Rudy

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Rudy came into our rescue program on January 2, 2015. Rudy came into our rescue program from the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division. Rudy is a Beautiful, Palomino/White, Paint, Gelding. Rudy is estimated to be 15 years of age. Rudy is a survivor, despite his former owners discarding him and not even giving him the care or chance, he deserves.

Rudy came to the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division when they received a phone call from the owner requesting that they come out and remove a dead horse on New Years Day. Since OKC-AWD was closed for holiday, they informed him that they would be out on Friday. Animal Welfare arrived on scene to find a horse still very much alive and completely tangled up in a fence, with his ears chewed off and multiple wounds and injuries. How can someone not even take the time to fully check on their horse? Instead, he was just wrote off. He didn't want to provide the horse any veterinary care. So, he was signed over to OKC-AWD. He was released from what he was tangled up in and taken to OKC-AWD, where they called Dr. Charlotte Kin with Exclusive Equine Veterinary Services.

Dr. Charlotte Kin walked into the barn and witnessed a horse with a lot of blood on his face, no ears and severe wounds all over. Although Rudy was in horrific condition, he neighed to her. Rudy knew he was going to receive the care he needed. He wanted to Survive! His wounds and injuries are critical and he will require a lot of extensive care, wound cleaning, bandage changes and antibiotics for an extensive amount of time. But, if Rudy is willing to fight to survive, then we will certainly fight with him and give him the second chance he deserves.

Rudy has extensive facial injuries, the most dramatic was the fact that both of his ears had been torn off, as well as, a large portion of the right side of his face. He also has corneal ulcers in both eyes and both his upper and lower right eyelids had been torn off. He has a fractured jaw and a large piece of bone was removed. He has numerous lacerations and punctures on his head. He has numerous lacerations and punctures to all of his legs including a possible septic tendon sheath.

We are asking for your help! Please consider making a donation towards Rudy's extensive medical needs and rehabilitation. He has a very long road of recovery ahead of him. He isn't in the clear yet, but we are praying that he will continue to fight and pull through this.

Rudy Update 1/3/2015 I can't even begin to thank all you wonderful people for supporting Rudy. I know some don't agree with our decision to help him and some feel he is better off being euthanized. I am sorry that you feel that way. But, Rudy is here, he has survived the worse part of this horrible ordeal. Rudy was down on the ground for 2 days, trapped in chain link fencing, being attacked by dogs, in the freezing ice and he never gave up. He fought to survive and we are fighting with him.

So, here is a quick update. We are on day 4, since Rudy was attacked. He is doing really well. He is starved for attention and can't get enough of the loving. If you try to leave, he tries to come with you. He spent the morning itching his head all over me. We got his wounds cleaned up and they are looking great. His wounds are healing as they are supposed to. Yes, his wounds look horrible, but the wounds itself are not life threatening problems, as most of it is just skin. However, we have to watch for things like Tetanus, since we don't know his vaccine history. So far, nothing appears to be infected and he is on strong antibiotics and pain reliever. He doesn't act as though he is in pain. He is chewing, eating, and drinking. He can see out of both eyes. We are leaving one eye covered with antibiotic ointment in it, so that it can heal. He can hear also, as he knows when I am coming and can hear me open his stall door. So far, he isn't showing any lameness in his legs, most of those wounds appear to be superficial. We are watching one wound, as we want to make sure it is not in his tendon sheath. So far, that appears to be good also.

Here is the deal guys, this horse has a fighting chance and will have a good quality of life. His jaw has one fracture and so far no signs of it affecting his sinus' etc., We are watching that closely and if he shows any complications with his jaw, we will pursue surgery. Right now, everything looks good.

Please keep the prayers coming. There is power in Prayer. Even if you don't support our decision, it is still God's will if he survives. The least you can do is pray of him.

Rudy Update 1/4/2015 Rudy is an inspiration! I can't tell you how much this loving soul has captured our hearts here at Blazes Tribute Equine Rescue. I truly feel as though he can sense how much we, and every one of you out there, are pulling for him. Today, he is doing wonderful! His wounds are continuing to heal and are looking very good. His eyes are shiny and gaining that awareness that all us horse-owners know so well. He was even interested in his surroundings enough that he enjoyed a walk outside in the yard. He perked up, and paid attention to all our distractions that we offer around here! Please continue to send prayers for this sweet boy; they are working!

