SAVING SUNDAE
LISA JAMES/Press Maddy Baker sits with Sundae, a pony she and her mother Kathy Baker found in a state of reported neglect near their house in Post Falls this past winter. Maddy has been helping her neighbor, Kevin Pozas, who took Sundae in, nurse her back to health. A GoFundMe page for Sundae has helped cover expenses and the cost of upcoming surgeries.
Courtesy photo This photo taken on Feb. 18 of this year shows a pony some neighbors in the Meadows subdivision in Post Falls were concerned about. The ownership of the pony was transferred two days later and a group of nearby residents and horse care professionals have been treating it. It was given the name Sundae by the new owner.
LISA JAMES/PressKevin Pozas and his wife are taking care of Sundae, a pony who was being kept in a field near their house in Post Falls and was found in a state of reported neglect this past winter. Malnourished and weak, Pozas described her as "within days of death". As a result of the reported neglect, Sundae's hooves have grown thick and spread out which has caused her ankles to buckle, making it difficult for her to walk.
LISA JAMES/PressKevin Pozas and his neighbor Maddy Baker, talk about Sundae's progress since Maddy and her mother found the pony in a reported state of neglect near their Post Falls home this winter. With their help, Pozas and his wife are trying to nurse Sundae back to health. While her overall condition is now healthy, problems with her hooves and legs cause her pain and limit her mobility, calling her quality of life into question.
LISA JAMES/PressMaddy Baker shows where the back of a pony's hoof should end when it is worn down by activity or maintained by a Ferrier. Sundae, the pony she and her mother found in a state of reported neglect near their house in Post Falls this past winter. As a result of the reported neglect, Sundae's hooves have grown thick and spread out which has caused her ankles to buckle, making it difficult for her to walk.
LISA JAMES/PressSundae, a pony who was found in a state of reported neglect in Post Falls this past winter. Malnourished and weak, Sundae was described as "within days of death". As a result of the reported neglect, Sundae's hooves have grown thick and spread out which has caused her ankles to buckle, making it difficult for her to walk.
LISA JAMES/PressKevin Pozas talks with Sundae, a pony found in a state of reported neglect near his house in Post Falls this past winter. He and his wife took Sundae in and have been nursing her back to health. A GoFundMe page for Sundae has helped covered expenses and the cost of upcoming surgeries.
LISA JAMES/Press Kevin Pozas and his neighbor Maddy Baker watch Sundae walk towards them to get grain as they talk about the progress she's made since Maddy and her mother found the pony in a reported state of neglect near their Post Falls home this winter. With their help, Pozas and his wife are trying to nurse Sundae back to health. While her overall condition is now healthy, problems with her hooves and legs cause her pain and limit her mobility, calling her quality of life into question.
LISA JAMES/Press Sundae has to wear a muzzle outside of the barn to keep her from eating the grass, which has too much sugar and aggrivates her laminitis, a condition that inflames the tissue in her hooves which are already damaged from neglect. The pony was rescued from a field where it was being kept in Post Falls this past winter. Malnourished and weak, she was described her as "within days of death". As a result of the reported neglect, Sundae's hooves have grown thick and spread out which has caused her ankles to buckle, making it difficult for her to walk.
By BRIAN WALKER
Staff Writer
POST FALLS — Kathy Baker said she couldn't believe her eyes as she drove through her Post Falls neighborhood.
She noticed what she thought was a neglected pony.
"As a horse owner myself, I recognized that this animal was severely underweight," Baker said of the discovery on Feb. 18.
"Upon return from my errand, I noticed that the pony had not moved and was in a rather awkward position, not something typical of a horse. After taking a closer look, I could see that the pony's hooves were severely malformed and that it could not walk."
Baker said the pony was eating the manure it was lying in and there was no food or water in sight. She learned that a neighbor in the Meadows subdivision had already reported the animal to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, which had given the owner two weeks to remedy the situation.
Peter Haynos, the pony's owner at the time, denies that the pony was neglected.
"Animal control said people were worried that I was not feeding her, but she had food and water," he said. "She had founder [a disease affecting the horse's feet] when we got her, but we weren't told that. We were told that she was allergic to alfalfa.
"If anything, I overfed her. She had free range of the pasture."
Haynos said he owned the 13-year-old pony for about four years. He said he had a veterinarian out to put the pony on an intravenous therapy because it was in pain.
"It was painful for her to walk around," he said. "She was tender-footed when we got her and she just continued to get worse."
Haynos said he originally planned to give up the pony to a company from Bonners Ferry that makes dog food.
"If people were complaining that I wasn't taking care of her, that would have been an easier avenue for me," he said, adding he believed the cost to treat the pony would outweigh what he believed was a dim future for her.
But Haynos, with the urging of neighbors, agreed to transfer ownership of the pony on Feb. 20 to neighbors Kevin and Sally Pozas.
Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Spokesman Dennis Stinebaugh said no charges had been filed as of Monday, but the case is still active.
"It is still under investigation and a conclusion is expected in the very near future," he said.
Today, the pony is being cared for at a residence in the same neighborhood. With the help of a lot of hands, it’s making remarkable strides in recovery, Baker said.
"We are grateful he decided to give her up," said Baker, who is the principal at Greensferry Elementary in Post Falls. "A vet was called out to decide if she should be put down immediately at our expense. The vet was hesitant, but decided there was a small chance she could make it. The pony was literally carried out of the field by six people as she could not walk."
With the assistance of the Pozases, neighbors and horse care professionals, the pony has improved at her new home. Sally named her Sundae because it reminded her of a vanilla sundae with chocolate sauce.
"She looks healthy but continues to be in pain and walks gingerly," Kevin said.
Sundae is slated to have surgery May 10 at McKinlay Peters Equine Hospital. The hospital and farrier Randy Morris have been treating the pony.
Sundae will undergo more aggressive hoof trimming under sedation.
"Her prognosis is iffy due to the laminitis [inflammation of the tissues that bond the hoof wall to the coffin bone in the hoof] and founder despite her now gleaming coat and the fact that if she stands just right you can no longer count her ribs," Baker said.
Still, an army of helpers is hoping for the best and supporting Sundae's fighting spirit and will to live.
As of Monday, $3,210 had been raised toward a goal of $3,500 through an online benefit account at http://bit.ly/2pypw1K to help fund Sundae's ongoing expenses.
"Sundae has a tiring regimen of hoof soaking, leg splinting and med cocktails," Baker said. "She has gained about 200 pounds and can now walk but is still on heavy pain meds due to the damage to her feet and a severe coffin bone rotation."
Kevin said he and Sally are playing it by ear on whether to keep Sundae after her future is more clear.
"We hadn't planned on keeping her, but my wife is an animal lover," he said. "We have a small setup and don't have another horse."
Kevin said Sundae's progress and those who have stepped forward to help have been inspiring.
"The steps that she has made have been unbelievable," he said.