RICHMOND, Va. – One of the 130 horses seized from a property in Shenandoah County earlier this month has had to be put down after stomach surgery.
"Things went south a little quicker than we hoped with Baby June a few hours ago and we made the decision to Hail Mary colic surgery," officials with Richmond Animal Care and Control wrote early Friday. "We understood the risk of anesthesia and it was either euthanize her or try surgery; thanks to your donations, we could try!"
The horse, who was being cared for at the Richmond shelter when workers discovered she was unable to move, underwent surgery to remove almost 30 pounds of sand from her stomach.
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Veterinarians at the Woodside Equine Clinic discovered the sand and gravel in her stomach, which she apparently ate due to starvation.
The team revealed in a Facebook post that the removal surgery cost about $6,000, which the community raised.
"We are not out of the woods yet, but she is doing as well as we can hope for her at this time," officials acknowledged.
Then late Friday came a heartbreaking update.
"We are devastated to share that Baby June is no longer with us," shelter officials wrote. "She was acting colicky this morning and our vet did an ultrasound, belly tap, and passed a tube... We opted to go back into surgery to confirm our suspicion and June was compromised beyond what we felt comfortable putting her through."
As a result, veterinarians said Baby June's "body was just too far gone," so the horse was euthanized "with everyone telling her how much we loved her and how sorry we were that we couldn’t save her."
"A very special thank you to Dr. Noll for being the most amazing surgeon and confidant," the Facebook post concluded. "We are mad and sad and angry and thankful all at the same time and above all, we hope she is running free in heaven."
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