Abby was born on a miniature donkey ranch in Pleasant Hill. She and her sister Ashley had never been handled before, and were completely feral. They joined our family in June of 2010, when Ashley was two and Abby was one. It took several weeks and a lot of love and training, but soon enough they became loyal family pets. Ashley always seemed to have more energy than Abby, and since she is older, she was the one that I trained for competition. Ashley became an expert jumper, but I could never get Abby to do anything. Since I wanted Abby to participate in the shows, I would only enter her in costume contests and confirmation classes. The picture above shows me and Abby during a dress rehearsal of our hippie costume for a regional show!
On November 1st, I was taking the donkeys for a walk around the neighborhood when I noticed something was wrong with Abby. I walked her back to the pen, and tied her up to give her a treat. As soon as I walked away, I heard a strange noise and turned back to see Abby collapsed on the ground. I quickly untied her and sat down next to her. I yelled for my dad, and he immediately called the After Hours Emergency Equine Vet. Abby stayed on the ground for 45 minutes and seemed weak and confused. The vet finally arrived and began to diagnose her. During his examination process, Abby collapsed four more times. The vet then determined that she had West Nile Virus, and gave us a referral to UC Davis.
The next day, my mom, dad and I loaded Abby into the trailer and took her to Davis. We had to call the neighbors and let them know that Ashley might bray more than usual because they can't stand to be apart. When we got to Davis, we were met by Dr. Aleman and Dr. Kozikowski who preformed a field neurological exam to see if there was something wrong in her brain. The doctors decided that Abby needed to be admitted for further evaluation, so we left her there and drove home.
Four days later, we got the call from the doctor with Abby's prognosis. She didn't have West Nile Virus, but after two cardiologists independently examined her, it was determined that Abby was born with a defective heart. The top of the heart would normally send a message to the bottom of the heart telling it to pump blood to the rest of the body, but in Abby's case, the bottom part of her heart isn't receiving these messages. This is why Abby needs a pacemaker. According to the medical report, "If the heart remains in this irregular rhythm, her heart muscle and valves may degenerate over time, possibly putting her into heart failure. Also, if the brain does not get enough blood flow, she could develop permanent brain damage, like a stroke in people. The worst case scenario is sudden death."
My parents were happy to pay the $460 for the emergency vet to come out, and also gladly paid the $1,900 for the complete diagnosis and care of Abby at Davis, but can't afford the $2,300 now needed to pay for the pacemaker. Unfortunately, time is running out because the pacemaker has to get put in before her heart gets too weak. I am fundraising to earn the money to pay for the pacemaker, and need you to open your heart to save a heart. Please consider buying See's candy to support my fundraising effort. Donations are also gladly accepted!
On November 1st, I was taking the donkeys for a walk around the neighborhood when I noticed something was wrong with Abby. I walked her back to the pen, and tied her up to give her a treat. As soon as I walked away, I heard a strange noise and turned back to see Abby collapsed on the ground. I quickly untied her and sat down next to her. I yelled for my dad, and he immediately called the After Hours Emergency Equine Vet. Abby stayed on the ground for 45 minutes and seemed weak and confused. The vet finally arrived and began to diagnose her. During his examination process, Abby collapsed four more times. The vet then determined that she had West Nile Virus, and gave us a referral to UC Davis.
The next day, my mom, dad and I loaded Abby into the trailer and took her to Davis. We had to call the neighbors and let them know that Ashley might bray more than usual because they can't stand to be apart. When we got to Davis, we were met by Dr. Aleman and Dr. Kozikowski who preformed a field neurological exam to see if there was something wrong in her brain. The doctors decided that Abby needed to be admitted for further evaluation, so we left her there and drove home.
Four days later, we got the call from the doctor with Abby's prognosis. She didn't have West Nile Virus, but after two cardiologists independently examined her, it was determined that Abby was born with a defective heart. The top of the heart would normally send a message to the bottom of the heart telling it to pump blood to the rest of the body, but in Abby's case, the bottom part of her heart isn't receiving these messages. This is why Abby needs a pacemaker. According to the medical report, "If the heart remains in this irregular rhythm, her heart muscle and valves may degenerate over time, possibly putting her into heart failure. Also, if the brain does not get enough blood flow, she could develop permanent brain damage, like a stroke in people. The worst case scenario is sudden death."
My parents were happy to pay the $460 for the emergency vet to come out, and also gladly paid the $1,900 for the complete diagnosis and care of Abby at Davis, but can't afford the $2,300 now needed to pay for the pacemaker. Unfortunately, time is running out because the pacemaker has to get put in before her heart gets too weak. I am fundraising to earn the money to pay for the pacemaker, and need you to open your heart to save a heart. Please consider buying See's candy to support my fundraising effort. Donations are also gladly accepted!
