Charlie

Charlie arrived here just before the Australia Day long weekend in January 2009. A 3yr old Quarter Horse Colt who had barely reached 13h. I was told he had been bitten by a whitetail spider and it may take 12 months before he would be well.

The minute he stepped off the truck I could tell he had major issues. Nothing at all to do with a spider! Charlie had abcessed teeth and a severe worm burden. I have no doubt why this little guy failed to thrive and grow. He was sent with the prescribed medication for a misdiagnosed condition which was also inappropriate and completely inadequate. The saddest part about this story is that with just a little TLC and attention this could have been prevented. Charlie had two small holes in either side of his face where the infection had burst out from his teeth. He required puss cleaned from these areas and antibiotics twice daily.
It is now 7 weeks on. He has been wormed twice, had his teeth done twice, been gelded and picked up condition. Charlie will remain on medication for another few weeks to clear the remaining infection in the offside of his face. I had been really happy with his progress, however, his face again blew up on the 25th March. We took him straight to Scone for more Xrays which revealed he will certainly need an operation to remove two teeth.

About Charlie

Charlie arrived here just before the Australia Day long weekend in January 2009. A 3yr old Quarter Horse Colt who had barely reached 13h. I was told he had been bitten by a whitetail spider and it may take 12 months before he would be well.

The minute he stepped off the truck I could tell he had major issues. Nothing at all to do with a spider! Charlie had abcessed teeth and a severe worm burden. I have no doubt why this little guy failed to thrive and grow. He was sent with the prescribed medication for a misdiagnosed condition which was also inappropriate and completely inadequate. The saddest part about this story is that with just a little TLC and attention this could have been prevented.

Charlie had two small holes in either side of his face where the infection had burst out from his teeth. He required puss cleaned from these areas and antibiotics twice daily. It is now 7 weeks on. He has been wormed twice, had his teeth done twice, been gelded and picked up condition. Charlie will remain on medication for another few weeks to clear the remaining infection in the offside of his face.

I had been really happy with his progress, however, his face again blew up on the 25th March. We took him straight to Scone for more Xrays which revealed he will certainly need an operation to remove two teeth.

April 2009 Update

I took Charlie to Scone for his operation on the 28th of April. After an initial delay the surgery finally took place a week later. Charlie was pretty impressed up until that point. It was the first time in weeks that I had actually taken him somewhere on the float that did not directly result in veterinary poking and prodding. Until, of course, the tools came out!!! Poor Charlie, 4 hours of surgery and the vet was still unable to get a good enough grip on the crown of either tooth to extract it. The teeth are still not protruding enough to get an accurate grip. These two teeth are also inconsistent in their development unlike a normal tooth. They are actually crumbling when gripped. So, again, we have to wait and hope for growth. The vet has advised to turn him out for another 3 months when we will review the growth. It is possible we may have to wait up to 6 months before a successful operation can take place.

May 2009 Update

After returning from Scone with Charlie I monitored his progress at home for a week. He is such a special boy. Not once has he objected to any of the treatments or handling the entire time he has been with us. He loads himself on the float and travels so quietly you would not know he was there. At home he gallops around the paddock kicking and bucking like a two year old. He has put on so much weight the change is incredible. He has even grown a couple of inches!! Thank God!!

A bit of background …..In the most bizarre turn of events we discovered when Charlie arrived that he had been bred locally by good friends of ours, Sue and Ted Sandery, only a few k’s up the road. They were absolutely mortified to find out what had happened to Charlie. He had been sold in good faith as a stunning foal at foot with his much loved mother. He had been intentionally sold to be used as the Stud Stallion by the new owners. In fact, the purchaser had sent regular emails telling Sue and Ted how well he and his mother were going. What an absolute shock it was for them to find out that the mare had died through a tragic accident within 24hrs of leaving their property, and Charlie had been promoted as a rescue horse!! The story goes on and gets worse with all the lies and deceit. So much so that it actually sickens me to think about it. How some people sleep at night is beyond me. On the positive side, Sue and Ted are now so pleased Charlie is back here they are doing their bit as his carers for the next few months until surgery. Thanks heaps to Sue and Ted. They are fantastic people and very reputable animal owners and lovers. I did not hesitate in accepting their offer to care for Charlie for the next few months.

June 2009 Update

We ran a fundraiser BBQ at Bunnings for AHW on the 5th of this month. Yes, it was a Friday. Fridays are quite new to our local Bunnings store. So new in fact that we were only the second team to do one. Our profit for the day was $274.00. Not a huge amount in comparison to what we can earn on a Saturday or Sunday. However, I’m sure they will improve as people get to know they are on. We have also had several “online” donations this month which is just fantastic. Thank you to all who have assisted so far. Stay tuned for the next update.

October 2009 Update

Charlie was due to go back to the Vet this month to see if the teeth had grown down enough to perform the operation. However, he was doing so well it appeared that he may have grown enough that the problem had rectified itself. At this stage we will watch him till after Xmas and see how he is looking.

January 2010 Update

Just when we thought he was in the clear, Charlie’s face is again swollen and mucky. Sue is bathing it daily which keeps him clean. But he will now have to have the operation. In the midst of the last few months, the dental specialist we need to send him to has moved to Toowoomba!! So now we have to send him north. Organising the logistics is not a problem, its just the extra cost that may be a drama.

March 2010 Update

Charlie’s vet has kindly offered to keep the cost of the operation down to accommodate the transport fees. We will now be organising to send him asap. Please be assured that whilst this process seems to have taken “forever” Charlie has been in the best of spirits. Too good in fact. We really need to get him started under saddle, he has so much built up energy to expel!

May 2010 Update

Well finally the day is here! Fortunately for us, our vet is back in town at the moment and we have been able to get Charlie booked in at Newcastle Equine Hospital tomorrow morning (31st May).

June 2010 Update

We picked Charlie up from hospital this morning (2nd June). The operation went well and we were surprised to see his face looking so well only 2 days after the op. He was so happy to be back in the paddock kicking up his heels. The vet will check him in another few days to ensure he is recovering well. Other than that, we expect it to be all onward and upward from this point. A big thanks to Doug Edlington (Equine Dental Technician) and all the staff at Newcastle Equine Centre for looking after Charlie during his stay.