When Garnet came to Hanaeleh in August, she had been living with an unchecked breathing issue for a very long time. She had been passed from one owner to another, with her breathing continuing to deteriorate. Her previous owner had tried to determine the issue and had consulted a vet, but they were never able to pinpoint the issue, and by the time she came to Hanaeleh, it had been a very long time since Garnet was able to run or exercise without a serious threat of her collapsing.
Garnet gets her surgery
With the help of our wonderful veterinarian and our generous donors, we were able to identify Garnet’s issue and give her the life-saving surgery she required. When we say life-saving, it really was- when we had her scoped, there was so much swelling in her larynx that she was breathing through an airway about the size of a dime, and the swelling was only getting worse.
It has been a long recovery for Garnet, and she has been on medication since she came home from the equine hospital. The veterinarian has come out three times to scope her airway, making sure it is clear and the swelling has gone down. Thankfully, this weekend we were given the green light to finally allow Garnet to do something that she hasn’t done in probably years- run.
Garnet gets to gallop
When we first put Garnet into the arena, she wasn’t sure what to do at first. After a few moments, she trotted off and wandered around the arena, trotting or taking a few steps at a canter before stopping. It was obvious she was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to breathe if she ran too much, and didn’t understand at first that she was able to breathe just fine. Finally, she started running around the arena and seemed to enjoy her new-found freedom!
It will take some time for Garnet to build up the muscle tone around her lungs, but at least she is finally able to enjoy something so simple as being able to run. So simple, but something she has not been able to do in so very long.
A huge thank you again to all of those people who helped make this possible- Garnet may not be alive, much less able to live a normal life, without your support.
Click here to watch the video of Garnet’s first gallop in over 3 years!
