Nike and our staff would like to give a special “Thank you!” to all of our supporters and donors that made Nike’s surgery possible. He is doing well in his recovery. He has the best personality and we have no doubt he will soon be ready for adoption.
Nike, who is an 11 year old Halflinger, was surrendered by his owner because he had an aggressive squamous cell carcinoma that was already covering almost 2/3 of his right eye. His owner could not afford the surgery and knew Nike’s career as a guided trail horse at the dude ranch would be over after his eye was removed. The owner decided Nike’s best chance at a good future was in the hands of Horse Plus Humane Society, so they brought him to us. When Nike arrived at the shelter he was very curious of all his new neighbors. While he got acquainted with the other horses in the pasture Melissa got to work making phone calls to get his surgery scheduled.
Nike’s surgery was scheduled and the fundraiser was successful. Melissa, Elizabeth and Kirsty couldn’t wait to share the news with Nike. Kirsty just happened to be at the California shelter visiting for the day.
The big day is finally here. Nike is all loaded up and ready for his ride to the vet.
Melissa kept a close eye on Nike in the trailer with her fancy trailer camera. He rode very nicely the whole way.
We knew we would be on the road for almost 2 hours so we decided to stop for fuel. There’s not much between the shelter and the vet’s office except farm lands.
The miles slipped under the truck and trailer wheels. It was a beautiful day and thankfully the trip went by without incident.
They arrived safely at Look Ahead Veterinary Hospital in Oroville. We have used Look Ahead Veterinary Hospital for over 10 years now and they have always done an excellent job! For people seeking out vet jobs, we recommend you look to this hospital if they have any vacancies. Compassionate and knowledgeable vets are found here, which is why we trust in this hospital.
Nike got to stretch and look around for awhile before he headed to his stall in the barn behind him.
Melissa gave Nike a big hug, wished him luck and told him she would see him soon. Nike however was much more concerned with all the green grass hay that was provided in his nice cozy stall.
The staff at Look Ahead Vet shared photos of Nike’s procedure with us. First he was sedated and prepped for surgery.
Soon Nike was in La-La land and didn’t know what was happening at all. Even though he was standing, he was sedated couldn’t feel the surgery.
The vet said Nike was a brave horse and that he did amazing during his surgery. Soon Nike was waking up after the procedure. The vet said the cancer was confined to the globe and he felt very confident that Nike is now cancer free. He also said that it was time to start this big boy on a diet so he doesn’t run into any more health issues. He said this horse was very kind and will be highly adoptable.
When Nike was ready to go back to the shelter in Newcastle Melissa made the drive back up to the vet hospital. Nike loaded into the trailer like a pro.
Thank you to all the staff at Look Ahead Vet for taking such great care of Nike. We are so happy he is cancer free!
Nike was a good boy in the trailer and seemed very well adjusted to only having 1 eye.
Elizabeth (our California Shelter Trainer) let Nike nibble the grass a little before he had to go to the recovery stall.
Melissa’s daughters wanted to see for themselves that Nike was just fine. Everyone has grown quite attached to him.
Nike has been a little stubborn about his antibiotics but with a little hand walking and a few treats we are able to convince him that he needs them to heal. His new recovery visor will help him heal and keep his remaining eye healthy too.
Nike has been the star of the California Shelter in March, but a whole lot else has been happening too. Enoch, one of our resident Alpacas, loves playing with the hose and knocking it off the trough whenever it is filling. What a goofy character!
Scarlett is a well trained horse that was surrendered recently. Her owners really loved her and wanted our shelter to help with finding her the perfect home. They were afraid if they sold her she would end up in the wrong hands or in the slaughter pipeline. She is a registered Paint in her teens. She has done barrels and lots of arena work. For more information about Scarlett, please contact us: click here.
We have had quite a few adoptions too. One of them is Tinkerbell, in the photo. She will be a therapy horse after her training is complete. We are so happy for Tinkerbell and Shea.
Six horses were transferred to A Grazing Grace. They have college students that will help further their training. We can’t wait to see their progress and wish them the best of luck!
Thank you all for your support! Please consider becoming a member to give us the steady monthly support we need to respond at a moments notice to horses in crisis: click here.