Gato in Greener Pastures

 "Grant me the untold blessing of a quick and painless death;

That, as you have always found me a patient and loyal friend,

 UPDATE: 3/26/08 We had to have Gato peacefully euthanised today. We had the vet recheck her, her cancerous sores had progressed alot since he had checked her last a few weeks ago. They had become extremely painful for her and some were very deep into the muscle. We could not stop the infection and she would no longer let us clean or dress them. We knew that they would progress even more and we did not want Gato to suffer. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, but as Sally said, why should we wait until she is really suffering just to make us feel better about putting her to sleep. It should be about Gato and what is best for her. Gato went to sleep with her best friend, Meadow standing next to her. 

Gato was an interesting horse, she had the strangest and most graceful looking head and neck. We have no idea where she originally came from or what she had done in her life before being dumped at the feedlot. At Shiloh she lived in the pastures, and finally Mesquite Manor with Meadow.  

Gato is no longer suffering and is grazing on the Green pastures with the other Shiloh Horses who have passed on. Rest in peace, Gato.

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SHILOH SANCTUARY HORSE
UPDATE 3/09/08 Gato has entered Shiloh's Sanctuary, where she will live out her life.

3/6/08 We had Gato's skin biopsied last week by the vet. Her sores are becoming more crusty and they just looked horrible. Some bad news- Gato's sores are actually Squamous Cell Carcinoma, a cancer with a secondary condition of photosensitivity. The vet was very surprised, the pattern on her skin is very rare- usually this type of cancer is found on sheaths and penis, eye areas- but not across the whole body this way. Sadly, there is no cure. All we can do is keep her comfortable and make sure she has a good quality of life with her friends. But, eventually, we will have to make the sad decision to put her to sleep. We are going to build her (and her best friend, Meadow, a special protective corral from the hot sun. She will also have to wear her protective sheets that we have ordered to keep the flies and sun off of her sores.

This very cute mare was rescued from the Fallon Feedlot with the help of the "FOBs" who donated money to save her.
She is thin, but otherwise does seem healthy. She is friendly, but still a bit shy and stressed. She is suffering from some sort of skin condition, most likely photosensitivity to UV light. This can be caused by a liver problem. We are not sure what it is, but will be taking her to the vet clinic to be checked.

Gato having her skin cleaned on 2/12/08

Red medication has been applied to her skin (this is not blood), you can really see the pattern of her problem.

Gato is looking and feeling much better- she is starting to come around and is much more trusting of human contact. She is learning to enjoy grooming and being handled. Gato is a very neat horse-she has a very interesting looking head and eye. Gato is currently in the Misfits Pasture with her best friend Meadow.

Gato out in here pasture on 4/13/07

UPDATE: 3/9/07 Gato has gained her weight back and with her winter coat shedding, one can really see her skin problem.