By Angie Alspaugh | Project Leader
Leroy was advertised for sale on social media for $500. He was bone thin, obviously malnourished and unhealthy, and being kept in a small pen with junk and trash. A caring individual offered to pay the $500 to get him out of that terrible situation if Easy R Equine Rescue could assist her in fostering him. We were happy to agree to that. What the photos on social media didn't show were all the melanomas on his body, He had very large ones on the sides of his mouth and smaller ones on his eye and genitals. He also has developed some under the skin in between his jaw bones.
We immediately took him to the vet to assess the situation, but the first priority was to just feed him and get some weight on. After putting on some pounds, he received vaccinations, de-wormer, topical meds for some of the melanomas, and dental work. And love. A lot of love and care from his foster mom. What we learned about him in those first few months is that Leroy has the most laid-back, easy-going personality. He loads well in a trailer, stands for the farrier, doesn't mind being haltered. Obviously at some point in his life, he was with a human who taught him some good things. How he ended up with someone who almost let him starve is a mystery.
Today, Leroy is in his second foster home and doing very well. He gets along with his equine foster sister, Magi. He still is agreeable and easy to work with. The sad part about Leroy's story is that there isn't much that can be done about his melanomas. As is the case most of the time, we know that the melanomas will spread. Because he already has some under the skin, it is likely they will spread internally and start causing health problems for him. But for NOW, he is thriving. It will be difficult to find an adoptive home for Leroy, most likely. We don't know how many months or years Leroy will live. And most people want to adopt a horse that is healthy and doesn't have a terminal illness. But we will continue to provide sanctuary for this sweet boy for as many years as he has left. And they might just be the best years of his life. Who knows, maybe the perfect adopter will find him.
Without our invaluable donors, we wouldn't be able to say yes to horses like Leroy. Thank you for being a part of his success story.
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