One of the most upsetting and frustrating situations we face at ARCH is where a vet has not been able to treat a sick or wounded horse and the owner has left the animal to suffer in pain. We were alerted to the case of a horse with a grossly swollen knee, kept in a chained area in Huelva. SEPRONA had been called, but initially had been unable to gain access. They finally managed to enter the property and discovered that the six-year-old horse had an apparently broken leg after being kicked several month ago. There were conflicting stories as to the obvious lack of veterinary care.
Bartólo, a beautiful young boy with spectacular blue and white colouring was brought to the Centre, where X-rays revealed that his main leg bone was broken. We consulted with specialised surgeons at the veterinary hospital in Cordoba who initially thought there might be a chance of saving him. Sadly, following another meeting with our vet and the equine surgeon and a reassessment of Bartólo’s x-rays, it appeared that too much time had elapsed since the injury. The leg had been broken 5 months ago and the healing bone was deformed. This meant that no operation would improve his mobility. After extensive consultation with our vets, and once he was legally the responsibility of ARCH, Bartólo was peacefully put to sleep. There was nothing that could be done to improve the quality of his life. The only thing we could do was to end his months of pain. It is always a sad decision but in this case it was the kindest option. R.I.P. beautiful boy.