Rudy Update 1/5/2015 I simply can not thank each of you enough for your continued prayers and support for Rudy. I honestly can not put into words how much each of you mean to Rudy and I. Rudy is an amazing horse, and I honestly don't know how to describe his personality. He is the single most trusting horse, I have ever met. He just met us on Friday, and he already trusts us completely. Rudy has had several visitors and it takes him a moment before he is accepting of them. But, his wonderful soul is always quick to capture all those that come into contact with him. Rudy has a long road to recovery, and we will take each step with him. He is doing amazing and continues to show the world how much fight he has.

If you took one second to meet Rudy, you will quickly understand why we choice to give him the chance he begged for. Thank you for standing beside us. We don't take these decisions lightly. We see extreme neglect and abuse everyday. We know when a horse has given up and we respect those wishes and end the suffering humanely. Rudy has not shown those signs at all. The complete opposite. Rudy is a beautiful horse, inside and out.

I know several of you are concerned about the former owner. Rest assured that Oklahoma City Animal Welfare is pursuing charges against him for animal cruelty.

Again, We simply can not thank each of you enough. Your support has been a true blessing and simply amazing. We are caring for 125 horses in our program, along with Rudy. As you are aware, Rudy's medical expenses and rehabilitation will be extremely costly. The funds raised will go towards Rudy's care and any funds left over will go towards the medical care of the other horses in our program or any horses that should enter our program with extreme medical needs. We are a non profit 501c3 organization. Your donations are tax deductible. We would love to send each of you a tax donation receipt. If you will include your name and mailing address with your donation, we will be sure to send you one as soon as we can. We are trying to keep up with everyone's emails, facebook messages, comments, phone calls, etc., Please be patient with us, as Rudy's care and the other horses come first. We will try to answer your questions and get back to you as soon as we can.

Again, thank you all so much! We will continue to update as he progresses. Your prayers are being heard and Rudy is continuing to thrive. Thank you to our friend Amanda for giving Rudy some love and attention.

Rudy Update 1/7/2015 I apologize that we didn't get an update to everyone yesterday. It is getting increasingly difficult to find time to sit down in front of the computer.

Yesterday, Rudy had a follow up with our wonderful veterinarian Dr. Kin. They got him all cleaned up and debrided the wounds. We had to make sure to remove any dead tissue, so that he can continue to heal and granulate healthy tissue. He is progressing wonderfully. We now have both eyes uncovered, which he is very happy about. You can tell how much he appreciated have full vision again. Dr. Kin believes that she will be able to repair his eye lids. Of course, we're not quite at that stage yet, but that is in his future. So far, no sign of infection!

Today, as I was attempting to put the ointment in his eyes, he wanted to show me how froggy he was feeling and decided that he would fight me. I have to admit, while I was struggling to doctor him, I had to take a moment to laugh, as he wanted me to know that he was feeling good. His feisty side is starting to show, which is great. It is hard to believe that we are now on day 6 of his recovery. He is doing so good! I am so happy with his progress. He looks wonderful and feels wonderful too. He even took a little jog in the yard the other day.

Once again, I can not thank you all enough for supporting Rudy. I truly believe because of all the people that are praying for him, he continues to thrive. I tell him every day that he is more loved than he will ever know, from people all over the world. If this sweet boy never felt the love before, he is probably overwhelmed with it now. He soaks up all the attention he can get. This sweet guy is a true love bug. He can't get enough of me scratching under his chin. And, he enjoys putting his face on my chest and scratching himself. I enjoy being his itching post, but he is a strong boy and this post doesn't stand on her own as easily. lol He has a lot of personality and he makes me smile everyday.

I have said this before, and I will continue to say it, this boy is an amazing fighter and has a very strong will to survive. I have read numerous comments and emails from everyone and one of the things some are concerned with is his quality of life. He will have a Full and amazing quality of life, once he fully heals. The only thing that he will lack, is his ears. Many horses, cows, dogs, cats, etc., live happy lives without their ears. That is merely a cosmetic issue and has no bearing on his quality of life. He has full vision, he has full hearing, he is sound and healthy, despite his current status. I just don't understand why so many felt that he wasn't worth the fight and the quick easy answer was to put him down. For those that know me, Know that I always root for the underdog. I always say, if God leads me to it, he will lead me through it.

