Diamond's Recovery Diary

AERO received a call from an owner in need about a wonderful young Appaloosa mare that was diagnosed with cancer in her eyelid.  Cancer in an eyelid is a dangerous situation for a horses since it can spread quickly to the bone, brain and eye itself.  These are serious cases that must be treated immediately and friends of AERO quickly responded to the owner's need for help due to unusual circumstances that made the surgery out of reach.  Diamond is eligible under the Owner Assistance program for one-time aid with the surgical expense to save her life.  AERO is proud to present Diamond's recovery diary logging the incredible events of the this rescue.  Diamond is a unique horse that has beaten the statistics for her condition due to the cancer spreading to her bone and sinus that the surgery could not address. Special Thanks to Dr. Julie Cary for her expertise and continued support of AERO horses (and her extensively donated time on follow up care of Diamond).  Special thanks to Amazon Herbs and Joe Cerecedes of Mycosphere for giving us very special pricing on products for Diamond!  Diary is updated from most to least recent events.

BE ADVISED THAT PICTURES OF THE SURGERY THAT ARE GRAPHIC ARE ON A LINKED PAGE.  THOSE PICTURES REQUIRE PARENTAL DISCRETION BEFORE CHILDREN VIEW THEM.

7/25/05 - 4:00pm - Special thanks to Dr. Cary and all the staff at Cave Creek Equine and AERO volunteers for helping us send Diamond off in spirit for Diamond's family.  When her spirit left her a single bird flew over her to show her the way and she is very happy now.  We were all touched by Diamond's time with AERO and she has inspired our Horses for Healing program.  This page will be moved to the In Loving Memory area in a few days.

7/20/05 - Noon - Diamond will be going in to Cave Creek Equine on Monday for her final good-bye.  She is doing well with the pain killers right now and receiving lots of extra minerals and special treats to make her time with us comfortable and special.  Those that have supported Diamond are welcome to come by the barn before Monday and spend time with her.

7/19/05 - 6:30am - Diamond is starting to show signs of discomfort so we've started her on painkillers.  Her body is showing signs of fatigue as well with some weight loss and fur loss.  The pressure in her sinus cavity is building to the point where we have decided we need to prepare for her last day.  Diamond will likely be taken in on Friday for her last day here.  If you are interested in joining us to send Diamond on to the great pasture in the sky please email and we'll provide the exact time. 

7/18/05 - 6:00am - Diamond had a good weekend with lots of interaction and playtime with people.  Although the area around her eye and sinus are sensitive to the touch because of pressure, she is not showing signs of discomfort eating or otherwise.  Currently she is being treated as little as possible in that area in order to keep irritation to a minimum and comfort maximized.  She is still receiving all of the immune and mineral support in her feed possible.  The website was not updated lately due to multiple power outages.

7/13/05 - 7:00pm - Diamond has a new area above her sinus that has opened up but it does not have the typical drainage of some of the other areas.  Overall her eye area looks good and has minimal drainage and her nose is still draining.  She was playful and interactive today and is eating well.  She looks the same as her picture below and has not shown significant signs of illness.  However if her eye and sinus areas continue to reopen it will be difficult to manage keeping them clean without bandaging and it will be a significant change to her quality of life.

7/11/05 - 8:00am - Diamond is active and happy.  Her drainage is getting strong enough that we have confined her to her 50x50 turnout area away from the other horses again so that she doesn't transfer bacterial infections to them.  However her demeanor is active and happy....she is still receiving medicinal mushrooms and melrose essential oils (tea tree blend).  If you were to look at her you would never know she has anything going on in her body.

7/9/05 - 8:00am - Diamond received new visitors and carrots today.  She seems to be feeling better today and is actively grazing around her turnout.  Dr. Cary looked at her and said she looks good!

7/8/05 - 7:00pm - Diamond wasn't as perky today as she usually is....we cleaned her sinus area up well and she seemed to be more playful after that. 

7/7/05 - 7:00pm - Diamond is still doing well today but not quite as playful and she had a little more drainage from her nose.  She is eating and drinking well and not showing signs that her teeth are bothering her.  She played with Chico in the arena for a little while but they were both hungry and ready for dinner!  Her sinus has two spots where tumor is draining now but the drainage is not significant.  She is rubbing her eye area quite a bit however.

7/6/05 - 7:00pm - Diamond has a strong appetite and we're starting to feed her additional hay again.  She has a little more drainage today and her eye area is draining a little blood.  She was very playful and wouldn't leave us alone during scooping time because she wanted her scratchies.  We must have scratched her all over for a good 20 minutes and she was in heaven!

7/5/05 - 9:00am - Diamond continues to be in good spirits and eating well.  Her drainage spots were treated with lemon essential oil and we've added colloidal silver (in a microbial form that does not build up in the body to cause toxicity) which will help with any infections caused by the tumors.  The tumor growth has been aggressive but Diamond continues to be in excellent spirits and very actively exploring her turnout and socializing with the other horses.

7/4/05 - 7:00pm - Diamond had a very good day today with little drainage and lots of playfulness.  The area over her sinus has formed a small opening allowing drainage and relieving pressure in her head.  She is eating and happy.  Dr. Cary looked at the lump in her chin and when her eye closed up the drainage went to the lymph node under her chin causing a tumor there.  Her prognosis is not good at this point and she is being monitored for quality of life.

Click here for the full copy of Diamond's recovery diary.  Pictures below provided by an AERO volunteer!

Please feel free to contact us for more information on Diamond at (623) 465-1519