In late April, 2008, Strawberry Mountain received a call for assistance. The caller informed me that a woman had two horses who needed immediate help.
In the back of a dark barn stood two black/brown horses. Asia, the mare, was reported to be in her mid 30's. The gelding, named Liberty, was in his 20's. Both were so emaciated that they were leaning against each other for support. The woman I spoke to was the mother of the 19 yr old horse owner - later to be identified as Jessica Attaway. The mother, Patricia, told me she was embarrased to let anyone see them in this condition. Appalled, I counted each and every rib, noted the obvious yellow glow of the gelding's eyes, saw the lice crawling over every square inch of their bodies and saw the urine and manure scalds on their legs.
Patricia pointed out a bag of grain and a bale of grass hay that had been given to them. I tried gently to explain that in this state, the grain could do more harm than good, and that they should only be feeding very very small amounts of the hay. I was, literally, in shock. At this point, I was told that Animal Control had already been to the property, but that Jessie was hoping to at least keep her mare, Asia, and was unwilling to give her up.
After leaving the property, I immediately placed a call to Animal Control to find out WHY the horses were still on the property in the obviously critical condition they were in. I explained to the officer that I did not think the horses would live another week, that they were being fed inappropriately and that they needed to be removed immediately. By later that day the officer had arranged for me to pick the horses up from the Attaway residence the following morning.
After arriving late morning on April 24th and having to rouse Jessie from bed, we proceeded to cut the twine and wire that held the gate across the front of their stall. At one point, Jessie used a lighter to burn some of the twine away, showing that it had obviously been some time since the horses were even taken from their stall. Jessie then claimed ownership and signed a relinquishment form giving all rights of ownership to SMM. While signing the surrender form, I made note of her freshly manicured acrylic nails. After being offered what was left of the grain and quickly loading the two horses, I headed down the driveway, only to find my path blocked by two new vehicles still sporting dealer plates. Another delay and I proceeded around the house and down the drive, only stopping long enough to take pictures of the large mowed lawn the horses had been staring out at.
During conversations with Jessie and her mother, I was told that they had given the horses away at some point, but the owner wasn’t coming up to feed them, resulting in the weight loss. Later in the conversation I was told the horses had been boarded the summer before, and although they supplied feed, the other property owner didn’t feed them. Again I was told that Jessie loved Asia and really didn’t want to let her go. The story seemed to change with each telling.
I left the Attaway residence and headed directly to the veterinarian. (Report on file.) Upon arrival at Bailey Vet clinic, we were immediately seen by Dr. Bethany Powers. Dr. Powers was appalled at their condition, noting in a written statement to the court that they were so weak they couldn’t even lift their own feet, resulting in their toes being drug off. They were anemic, infested with parasites, in organ failure and every single bone, including the outline of the scapula and each and every vertabrae were visible to the naked eye. There was a “hollow” at the top of the rib cage, below the spine, that would have held water.
After being advised on an appropriate refeeding program and other care, Asia and Liberty were taken to SMM for rehabilitaton. Both horses were immediately dusted for lice and had their legs washed with a medicated treatment. Both horses had bloody sores on their legs from standing in manure and urine. A 2 hour feeding program was immediately implemented following the UC Davis Refeeding Program. Liberty was observed standing watch over Asia, nuzzling his food to her and watching her eat it - as if he had already given up all hope.
The following day, April 25th, Liberty went down. The vet was called to do a follow up exam and blood work confirmed that although he was in severe liver failure, his kidneys were still functioning. His body was literally eating away his muscle and organs to survive. With much effort and the help of several people, we got Liberty to his feet. It should be noted, according to Oregon State Law, had Liberty been allowed to die that day (or had he died in the Attaway’s barn), Jessica Attaway could have been charged with a felony.
Gradually, electrolytes and blood builder supplements were introduced to their diet. Throughout the following days and weeks, the intake was gradually increased to a normal level. Senior grain was eventually added to assist with weight gain. Both horses showed obvious signs of improvement quickly. They were dusted and bathed several times to remove any additional lice and were wormed when strong enough.
Less than a month later, the weight gain was apparent. Visible hair loss from liver damage and the lice infestation showed, but new hair was growing in. Muscle mass was rebuilding and both horses were gaining strength.
The pictures below were taken June 19th, less than two months after removal from the Attaway residence. Once both horses were strong enough to travel again and undergo sedation, they had a follow up exam and dental work. Neither horse showed any health issue, nor did they have any severe dental deformity that would have resulted in the massive weight loss. (Reports on file.)
Four months to the day from their arrival at SMM - Asia and Liberty looked like this. They had been reduced to a pasture grass diet with a normal mineral block. Since the initial rehab period, they have received no senior grain or special supplement to maintain their weight.
Today, Asia and Liberty maintain a healthy weight on pasture grass, with occassional hay supplementation during cold weather days. Liberty has aged greatly during the last year, but Asia still runs and bucks like a two year old at feeding time. She is now on a new type of diet, one that will restrict her intake to prevent her from becoming obese.
On April 10th, 2009, Jessica Attaway was sentenced in Douglas County Circuit Court on one count of neglect. At sentencing, I spoke on behalf of Asia and Liberty. I also told the judge that we were aware of Ms. Attaway’s troubled youth and the fact that she was now a single mom. We did not ask for a jail sentence and in fact, only asked for the first 3 months of restitution of their care. At no time did Ms. Attaway accept any responsibility for her actions, choosing to plead no contest instead of guilty. The defense attorney plainly stated that Ms. Attaway clearly intends to have this case expunged, leaving no record of her criminal history. She then started to tell the judge that the reason for both horses being thin was their advanced age, only to have him cut her off to state “Age is not a factor in neglect”. We’d like to think the “after” pictures tell the story. Ms. Attaway refused to make eye contact or to view the before and after pictures presented during her sentencing.
Asia
Liberty
Jessica Attaway has been sentenced to 160 hours of community service, the maximum allowed under statute, to be performed at Saving Grace Animal Shelter, a $1000 fine, over $1700 in restitution and is prohibited from owning animals for five years. In addition, she is listed on PetAbuse.com.