I am in this for the long haul with Rudy. If it takes 6 months for him to heal, that is fine. I will doctor him everyday until he is better. I made a commitment to Rudy and Thank God that I did!

** Please note the second picture is a roll of soft cling in his ear to prevent anything from getting into his ear while we are doctoring and cleaning it. It is just a precautionary method

Rudy Update 1/10/2015 Update on Rudy - 1/10/15, from our wonderful Veterinarian Dr. Charlotte Kin!

Rudy Update: thank you for all of your prayers and support. Rudy is doing really well. He enjoys going out on walks and eating his alfalfa cubes. He is able to chew and eat normally now. The wounds on his legs are healing well and he remains sound on them. The wounds to his head are covered with health granulation tissue now. We continue to cover them with wet to dry antibiotic bandages to draw out contamination and keep the tissues moist. The edges of the wounds are beginning healthy contraction and we should see skin cells start to migrate across the wound soon. The good news is that part of his lower right eyelid is intact and healthy. This will make reconstruction of his lower lid much easier. Many people have asked how he will do without ears and can he still hear. Yes he can still hear as the inner ear is intact. We are keeping them packed with gauze so the ointments will not get inside of his inner ear at this time. We will reconstruct his ears so that they are protected and many people have offered to make him a custom fly mask. He will not look "normal" but he can live a healthy life without ears. Numerous people have shared their pics of their animals who are missing ears with well wishes for Rudy. Although his injuries appear very dramatic we are treating them as we would any large wound. His vitals are stable, his bloodwork looks good, he is eating and drinking well and he is not showing any signs of distress. Thank you again for all of your support. Rudy has brought attention to animal neglect and cruelty something we see way too often.

Rudy Update 1/12/2015 We are so happy with Rudy's progress. Rudy continues to thrive and improve daily. His wounds are looking great with healthy granulation tissue. He is bright and happy! Every day, you can tell this boy feels better and better. We are so happy with his amazing progress. Dr. Kin visited Rudy today and is very pleased with how he is coming along. He is such a survivor! I know we have touched on this several times, but once again, I want to say, he has full vision in both eyes and full hearing in both ears. He may not look like a normal horse, but his ears are fully functional and they will continue to serve the purpose they are meant too. He will live a happy, normal life without issues or infections! He just won't have the normal appearance of ears. That does not make him any less of a horse. He can still communicate with other horses, as well as, people. Trust me, I don't need to see his ears to know when he is frustrated or upset with us. It is all about knowing your horse. We have 125 horses in our rescue program. All come from severe neglect and believe it or not, they each have a full respect for each other. What one horse may lack, there is always another that is there to help out. Rudy is beautiful inside and out, and how superficial it is to believe that a horse has no value of life without his ears. All our rescue horses are amazing! All have a purpose! Rudy's story is just beginning!

For those in the Oklahoma City metro area, you can see Rudy tonight on Channel 9 news at 10:00 pm. Keep in mind, Rudy was sedated for his clean up, so he isn't going to be his bright self. For those that aren't local, we promise to share a link to the story, as soon as one is posted.

I do want to take a moment to add how much we appreciate all the wonderful comments of support, notes of prayers, and assistance all of you have offered during this time. It truly means a lot to us to know how many stand behind us in our effort to heal Rudy all over the globe.

For those that feel the need to make ugly and disrespectful comments towards us and Rudy, it will not be tolerated. We have devoted the last 14 years to rescuing horses and saving those that we can. We work very closely with law enforcement, such as Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma City Animal Welfare, Seminole County Sheriff's Office, Canadian County Sheriff's Office, Garvin County Sheriff;s Office and many others. We do not ever allow a horse to suffer and know when it is time to assist them to the rainbow bridge. I can respect the opinions of those that disagree, when done so in a respectful manner towards others. If you are one of the ones that feel that Rudy should have been euthanized. I am sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry you haven't been able to meet Rudy in person and see his thirst for life, his love for attention, his spirited personality and his disliking of his antibiotics. I'm sorry that you can only assess his condition from behind a computer screen and instantly determine a fate of an animal without any facts, without being a veterinarian and without seeing what Rudy wanted. All I have to say is I am so glad that Rudy's fate was not ultimately in the hands of those that wanted him dead. If you do not stand beside Rudy and his fight you are against him, and I kindly ask that you keep your negative thoughts to yourself, as we would like to keep this page, and his progress positive.

