I'm a friend of John's human caretaker, Laurie Mearns, and have taken on the task of fundraising to help her pay for John's care and surgery. Laurie's bills will total more than $5000 and will be put on her credit card, so all donations will go to her so she can pay down her credit card bill.
The surgery will be done by http://www.rhinebeckequine.com/ and we have a lot of faith in them and in John's will to live.
John injured himself while playing with his friend Rocky in late August of 2016. Here are some of Laurie's posts to Facebook that describe what happened and is happening.
1/17/17
Just because there is never a dull moment with John, we have a new development in his ever evolving head trauma saga.
Aug 31 he slammed his head into the barn, causing a hairline fracture to his lower jaw and damaging his TMJ (which resulted in short term facial paralysis which made eating & drinking impossible for 4 days).
He showed excellent improvement until Nov. 3 when he presented with total paralysis of his optic nerves, requiring round the clock treatment because he could not blink.
He has been progressing slowly - pupil and eye movement have returned to normal, and blinking, while not 100 percent has been improving every day.
Today his head is grossly swollen. Tight, hot swelling from his ear to his eye.
Vet believes a bone splinter or pocket of blood have abscessed and is trying to work its way out. I believe this also, though it IS possible he banged his head again.
We are hot compressing and closely watching his attitude, pain level and checking his rectal temp several times a day.
He is having an Ultrsound on Friday in case she can see the mass
and aspirate it, but we would both rather have it work out
naturally.
Abscesses really are quite amazing.
He remains happy/cheerful/eating and a dream to work around, but he needs your loving thoughts - I have a feeling this will be the Grand Finale ~ I am very scared but we have overcome SO much - we carry on and hope for the best!
1/26/17
It is serious - long story short.....he does have an infection. I have believed there was an abscess trying to work its way out for some time.
Last Saturday he stopped eating and was very swollen.
With
ultra sound a pocket was located and a sample was aspirated.
John has a MRSA inection below his TMJ.
This is unusual - The
Vet and I are shocked.
The Surgeon felt the changes to his joint *should* be managable unless the infection is in the joint ~ making the joint septic.
It is unlikely his body will be able to push the infection out, and it is unlikely that antibiotic therapy will touch it.
My choices are:
> Putting him to sleep
> Sending
him for surgery where the outcome is favorable if it is
simply
a "pocket" and very poor if the joint is septic.
> John's Vet is willing to open it and try to flush it and
put in a drain, but it is not something that is normally done
outside of a Hospital/Surgical setting. Prognosis is unknown.
Today he is bright and cheerful - unable to eat hay but enjoying
his soaked hay pellets and hay cubes. He has lost some considerable
weightt.
We (the Vet) just pulled 35cc's of purulent material
from the "pocket" in the hopes of giving him enough relief
to eat/drink and be in good enough condition to face either Surgery
(whether at the Hospital or "Field Surgery".
I am in an emotional dead zone right now - taking one day at a time and hoping the best course to take becomes clear to me.
This whole ordeal has pretty much drained my energy and financial reserves. I do need to stay very focused - so forgive me if I don' t connect with you or am not able to respond to pm's.
1/31/17
My beautiful horse is going for surgery in the morning.
I am absolutely terrified, but we believe this gives him the best shot of a full recovery.
Wish us strength.
2/1/17
From a private message from Laurie earlier today:
[The vet] believes the eye and guttural pouch may be involved in the infection
