Spud was a very special 25 year old senior horse. An adorable Bashkir Curly gelding, he came to us six and a half years ago in terrible condition. He was emaciated, among other things, and had a previously fractured pelvis which had turned arthritic. And yet, his personality shined through. Because he had a complex variety of conditions needing special care, we decided not to adopt him out, but to place him in long-term foster care with his devoted foster mom, Gina.
Just recently, it became clear that his arthritis was progressing to the point that was no longer comfortable. These are the decisions that gut us, but that as stewards of these magnificent animals, we must make.
We all will miss Spud -- especially Gina. And we cannot thank Gina enough for the love and care she lavished on Spud during the last years of his life. He was happy and well cared for and knew he was loved.
SPUD'S BACKSTORY
Spud is a 1998 Bashkir Curly gelding that stands at 14.1 hands. Spud was released to Skagit County Animal Control on 4/28/2017 with a 2/9 Body Condition Score, lice, and fungal skin infections. We later discovered that Spud also had a previously fractured pelvis. Unfortunately, due to the progressive deterioration of his pelvic fracture and associated arthritic, Spud is now in Long-Term Care with his loving foster family and is not available for adoption.
Spud's foster home says:
What can I say about Spud? In short, he is adorable, and full of personality. He is always gentle, never pushy, waits at the gate the minute he hears my car come in the driveway. He follows me around in the pasture poking his nose at what I’m doing, nibbles gently at my hand or nickers when he is hungry. If he doesn’t like the taste of something, like dewormer, he makes the funniest faces for quite a while afterward. He is by far the easiest horse to be around I have ever met- gentle and sweet.
