An elderly gelding who had found “a new lease of life” since his recent move to a sanctuary has been put down after he was bitten by an adder.
Freshfields Animal Rescue in Caernarforn, North Wales, welcomed 30-year-old Ty at the end of May following his owner’s death. The gelding arrived at the charity underweight and had started treatment for arthritis.
Groom Vanessa Williams told H&H Ty had settled in “brilliantly” and become friends with the charity’s other elderly horses, 35-year-old Sally and 32-year-old Cherry.
“When he first arrived he looked very tired. He had a full MoT from the vet and we were feeding him four times a day,” she said.
“In three weeks he put weight on and he loved his old girls, they all went out together every day and would come into the big agricultural building at night. He really had found a new lease of life.”
Vanessa said last Thursday (8 July) she noticed Ty lying down a lot, which “wasn’t unusual” for him.
“I’ve always been concerned about his back end as he was very weak so he would often lie down. On Friday morning I arrived and he didn’t come out of the building so I brought his breakfast over to him. I noticed his right hind leg and sheath were extremely swollen and boiling hot to touch,” she said.
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“The vet arrived and said he’d been bitten by an adder but we couldn’t see a wound. His leg was getting bigger in front of us and spots of serum were bursting out. His heart was racing and he kept going down and struggling to get back up.”
The “heartbreaking” decision was made to put Ty down.
“The vet was concerned he was going to have a heart attack and he was in distress. I just wish we could have done more,” said Vanessa.
“He was an absolute gentleman, he loved his cuddles and scratches. He wasn’t with us long but he really pulled on our heart strings. We’re devastated.”
Vanessa said the vet warned that cloudy but warm weather conditions are favourable for adders, and the charity hopes to make more people aware of the risk.
“The vet has seen other adder bites and knew straight away that’s what it was. When Ty was collected by the disposal man he said he’s seen lots of bites on cattle too,” she said.
“I’ve known dogs to be bitten but never a horse. We have rehomed nearly 20 horses in the past year so we have more grass than usual and it’s been the perfect environment for them. We want others to be vigilant and if you’re ever in doubt, to contact your vet.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
