edgy mare. Once Dr. Johnson & Crystal talked to her she was calmer and the sedation helped too! She was a really good girl and did not pull on Crystal while Dr. Johnson did his work.

Exam & Treatment Invoices below for further detail. Cost for Maisie's dental was 315.00.

Poor Maisie had rainrot/fungus all over her.  The water ran brown when rinsed off.  Thanks to Stephanie M., Diana, and helper Seth, she got a medicated bath and conditioner for her mane and tail.

She is so thin!  Mostly angles, not many curves. 

A little Wash Rack Reassurrance helped.

And now she sparkels, shines, does not have all that yuck on her and can get back to important things like EATING!

Maisie was seen by Dr. Silverman recently.  You could see the sadness in his eyes as he looked at her before the examination.

She is SERIOUSLY underweight and has an irregular heartbeat that we hope will resolve once she becomes healthier.  Respiration, Bowel Sounds were good.

Maisie did have a vaginal discharge, but after doing an exam, Dr. Silverman did not feel she had an infection.  Most likely she was in heat and mucous membranes are overproducing due to finally getting some food and water.  She is drinking and eating well.  When horses do not eat, they do not drink and get dehydrated.  When they are starved, the body puts its focus on keeping the heart beating...slowly, everything else shuts down. (hair growth, mucus membranes, organs, etc.)

She does have rainrot/fungus and once it is warmer she will be getting a medicated bath or two.  Dr. Silverman felt that her teeth would not significantly benefit from having them floated.  Due to her age and the condition of her teeth, Dr. Jacob Johnson (Equine Dentist) will be out as soon as we have funds for this.  It will cost 300 at a minimum.  She will probably have to have some teeth extracted so she can chew/process her feed better.

Our Farrier came out to assist Maisie with her grossly overgrown feet.

The frogs of her hooves were so long that they had rolled over and it just had to be like walking on rocks for a very long time. 

Fortunately, she does not have any abcesses at this time.  I wouldn't be surprised if she does develop one at a later date.  We have found that many of the horses that we bring in that have suffered long term neglect do develop abcesses once they are getting fed/cared for properly.  The toxins that have developed from not getting fed correctly need someplace to go and that is usually via the feet and abcesses form.  Keeping our fingers & hooves crossed that she does well since she does have decent feet now that they are trimmed.

Thanks to Stephanie MacGregor who transported our new arrivals home. We had planned to take only one mare, but we ended up getting two of the girls that really needed a soft place to land. It was so very difficult to choose which ones would come to TIER as the 7 remaining horses at Riverside AC need homes! Thanks to AC staff (Lesley-for contacting us), Nancy & Amy for their assistance thi morning at the shelter.

Introducing...MAISIE, 22 yr. old Thoroughbred mare. She loaded on the trailer with no problem. She traveled well and was excited about her new surroundings.

Our Farrier will be here Friday to help this girl with her poor feet. She has an abcess and is limping.  Our Vet will be out Saturday to give her a Health Check. Maisie has a vaginal discharge and may need antibiotics. .  For now, she is eating well, drinking and getting used to her new surroundings.

Stephanie gave each mare a light brushing to get the mud and yuck off. But, we didn't want to brush too much hair out because they still need their coats (even though they are yucky) to stay warm.

Thank you to the donors who have stepped up to help us help these two lovely girls. We did get two mares, so expenses have risen. If you are able to assist the ladies, we would certainly appreciate it!