Rudy Update 1/18/2015 Rudy continues to thrive and is doing wonderful! He is now out of one of the leg bandages and only has 2 wrapped. Both of those wounds are doing well and healing. I suspect he will be able to get out of another leg bandage soon, only leaving him with the hind leg wrapped, which is the one that was injured the worst with suspicion that it may have been in the tendon sheath. It is doing great and healing nicely, but that one will take a bit longer. He continues to make great improvements with the wounds on his head. They continue to retract and have healthy pink granulation tissue. His eyes are looking good and the wound under his eye, where the fractured occurred is doing great.

Rudy has been with us 2 weeks now. I will admit, the last two weeks have been extremely hectic. When we asked for assistance for Rudy, we never dreamed it would go as far and wide as it has. To know that people from all over the world are standing beside Rudy and praying for him, does my heart good.

I want to send a huge thank you to all the people that have brought treats/Alfalfa cubes to Rudy. A huge thank you to the sweet person that shipped Rudy the extruded horse feed. That was an extra special gift, as Rudy can't have hay at this time. Thank you to the sweet ladies that volunteered their time yesterday and helped clean up a couple of the horses that just came in and was infested with ticks. Thank you to the family that donated horse blankets, alfalfa cubes, etc., to Rudy last weekend. Everyone's support has been amazing. Thank you to everyone, everywhere, for all your kinds words of encouragement, support, prayers and friendship. We can't do this without you! Please remember, we are a family owned rescue, no paid staff, all volunteer based. We truly want to answer everyone's messages, phone calls, emails, etc., but please be patient with us, as it has been difficult to keep up, since our focus is on the 137 horses in our program.

Thank you to our wonderful friend/volunteer Pam, who spent some time loving on Rudy yesterday. As you can see, he is a ham for attention.

Rudy Update 1/25/2015 Rudy continues to thrive and doing wonderful!! His wounds continue to improve, getting smaller everyday. He is down to only having one leg bandage on. He had his feet trimmed on Friday and every day, he gets more normalcy in his life. He nickers when he sees a new horse enter the barn and is happy to greet you when you enter his stall. He continues to show an amazing personality, one full of gratitude and happiness. On nice, sunny days, he likes to go outside and see what the other horses are up too. We continue to thank everyone for all their wonderful support and prayers

Rudy Update 2/1/2015 It is so hard to believe that exactly 1 month ago today, Rudy arrived into our program. I still remember it like yesterday. Rudy has come so far in such a short period of time. His personality makes me smile everyday. However, Today, his personality left me just shaking my head. lol I went to check on him and give him his eye medication. As I approached his stall, I found a bloody Rudy. Apparently, Rudy had an itch that he just had to scratch and he got a little overly excited scratching his good ear. His bandage was bloody and I swear Rudy just looked at me with a "Yep, I did it, and it felt great"! I never knew a horse could "smirk" until Rudy! ;-) His eyes hold more expression than any other horse I have been around. He continues to inspire me on a daily basis. His will, strength and attitude speak volumes.

Rudy continues to improve daily. His wound on the right side of his face is now about half of the original size. He has skin and hair growing back and it looks amazing. We are still working with the right eye, as that has been a bit more of a challenge, since he can't blink right now. He is blinking with his third eyelid, but that doesn't provide enough moisture. We are medicating his eye as much as possible throughout the day. He is such an amazing boy!!

Pictured with Rudy is Founder, Natalee Cross and Board Member, Jennifer Bates.

Rudy Update 03/01/2015 I know everyone has been patiently waiting for an update on our favorite boy! So, here is your Rudy Update!

