CAZENOVIA — Last week, The Haven at Skanda animal sanctuary launched a fundraising campaign to help treat the farm’s Belgian draft horse, Elskling, who was admitted to the Cornell University Equine Hospital on June 18.
Located at 4000 Mosley Rd. in Cazenovia, Skanda is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for rescued and endangered farm animals, and to offering educational, supportive and preventative programs to the public.
Elskling arrived at the sanctuary just a few months after the facility opened in 2013.
Skanda described Elskling’s story and medical situation in a June 22 Facebook post.
“It started with blood gushing from her nose or mouth, and it wouldn’t stop,” the post states. “ . . . When we quickly applied pressure and saw no change, we called our equine vet. It usually takes him about an hour to get to us. But by some incredible luck, he was already in our town, and rushed over . . . The vet determined quickly that this could be caused by a potentially fatal condition and she needed the hospital to know more and to possibly have life-saving surgery. Another piece of incredible luck: we had already hitched up the trailer that day, and had just filled the truck with gas, so we loaded Elskling up and drove the 90-minute trip to Cornell. We called them again when we were 30 minutes away to let their emergency team know. They were ready and waiting.”
Although the Skanda team feared Elskling would collapse in the trailer from blood loss, the 2,000-pound horse remained standing for the entire trip, despite her continued bleeding.
After inspecting the horse, the Cornell doctor reported that Elskling’s blood loss was significant, and that if it did not stop, she would require a blood transfusion. The veterinarians also needed the bleeding to stop in order to put a scope in her nose to determine if there was a tear in the guttural pouch, which would have required emergency surgery.
“Elskling is the heart of Skanda, the love of Skanda, the wisdom of Skanda,” the Facebook post says. “We know she suffered tremendously before coming to Skanda, injured and barely able to stand, tied to the outside of a barn, unable to graze on grass, all alone without companionship or love. When [Board President Marion Secor] found her, and her owner released her from being tied up to show her to Marion, Elskling dropped to the ground and had a hard time getting back up.”
According to the post, Elskling is the largest horse at the farm, but she is also the gentlest with the children who attend Skanda’s programs.
Since arriving at Cornell, Elskling has received IV therapy, exploratory scopes to determine the cause of the bleeding, antibiotics, and treatment for her swollen leg (a secondary condition).
On June 23, Ellen Beckerman, Skanda’s executive director, reported that Elskling was experiencing occasional bleeding and that the Cornell team had been able to determine she has an acute skull fracture at her nasal bones.
“We are hoping she will be able to come home soon, but [we are] still determining when it will be safe for her,” Beckerman said.
According to Skanda, Elskling’s treatment and tests have been expensive. As of June 22, the cost of her medical care was estimated to be at least $8,000.
To help cover the costs, the organization set up a GoFundMe page titled “Lifesaving care for Elskling the horse.”
Donations can also be made directly on Skanda’s secure website (thehavenatskanda.org), or via Venmo to @thehavenatskanda.
