Marion County Sheriff's Deputies have charged a 33-year old Sublimity resident with two counts of animal abuse following the seizure of an injured and extremely emaciated horse and foal on Sunday, June 24th.
Deputies were called to a field in the 14000 block of Triumph Road SE, in Salem to discover a 12-year old mixed breed mare and 2-week old foal. They immediately saw that the mare was suffering from a large, infected gangrenous wound on her face. The wound, which stretched from the nose to the eyes, prevented the animal from eating and her breathing was extremely labored. The foal was also suffering from malnutrition because of the mare's inability to produce milk.
The owner of the horse was identified as Janet M. Spears. She told Deputy Thomas Barber that she bought the horse several months ago, and that it had a small wound that got infected. She admitted that she hadn't sought professional veterinary care for the wound, thinking it would heal on its own under her supervision.
The horse and foal were taken to the United SPCA in Yamhill where the mare was examined by Dr. Barbara Kahl. Dr. Kahl found multiple wounds and internal masses and noted that the mare's left front hoof was severely split. The wound to the horse's face was so infected it was impossible to treat. The animal was humanely euthanized last night while still under anesthesia.
The foal was also malnourished. United SPCA is arranging for a nurse mare to feed the foal. In the meantime, it's being fed on an every 2-hour schedule by volunteers. The prognosis for the foal is good.
On Tuesday morning, Sr. Deputy Brenda Lumley arrested Janet Spears and charged her with on count of Animal Neglect 1 for the mare, and a second count of Animal Neglect 2 for the foal. She was booked into the Marion County Jail, where she posted $7500 bail. Her court date is July 24, 2012 at 9:30am.