We are now 2 months in with Rudy's injuries. He has come so far, in really such a short period of time. I decided to show you guys his amazing progress by giving you some before and after pictures. We don't have much more to go on his wounds and then we can start focusing on doing some work to his ears. His wounds look amazing. His fracture has healed, his legs wounds have healed, and he only has about 20% of the large wound on his face left to heal. The only thing that we have struggled with, and continue to struggle with, is his right eye. Since he isn't able to blink, he can't provide the needed moisture to his eye. Despite the meds we have been putting in his eye, many times, a day, it just doesn't look like we will be able to completely save his vision in his right eye. But, I am okay with that and Rudy seems okay with that, because regardless how that eye is doing, he is alive!!

I have to admit I have a bond with Rudy like I have never experienced before. We have an equal respect for each other and if Rudy is uneasy about anything, as long as he can see me or I am beside him talking him through it, he is fine. He is so calm and trusting as he allows me to scrub his wounds and bandage him up. However, he isn't as sweet and compliant if anyone else attempts to do it. He likes to shake his head and put up a little fight. I have to admit, it makes me laugh. He is so smart and he knows exactly what he is doing. Everyday, I walk into the barn and I instantly yell Rudy's name. He will quickly turn around and face me with an eager look of joy, as he waits for me to enter his stall. I recently learned that Rudy's original name was Buttermilk, but I am certain that he never knew it, because he responds to Rudy like he was born with that name. I have learned that since Rudy was 5 months old, he lived with his former owner. I am not sure what happened to Rudy, how he ended up trapped in a fence, or why, but what I do know, is God lead me to a beautiful horse, inside and out, that was obviously meant to be here. Everything happens for a reason, sometimes we just don't fully understand why. I don't question it, I just ask Rudy where he has been all my life!



Rudy Update May 30, 2015 Rudy continues to thrive and is doing wonderful! Rudy, along with his buddy Double D, joined us at our 4th Annual Blaze's Ride to the Rescue Trainer's Challenge on May 30, 2015. We wanted Rudy's supporters to have an opportunity to meet him in person and see how wonderful he is doing. Rudy and Double D had a great time romping in the arena. I hope you all enjoy this video of Rudy, as much as we do. You can see Rudy and Double D's Showcase here: Rudy & Double D's Showcase

Rudy Update 12/24/2015 Rudy is doing amazing!! It is hard to believe that we are quickly approaching a year since he came to us injured. He continues to love life! He is such an inspiration to us all and a true blessing. If you are local to the Oklahoma City or Tulsa area, please watch Channel 9 and/or Channel 6 news. The picture above of Rudy and Founders Natalee & Shawn Cross is featured in their commercial, titled "We believe in Oklahoma". They truly did a beautiful piece representing all the inspirational stories they have covered throughout the year. You can also follow us on Facebook to see a small clip of the commercial, if you are not local. We will update on his 1 year anniversary, as we have a surprise planned for this sweet boy, along with his best friend Double D, and all his prayer warriors that supported him and followed his story. Thank you all for all of your amazing support! We couldn't do what we do without each and every one of you!

Rudy Update January 02, 2016 It's hard to believe today marks the 1 year Anniversary of Rudy's journey to our rescue from such an unbelievable chain of events that nearly left for him for dead. His remarkable will to survive truly touches all of our lives. Of course, we wanted to celebrate his anniversary, along with his best friend Double D, in style. We decided to take them for a little play time while our wonderful Photographer, A'Lissa DeVorss with Fat Cat Photography, captured them at their finest. They started off so pretty and clean, they quickly turned themselves into muddy messes and enjoyed some carrot cake! These two do everything in style!! Thank you all for supporting their journey and helping with their huge medical bills! We can't do this alone! Many more horses just like Rudy and Double D will come into our program. Together, we can save those who otherwise would be discarded, and provide them the future they have always longed for! I hope you all enjoy the photos, as much as we enjoyed taking them.

