07/06/2025
SERENITY UPDATE:
One of the most amazing things about Colby’s Crew is that we will give a horse every opportunity to get in front of truly incredible veterinarians for healing, and then we will listen to those same vets for the plan moving forward.
Our fundraising methods (raising everything up front) allows for fast talented medical intervention and therefore our generous benefactors and contributors truly do have a hand in providing medical miracles to tossed away horses.
To me, science based rescue is COMPASSIONATE rescue. I’ve seen lately comments by individuals speaking of horses like Serenity as “cash cows” or “kept alive for donations” when owned by rescues like ours.
And I assume you, at least for Colby’s Crew and our vets, that is laughable. Nothing about the potential money raised changes what we do medically — it simply allows us to give top notch veterinary care to EVERY horse regardless of their social media popularity.
A good performing fundraiser doesn’t change a medical diagnosis. It’s important we remember this.
Back to Serenity, I texted Dr. Davis and said I had a rough horse coming in who wasn’t really on her feet until she was given a pretty healthy dose of bute. I knew the situation was bad and I told Dr. Davis such, but I said to give her every opportunity.
Dr. Davis texted back and said, “we always do.”
That’s so true. I needed that reminder.
How many rescues can say they have such dedicated and amazing vets ready to go at a moments notice?
We are truly so lucky.
Dr. Davis’s colleague Dr. Miranda who was on emergency call met Serenity right at our equine ambulance and immediately rendered more powerful pain medication.
His exam was clear:
She had a badly infected stifle, neurological symptoms and a swollen area near her poll.
Diagnostics (radiographs and consultations with MANY other vets) told us more.
The stifle was likely too infected to come back from, the infection was inside the joint and had blown out in two areas.
Still Dr. Mayer who had seen the radiographs was open to a joint flush, tapping the joint and hard core antibiotics done via IV and closer to the joint itself. Dr Miranda and Dr. Davis were also open to trying after conferencing together.
We were prepared to move forward with that plan until we radiographed the swelling in her neck and found a horrible gas pocket of infection or inflammation. She’d likely broken her neck (hence the neuro symptoms and inability to rise from pain) and infection and inflammation was setting in badly.
We could have probably stabilized the stifle, or at least tried, but in combination with her neck— it just wasn’t fair or kind to her. She was never going to be pasture sound or comfortable.
Three vets came together in agreement and she was kindly let go pain free and loved.
If this was about the money or the views — Serenity would still be alive. She more than paid for a hospital transfer or more options— even surgical
For CCR, it’s always going to be about the horse.
SERENITY.
Say her name. She’s not some cash cow or a view farm. She’s not a nameless faceless metric in the horses who ship to slaughter.
She’s a real horse. She lived and she mattered. Her story happened.
And I will never stop telling stories like hers regardless of the outcome because we can’t STOP THIS cruel and inhumane treatment if we don’t KNOW it’s happening.
Posting her story was not only educational, it was a call out and millions heard it!
The world knows you, Serenity. And you were loved by millions.
Livestock animals are treated like garbage in the US and it’s wrong!
Serenitys condition should have been criminal but it isn’t. There are horses just like her suffering at public auction all over the country RIGHT NOW!
For us, telling her story is keeping her memory alive and fighting for others like her in the future.
It’s about doing the RIGHT thing.
For Serenity, three vets agreed humane euthanasia was best.
Due to the nature of the infection surrounding the brain, a necropsy was performed and she was thankfully not suffering from viral disease or suffering from something reportable — just purely bad luck. An injury that occurred because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps she fell and got caught under a gate at the auction or inside the slaughter holding facility.
The truth is we will never know what really happened, because until CCR and its supporters— no one cared about Serenity’s end.
She was going to be shot on the slaughter house floor and dying in horrible pain.
She was just five years old.
If there was a compassionate and humane path forward, our veterinarians would have bravely charged ahead but there truly wasn’t.
People think this is a bad outcome, and maybe for some it is— but for me?
We took a dying horse in horrific pain, made that pain go away, and gave her a really good last day. She was eating, drinking and surrounded by people who loved her. She was down and dying and completely out of it before this on a slaughter holding facility floor, and in quarantine — you can see her here— alert, active and feeling safe.
She had the opportunity of excellent medical intervention that diagnosed, treated and compassionately released her.
She left this world better off than most.
She did not have a cruel death. She had a kind one. She didn’t pass as a number. She had a name.
There are other horses who never are able to get up off an auction or slaughter floor.
I’m glad Serenity was, even if it was only for a day.
For me, it was still a rescue.
I won’t stop telling these stories. For awhile, I’ve been afraid to give a voice to these horses because social media can be a terrible vile place.
But if we don’t tell her story, we don’t honor her properly.
I know that now.
The girls were coming.
Serenity knew.
Serenity was saved.
She will never ever be forgotten.
In Serenity’s honor and with leftover funding, we attended auction the day after the fundraiser and rescued two pregnant mares. We hope that a filly will be born from one of them…
A filly named Serenity.
*more updates on more horses to come, please be patient and let me know you’re reading! NO OTHER HORSE HAS BEEN EUTHANIZED YET! So if you comment what happened to XX, they are as of right now, still alive.
I’ll post more individual and group updates like this one if our supporters enjoy and like them! Otherwise I can just do massive photo dumps (and those are already scheduled as well).
