Daphne

Sweet and responsive Daphne clearly came from a well-trained background, though her past was largely unknown. She arrived at Sunrise Horse Rescue as a severe starvation case, but had absolutely no trouble keeping the weight on. In fact, she was so good at maintaining her weight that she required a low carb diet and exercise program. It was clear by her possessiveness of food that Daphne’s experience with starvation deeply affected her and still stayed with her all those years later.

Since losing her best friend Hayleigh, Daphne became close with all the minis: Cupcake, Mini-Moo, and Roni. She had special shoeing needs caused by thin hooves and past issues with laminitis, a serious and painful inflammatory condition that can cripple horses.

Daphne and her pasture-mate, Pete, were both severe starvation cases. Veterinarians were called out to see Pete for colic, and found him starving at the time. The veterinarians rescued Pete immediately with the help of Sunrise Horse Rescue, and left a healthy Daphne in place with clear feeding instructions given to her owners. When the veterinarians returned for a check-up, they found Daphne severely emaciated. She had a Henneke body condition score of 1.5, meaning she was in a life-threatening condition.

Daphne was immediately brought to Sunrise Horse Rescue and we began the UC Davis re-feeding protocol. She arrived with a thin coat over a skeletal frame, and only a 25% chance of recovery. It took months for her to reach an acceptable weight, but miraculously she recovered.

With swift help from the veterinarians and Sunrise Horse Rescue, Daphne beat the odds and gained back her coat, her weight, and her spunk.