2015 Bay Percheron/QH Cross Gelding
Retired Scottsdale Police Department Horse
We met Zorro in June of 2022 when searching to find a new police horse. I noticed he had a slight gait abnormality on his R hind but he was so good, so sweet, willing to learn to be a police horse. We brought him to SPD for a month trial, plus a pre-purchase and didn't see a true reason for the right hind. In August 2022, he suddenly stopped passing manure, so he came over to SW Equine Hospital and found he was completely plugged up and had an abscess in his rectum. So he stayed hospitalized for a week and came home on meds. He recovered and was rested for awhile since the barn got flooded by a monsoon!
He's got what?!
In January 2023, he came up lame on his R front, could only find some arthritis in coffin joint, so injected that. Two weeks later, his lameness wasn't improved and he stopped passing manure....again. So another trip over to SW, and I mentioned to our vet when he does this it is as if he doesn't feel his rectum, as he doesn't have pain. So we got out the ultrasound and looked down this time and saw he has an old pelvic fracture! He has a bone fragment that sits on the S1 nerve root, that is why he loses feeling and will stop passing manure. So his days as a police horse were over. So what next? Only options are a home that can deal with him or euthanasia. I offered to take on the challenge of his care, it was taken up the chain of command at SPD, and we got the approval to bring him home!
The Future?
As long as we can keep Zorro comfortable he will live as long as horsely possible! Started him on some supplements to see if we can minimize the issues with his pelvis/nerve issues. Time will tell how long of a future he has, but for now he is doing great!