05/30/2026
HELP NEEDED: This week, the ARL’s Animal Welfare & Response Team stepped into a heartbreaking situation.
Over the course of two days, our team assisted two different law enforcement agencies in removing 22 equines – 21 horses and one donkey – from three separate properties. Many of these animals – all connected to the same owner – had clearly gone without proper care for a very long time.
What our team and equine veterinarians found was alarming.
Nearly every equine is underweight or very thin, and all are suffering from hoof problems requiring farrier care. All are carrying shockingly high parasite loads – in the thousands – and many arrived with untreated wounds and fungal and skin infections.
Some of the cases are especially severe.
One horse, a mare, is battling a large infected leg wound, and the donkey also arrived with untreated infected wounds on his legs. One horse is blind and will require special care. Another horse has been living with severely bowed legs and significant pain, raising serious concerns about his quality of life. Plus, many more are showing severe behavior challenges complicating any medical treatment.
One gelding arrived with joint issues and chronic pain so severe that he struggled to walk, and when equine veterinarians confirmed that he was suffering beyond help and his quality of life was extremely poor, we were forced to make the heartbreaking decision to humanely help end his suffering.
For the other horses, there is a lot of healing to be done: veterinary treatment, diagnostic testing, farrier care, and behavioral rehabilitation that will take an unknown amount of time to work through. Cases like this place an enormous strain on our resources, and your support is life-changing.
To help these horses and ensure we are able to continue to answer the call when animals are suffering, please use the button below, go to our website at https://ow.ly/ikrS50Z4XC3 or give via Venmo @ ARL-Iowa.
