Valentina’s previous owner needed to sell her to continue his college studies. She came to us in reasonable health. Her primary issue was having lived in a corral with shoes that had not allowed her hoofs to grow normally and she was in significant pain from that. At Tinas Jo’s Promise Valentina received the necessary farrier services and medical care. Her hoofs healed up. Valentina was happy in her new home. She bonded with Atticus, a gelding who fiercely protected her and loved her back. They were an “item” until Atticus passed away suddenly, after which Valentina went into a deep depression. She was in fear of being with the other horses without her protector by her side and she was clearly very sad. She was put in a corral space all her own where she could see the other horses but was isolated from them so that she didn’t need to fear them. But her depression was heartbreaking. She would stand with her face to the wall much of the day. She also had had some issues with a uterine infection off and on and had been treated with antibiotics. This longstanding infection became worse while she was “in mourning” and, in addition to large amounts of discharge coming from her female parts, she lost a lot of weight. She suffered from endometriosis and pyometra (both very painful uterine infections) for over a year. Antibiotics and sulfa drugs were not able to cure it. Valentina was at risk of dying from either a broken heart or from a major uterine infection. We took her to the vet school in Mexicali and they discovered a closed cervix with scar tissue. After two uterine lavages per day for a week and antibiotics via an IV administered directly into the uterus daily, they determined that the only long-term solution would be an ovariohysterectomy. We were determined to bring her emotional and physical health back to a place where her days would be filled with joy. In mid-March, Valentina went to Mexicali for surgery.
Valentina had two surgeries on March 12, 2022. The surgeons needed access to her internal organs from two different parts of her body. The surgeons said that both surgeries went well, but they had never seen a uterus in worse shape than hers due to her chronic endometriosis. So, we definitely did the right thing by removing it, and both surgeries were successful. THANK YOU, Dr. Daniel Rico Romo! While this surgery saved the life of one mare, Valentina, the larger contribution is that it was the first surgery of its kind (laparoscopic ovariectomy followed by hysterectomy) ever done on a mare in Mexico. This technique was recently developed and successfully performed by veterinarians at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in CA, USA, and other vet schools around the world. Veterinary surgeons and professors from two Mexican schools of veterinary medicine (UABC Mexicali and UNAM Mexico City) performed the surgery, thus enabling current and future generations of Mexican veterinary students to learn this new, groundbreaking procedure. Valentina provided a perfect opportunity for the teaching of this technique as she has none of the other disorders that usually follow with an infection of this type and of this duration (laminitis, to name one). Valentina is currently thriving at TJP. She has found and bonded with her forever love, Cassidy.