Mar 19, 2009 6:23 am US/Eastern
Starved Horses Rescued By Last Chance Ranch
QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
Four horses are alive and well following an SPCA raid of a
home in Philadelphia.
Animal rescuers at the Last Chance Ranch say that the horses were saved from a
lifetime of malnourishment, disease and filth.
The horses have been at the ranch in Quakertown where they
have undergone treatment, but are still a long way from being at full strength.
"She needs at least 200 to 300 pounds,"
said
Lori McCutcheon about
'Saddie', the skinniest horse.
The horses
belonged to a woman who was trying to sell them. When prospective buyers saw
how malnourished the horses were, they contacted authorities who charged the
owner.
"She ended up getting in over her head and couldn't
afford to feed them. She was feeding them about a handful of hay twice a day
for four horses," said McCutcheon. "It's not necessary, there's help out
there, people who will take care of animals."
In the few days the horses have been at the rescue ranch, they
have not stopped eating, sometimes even fighting over food.
The stark contrast of the sprawling acres in Quakertown is vastly
different from the tight confinement of the city.
"It was three feet of swamp that she was standing in, manure
and muck; it wasn't a place to have anything, let alone a living, breathing animal,"
McCutcheon said of the horses dirty legs.
The ranch handlers believe it will take nearly three months
to fully rehabilitate the animals before they will be ready for adoption, a process
that will cost the ranch thousands of dollars.
RELATED LINKS:
Last Chance Ranch
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