Rescued

By ROGER EMILE STOUFF
In 2016, Toney Wade and other volunteers with the statewide Cruelty Investigation Task Force have rescued 219 neglected and/or abused horses in St. Mary Parish alone.
Just last Saturday, a horse now nicknamed “Red” was rescued from Bray Lane off Irish Bend Road.
“The horse is in our custody,” Wade said. “We’re trying to get the word out that this is happening, right here in St. Mary Parish.”
Wade said of the 219 horses rescued last year, all had to receive veterinary care. Red will probably need $1,000 or more in medical care.
Red will undergo a full physical exam, bloodwork, a check for anemia and he will be microchipped. “He does have some cuts and abrasions, and some rain rot,” a condition that develops on the coat of a horse, a sort of mold, that can become a serious condition. He’ll go through months of rehabilitation to return him to good health.
Red took the attention in stride Wednesday, intent on the grass along the street. He has a bright pink abrasion on his muzzle, a rope burn on his leg, and the first signs of the rain rot.
Most striking are the ribs showing through what was once likely a healthy, beautiful red code for which he was nicknamed, and the unsettling jut of his bones and sunken abdomen.
But it was clear that Red welcomed the kindess, the pats on his shoulder, the caresses on his neck by volunteers and astounded, nearly horrified, visitors who stopped by.
Red’s prognosis is good. “I think he will survive,” Wade said. “Given another three days, with the rate of dehydration, looking at how far his temples are sunk in, the color of the gums, he’s severely dehydrated. And he’s had water for the last several days now. If left in the situation he was in, three days and he’d have been dead.”
He credits the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office for responding to the complaint that resulted in the arrest of Gene Wells Jr., 48, of 838 Irish Bend Road, Franklin. He was released on $3,000 bond.
The sheriff’s office also posted photos and arrest details on their Facebook page.
“There are a lot of people who donate to bigger organizations that don’t help you,” Wade said. “We’re a state-licensed non-profit. We’re here, we’re the boots on the ground, we’re doing this…most people say, when they finally get in touch with us, ‘Man, we didn’t even know ya’ll existed, we didn’t even know ya’ll were here.’ We cover the whole state. We have seven horses and three dogs in our custody right now.”
The task force holds fundraisers during the year but it’s never enough to cover a $7,000 a year budget when expenses range up to $24,000. “We’re all paying for our own cases,” Wade said. “And it gets rough. We all work separate jobs.”
Public funds are practically nonexistent.
An account has been opened at All Creatures Veterinary Hospital in New Iberia that will accept donations for Red’s care, by calling 337-365-9060. “All people have to do is call and say they want to donate to Red,” Wade said. “Some people can also donate directly to the vet. There’s three investigators that cover the entire state of Louisiana, and none of us get paid a penny for it.”
Red is loaded into a horse trailer and makes the trip to New Iberia for treatment. But for Toney Wade and his dedicated volunteers, the next case, the next horse, the next dog or any other animal, is but a phone call away.
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General donations to the task force can be made on the task force Facebook page’s donate link at:
https://www.facebook.com/LaCITF/?hc_ref=ARRO6WkIjoYcdY436Mee3MtiJ8fwWmuG...