Update: Horse Rescue Needs Help for Starving Horses
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MADISON COUNTY, Tenn.- The Road to Redemption Rescue that saved four horses from a home where deputies said owners were starving horses to death, is asking for help in the rehabilitation process. Officials said calls to the Humane Society led the owner’s property to be investigated. Animal rescue officials with Road to Redemption Rescue found the horses in a terrible living situation with no food or water. Road to Redemption founder Lori Collums said her staff is doing everything in their power to rehabilitate the abused horses but her rescue needs help. “Hope seems to get harder to hold on to but never the less we hold on to it hoping that somebody will come and help this rescue,” said Collums, “The possibility of not having the rescue to help these horses is really hard to even think about.” After the horses were taken into custody, Collums said they were evaluated by a veterinarian who gave them a two score on a 1-9 scale. Vets said the horses had reached a point where their bodies were in starvation mode. “The only other horse I’ve seen like that was lying dead on the ground,” said Volunteer Melissa Floyd. Vets said the level that this level of malnutrition is often hopeless because a horse’s organs will shut down if the animal has gone without water for too long. Rescuers said even though the horses are barely hanging on, they are still fighting to survive. “I cant look in their eyes and not help them,” said Floyd. “The unfortunate truth about this is we see conditions like this a lot.” Collums said the need for rescue is outweighing what her organization can afford. “The level of horses that need rescue is an unbelievable amount of horses and right now the amount that we can bring in is way below the standard of what we want to bring in,” said Collums. Road to Redemption Rescue now houses over 20 rescues. Rescuers said 10 of those are eligible for adoption. Rescue officials said volunteers are paying out of pocket to care for the animals. Collums said their resources are low and her organization needs donations in order to keep running. Here is a list of basic needs Road to Redemption Needs: Hay, Rine Wood Shavings, Salt Blocks, De-Wormer, Alpha Oats, Sweet Feed, Buckets, Wheelbarrows, Hay Forks, Cherry Pickers, Pooper Scoopers, Halters, and Lead Ropes. Contact the Deming Vet Services or R and J Feed if you would like to donate to the Road to Redemption Account. If you are interested in fostering a rescue call (731) 616-1440.
