Squirt is a ten month old Miniature Horse gelding who was brought to the rescue by a caring individual who felt Squirt needed a second chance. Squirt and his companion, a Pygmy Goat named 7-Up, were in danger of going to slaughter as their previous owner had no use for a little goat and a lame horse. Squirt was born with an angular deformity of his front legs which causes him to walk on the insides of his hooves. Despite Squirt's defect, his heart remains big and strong, and his zest for life never fails to bring a smile to those he meets at the touch of his little nose in an affectionate gesture of trusting acceptance.

Upon arriving at Second Chance Dobes, Squirt was taken to Michigan State University's large animal hospital for x-rays and a diagnosis. It was found that he is missing the vital structures within the joints of his lower legs that give his feet the support they need to remain erect, allowing him to walk normally. Corrective shoeing was initiated, but has proven to be a very painful process. Squirt is having a very hard time walking and is showing obvious signs of pain. It was decided after consulting with several horseowners, farriers and an equine podiatrist, that it would be in Squirt's best interest to remove the corrective shoes and to find a more positive form of treatmentt. Second Chance Dobes was put in contact with Dr. Ric Redden, an innovative veterinarian, farrier and horseman, who for years has been on the cutting edge of technology, developing ideas, products and services to meet the equine podiatry needs of today's horse. The inital steps of setting up a consultation with Dr. Redden have been taken, and Squirt's case will be evaluated in great detail in an effort to determine the best possible solution to his problem. The angle of approach, thus far, will involve proper bracing to address Squirt's ankle support issue. Once we've established a solid basis of support, corrective shoeing will come into play to realign Squirt's feet and bones back into their correct positions. The good thing is that we have age working for us--Squirt is still a youngster who will continue to grow for quite a while, which offers us the benefit of being able to manipulate the structures of his legs to achieve our goals as he continues to develop.

Second Chance Dobes is asking for you to open your heart and generosity to Squirt to help offset the financial burdens of his future treatments. There is hope that Squirt will lead a perfectly normal, pain free life once his condition has been fully assessed and treatment has been initiated. With that hope comes our obiligation to him to try our very best at offering him exactly what he needs by way of medical treatment. So far his vet bills have amounted to over $1,500, which has placed quite a strain on the donation funds available for such cases.

Please help us help Squirt in providing this little bundle of joy with the quality of life he so deserves. We thank you for taking the time to read about Squirt, and in opening your hearts to helping him--every good thought and penny you can offer will make a big difference!