Two more horses seized in Franklin County

VIRGINIA -- In the midst of severe storm recovery and grieving the loss of one of their horses, the Roanoke Valley Horse Rescue (RVHR) is now being called to the aid of two additional horses.
 
Franklin County Animal Control seized an 18-year-old mare and her foal from their owner last Wednesday morning and brought them to the rescue for care.

“The black mare is extremely emaciated,” said RVHR Founder Pat Muncy.

 

The rescue’s attending veterinarian has rated the mare a 1.5 on a body scale of 10 and said she is 300 pounds underweight.

The foal, a 5-week-old male, weighed in at 175 pounds and attempts to nurse, but the mother is struggling to produce the amount of milk needed to sustain the baby, Muncy said. The mare will need to be fed small amounts every two hours during the first few days in order to stimulate milk production.

Updates on both the mare and the foal can be found on the rescue’s Facebook page.
The case against the owner is still under investigation.

The new intakes have arrived just after the horse rescue sustained $30,000 in damages from a severe storm on June 18, which killed a young thoroughbred horse and injured three others.

Several hundred feet of fencing was also damaged by falling trees and wind, along with some of the horse barns.

Muncy has since set up a Go-Fund-Me page to help with fundraising. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/xfkyfw or www.rvhr.com.

Roanoke Valley Horse Rescue (RVHR)

From now through July 3, Wood Grains in Rocky Mount is donating 10-percent of its profits to the Horse Rescue in hopes of raising enough funds to help them rebuild.

“Once again, we are in great need of monetary donations to help cover each horse’s medical bills, along with purchasing supplies of senior feeds, Timothy and alfalfa chopped hay, alfalfa cubes, weight builders, rice bran, legends omega plus beet pulp, canned corn, corn oil and corn flakes,” Muncy said.

The following stores work with the RVHR and carry specific items the rescue will need to help their horses recover:

•Moneta Farm in Bedford (Triple Crown Senior and Omega Plus), ask for Tina at (540) 297-5558.

•Doc’s Feeds in Salem (Sentinel LS and Sentinel Senior), (540) 380-3433.

•Tractor Supply in Rocky Mount (Sentinel LS and Sentinel Senior), ask for Trina Beverly at (540) 334-1109.

Gift cards to Tractor Supply, Kroger, Food Lion, Walmart or Sam’s Club are also being accepted to purchase needed supplies.

To make monetary donations to the rescue, use their online GiveDirect or PayPal at www.rvhr.com, with the note of “Mare and Foal” on the donation.

“We want to thank everyone for their support and for spreading the word about the animals here in our care,” said Muncy. “Together we can make a difference in a life.”

(The Franklin News-Post - June 29, 2015)