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Malnourished and injured horses seized in Columbiana County
The horses have been placed in a foster home while the investigation continues, but she says the humane society needs financial help and donations to care for the animals.
Friday, January 7th 2022, 12:42 PM EST
Updated:
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COLUMBIANA COUNTY, Ohio -
Columbiana County Humane Agents say they have seized three horses and are currently investigating whether criminal charges will be pressed.
Agent Erika Rice could not say where the horses were taken from due to the ongoing investigation but says all three were severely malnourished and two have injuries.
"Upon intake they were covered in manure and it was actually very difficult to determine what their body conditions were until we had them bathed and cleaned and what we found was some pretty damning evidence of some serious neglect over a long period of time," Rice said.
Rice said the injuries are to the horses' hooves and possibly result from standing in "filth" for an extended period of time.
"The other issue we are dealing with is their feet from standing in muck and manure are rotted out with something called thrush which is a fungal infection of the foot and causes the foot to actually rot," Rice said. "So our blacksmith and veterinarian are working very hard to get that cleared up and get them healthy so they can move on to happy lives with new owners."
The horses will now be rehabbed and brought back to health, a process that could take up to 6 months.
"They are not very old horses, the oldest is only like ten years old so they have a lot of life left in them and lot of work they can do," Rice said. "They can be show horses, they can be pasture pets, trail horses but first we need to get weight back on them which is a slow process for a horse, if you feed to quickly, they will cowlick and get very sick."
Rice says the horses have been placed in a foster home while the investigation continues, but she says the humane society needs financial help and donations to care for the animals.
Supplies needed includes: blankets, halters, vet wrap, and a thrush buster. Also, monetary donations for feed, hay, and vet bills. You can donate through their website or Facebook page.
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