Hollywood
("Freckles Pinup" - foaled 5/20/93)
QH Palomino Gelding
Arrived TGC 9/2018
I was approached by a riding horse camp in early 2018, asking if I could take one of their aging geldings. I agreed, but just not at that minute. Just as I was willing to take him, having lost Leo, Jet and Jeepers, my home burned down, and then suddenly we had an outbreak of strangles. Amazingly, the camp was still willing to care for him until we could take him! And so, late in 2018, Hollywood came to retire with us.
As do all the horses who come to TGC, Hollywood has something to teach me. He has a big sarcoid on his right leg above the hock.
This is what it looked like when he came in. On the doc's recommendation, we did a procedure where he scraped this hard material off, till the wound was open and bleeding, and I applied a salve on it. The salve was supposed to irritate the area, causing the immune system to come fight that, and in the process, 'discover' and fight the virus which causes this growth. Altho it was not in a really bad area, it was growing and would eventually cause problems, so just leaving it alone didn't seem like a good plan.
This was the same area, a few days after the first scraping. The salve is a nasty brown color, all of what you're seeing isn't the sarcoid, just stains from the salve.
This is as good as it got. The doc wanted me to wait till that raw part in the middle closed, and then felt we'd have to do the procedure again because mostly, the hard stuff he scraped off was still there, just not as raised. It never did close up.
This is what it looks like today, months later (3/26/19). Dr. Z has recommended redoing the entire procedure. So the icky salve is on order ($130!!) and when it arrives, I'll get him out to try again. Yuck.
Mostly, Hollywood stands alone. But since Keller died, Pepe has been trying to become his friend ... it's off and on, but I put them next door to each other and have hopes they can comfort each other.
The young woman who contacted me is personally giving a small monthly donation to help with his costs. But this sweet boy needs more help - can you consider a small monthly donation to be a part sponsor for him?