Rudy Update March 04, 2016 It is with an extremely heavy heart that I announce the loss of our beloved Double D. Double D was Rudy's Best friend! And it breaks our heart to see Rudy grieve. As you know, Double D has been battling cancer for the last year. He went through 4 surgeries where we tried to get ahead of the squamous cell carcinoma of his eyelids and his penis sheath, where large masses were excised by our Veterinarians. Each time, they treated the cancer with cryosurgery and implantation of chemotherapy slow release beads. Sadly, each surgery only provided him a couple of months before the cancer returned. Over the course of the last month, the cancer spread rapidly and the growth rate was excessive. I could see a difference in personality and how the cancer had quickly taken a toll on him. I prayed there would be other options available. Upon examination, the cancer had grown larger than ever and he was struggling to urinate. As we waited with Double D while our wonderful Veterinarian reached out to see if there was another surgery option available, I could see that he didn't want to fight it any longer. He had grown tired and his eyes seem to beg me to let him go. We had run out of options! We lost the battle! My heart is broken and it leaves me feeling so many emotions. I'm angry, because despite all our best efforts, it wasn't enough. I'm angry, because his previous owners allowed him to live like that, no treatment, no surrendering him to get him help. Perhaps, if we could have gotten to Double D much sooner, maybe, just maybe, he would still be with us. Instead, I am left with a broken heart. His best friend, Rudy is left with a broken heart. It is never easy to say goodbye. Double D, please know that I fought so hard for you and loved you as my own. You will always have a special place in my heart. I know you are no longer suffering and you are complete again, cancer free, running in greener pastures. Rest In Peace my sweet boy! You will forever be missed.

Rudy Update March 17, 2016 They say everything happens for a reason! Sometimes the reason becomes crystal clear if you watch closely. Rudy took Double D's death hard. He rarely used to lay down, but I would find him just laying in his run often. The run that was built for Rudy and Double D, where they spent many hours together. Rudy wasn't eating like he used too and when I would come over to love on him, I swear he would cry! The loss of Double D was hard enough, but watching Rudy grieve, broke my heart. I knew I needed to do something. One morning last week, I opened his run where he could go outside. He was able to talk to the horses on the other side of the fence. Once outside, he would just call out for Double D. I had some things to do, so I proceeded back into the house. A couple of hours later, I looked outside to see what he was up too, when I found him playing with Crash on the other side of the fence. That may not seem like a big deal to others, but it was to me, and the message was clear. See, Crash just returned to our rescue the same day we lost Double D. I was disappointed to see Crash come back, specially what led to his return, but it all became clear in that moment. I have said from day one, If God leads me to it, He would lead me through it. The loss of Double D and the return of Crash was no accident. Later that evening, we collected Crash out of the pasture to see how he and Rudy would do together. At that moment everything seemed right again. Crash and Rudy are getting along great and becoming fast friends. Of course, Crash can never replace Double D, but he is certainly helping a friend cope with the loss and putting a smile on our faces.

Rudy Update March 28, 2023 I realize it has been quite some time since I updated Rudy's page. For that I apologize! Unfortunately, today, I am coming with an update, I never wanted to make. My heart is shattered, and I can't believe that I'm having to make this post. Very suddenly and unexpectedly, we lost our Amazing Rudy March 28, 2023. Rudy was beyond special. Rudy had a will like no other. He was so strong and fought an amazing battle to live, 8 years ago! He taught us to live and love our lives to the fullest. He loved life! But sometimes I think he truly loved his life more after his injury. Once he came to us, it was like we had always been together. He knew and accepted his name immediately and would always respond when you called for him. He was an inspiration to me and so many others. He lived life to the fullest, never skipped a beat, or missed an opportunity to be cantankerous and play, he was my diva, as I would call him. He loved the attention and always enjoyed being in the spotlight! I honestly can't say enough about this amazing horse, and he took a part of me with him, when he left this world. I truly thought we would have more than 8 years together. But I wouldn't trade those 8 years for anything. My heart aches so deeply and his companion Crash is grieving also. Rudy left on his own terms! He wasn't sick, he was very healthy, he didn't colic, he simply laid down for a nap, and never woke up. We lost him between 4 and 5 pm that day. Crash stood patiently and calmly looking over him. I'm sure, to some degree, it was a blessing that he left us this way. The Lord knows, we would have struggled deeply if we ever had to make the decision to let him go. I know he went peacefully, and I couldn't ask for more. I just wish we had more time together. Rudy, I love you so much! Thank you for blessing my life for the last 8 years! You will forever have a piece of my heart and I will miss you so much! I know you will be waiting for me on the other side! Rest In Peace my Beautiful Boy Rudy!

We would be honored to receive donations made in Rudy's memory! Rudy left a mark on so many of our lives. He inspired people all over the world!



 

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