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Our sweet Loretta has been fighting a medical battle we never saw coming.

For months, she had been losing weight for reasons we couldn’t understand. Her appetite was great, her personality was the same, and she was still the gentle, steady horse who loved giving lessons. When we called the vet out the first time, we were told she just needed more food. Even though it didn’t quite make sense, we followed their directions — but Loretta continued to lose weight.

We brought the vet back, and bloodwork showed elevated liver levels, but because her liver was still functioning, we were again told to increase her feed. We did everything we were instructed to do, but Loretta continued to decline. Eventually, she became weak enough that we had no choice but to take her to the hospital.

That’s when the real answer finally came.

After multiple tests, Loretta was diagnosed with severe ulcers and an aggressive bacterial infection in her gut. She had barely shown any signs of discomfort, so it was a complete shock to learn just how sick she truly was.

Loretta spent over two weeks in the hospital, fighting for her life. Her treatment cost $500 per day, and her total bill ended up being over $10,000.

She is home now, recovering in the incredibly skilled and loving care of Tyler at Tough Luck Trio — the same person who helped us save our baby horse Lefty. Without them, we truly don’t know where we’d be.

But Loretta is not out of the woods yet.

Her daily care is still around $50 a day, not including the support we give to Tough Luck Trio for their time and dedication.

This is a long journey, and we cannot do it without the support of our friends, barn family, and community. Every single share, donation, or kind word helps us keep fighting for her.