VIDEO: Champ, once near death, is back on his hooves
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Champ, once near death, is back on his hooves - video
February 18, 2011
When miniature horse Champ arrived at an animal refuge in Florida he had hit rock bottom and needed help to get back on his hooves.
Laurie Hood and Champ.
The two-year-old was 170 pounds underweight when seized from his Freeport owners and brought to Laurie Hood, founder of Alaqua Animal Refuge.
Petabuse.com reports that when Champ first arrived on August 20, he couldn't stand up on his own.
Once he was up, he barely had the strength to hold up what was left of him, weighing in at 80 pounds.
"He had sores all over from his bones rubbing against the ground," said Dave Henderson, the first veterinarian on the scene.
Henderson, who can usually be found working at Village Vet in Destin, got the call from Hood around noon and made it out to Freeport to treat the malnourished mini by 2pm.
When he arrived in Freeport that Friday, he got right to work on the little guy, performing a slew of standard tests ruling out all possibilities that his extreme weight was from any problems within.
Henderson found no real issues, which confirmed what the team felt was pretty clear from the start - he was simply starving.
"As soon as we put food in front of him he starting munching down right away," said Henderson.
A court case remains unresolved against Champ's owner.
"If it was intentional, then I hope there is punishment," she said. "But these cases get thrown out for so many different reasons ... If anything, I just want to let people know what's going on so they can get mad, too."
Hood, who has helped many animals bounce back from near starvation, has seen the rewards first hand of nursing an animal back to life.
Committed to help Champ's will to survive, she stayed with him the first four nights he arrived in the barn, feeding him every few hours.
Nicholas William Sconiers, 28, has filed a motion to dismiss the felony animal cruelty case against him and has pleaded not guilty.
A judge will rule on his dismissal motion on March 1.
February 18, 2011
When miniature horse Champ arrived at an animal refuge in Florida he had hit rock bottom and needed help to get back on his hooves.
Laurie Hood and Champ.
The two-year-old was 170 pounds underweight when seized from his Freeport owners and brought to Laurie Hood, founder of Alaqua Animal Refuge.
Petabuse.com reports that when Champ first arrived on August 20, he couldn't stand up on his own.
Once he was up, he barely had the strength to hold up what was left of him, weighing in at 80 pounds.
"He had sores all over from his bones rubbing against the ground," said Dave Henderson, the first veterinarian on the scene.
Henderson, who can usually be found working at Village Vet in Destin, got the call from Hood around noon and made it out to Freeport to treat the malnourished mini by 2pm.
Henderson found no real issues, which confirmed what the team felt was pretty clear from the start - he was simply starving.
"As soon as we put food in front of him he starting munching down right away," said Henderson.
A court case remains unresolved against Champ's owner.
"If it was intentional, then I hope there is punishment," she said. "But these cases get thrown out for so many different reasons ... If anything, I just want to let people know what's going on so they can get mad, too."
Hood, who has helped many animals bounce back from near starvation, has seen the rewards first hand of nursing an animal back to life.
Committed to help Champ's will to survive, she stayed with him the first four nights he arrived in the barn, feeding him every few hours.
Nicholas William Sconiers, 28, has filed a motion to dismiss the felony animal cruelty case against him and has pleaded not guilty.
A judge will rule on his dismissal motion on March 1.