Luna Mia

Luna Mia
1982 - May 1, 2015

A Heavenly Escort Thirty-Three Years In The Making

Luna Mia was rescued by County of San Diego Department of Animal Services in early 2013. Due to her advanced age, an adoptive home could not be found for her. However, at the time, Horses of Tir Na Nog was full. Fortunately for her, we were able to board her at Sun Bear Ranch in Lakeside. On Nov. 18, 2013, she came “home” to Horses of Tir Na Nog.

While at Animal Services, the mare was given the name Fortuna. But, during the time she was boarded, she was called Lady Bug. It wasn't until she came home to Tir Na Nog that she found a sponsor and was given her forever name, Luna Mia. It is a beautiful name for a beautiful mare.

While Luna Mia tended to be shy, she formed a special bond with one of our volunteers, Andrew. It was wonderful to watch her bond with him.

In May of 2014 she had a colic episode. Over the next twelve months, she continued to colic several times. While none of the colics were severe, their frequency was a concern. Initially, our veterinarians suspected an intestinal stone. On May 1, 2015 she had another colic episode. Our veterinarian from East County Large Animal Practice felt that it was unfair to put Luna Mia through any more of these episodes, since they had become a regular occurrence. Following her passing, the veterinarian performed a necropsy. We did not find the intestinal stone we suspected. Instead we found a large abdominal tumor. Simply touching the tumor broke the stem holding the tumor to the intestine, the stem was that fragile. Had the tumor broken loose inside Luna Mia, she would have become septic. Our veterinarian was relieved that we prevented Luna from experiencing that degree of suffering.

While we are relieved that our decision spared her additional suffering, there is never a good time to say good-bye to horses in our care. We always hope for more time. The day that we said farewell to Luna Mia was a beautiful May day at the ranch. The blue skies were the perfect canvas for an unusually large number of horse tail clouds. It was easy to imagine that these clouds represented the countless equine friends from Luna Mia’s thirty-three years of life. It seemed as though the heavens themselves were sending an escort for our beautiful Luna Mia as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.