Omega "Meg"

Minnie
2000 – August 2013

June 24, 2013. Today, Omega left us. Our Hearts for Horses Volunteers knew Omega as "Meg," a beautiful, gentle Thoroughbred.

Meg arrived at Horses of Tir Na Nog in October 2009. She was rescued by County of San Diego Department of Animal Services after she had been abandoned by her owner. When she arrived at Horses of Tir Na Nog she had to recover from prolonged neglect, but her gentle spirit never wavered.

At Christmas 2009 she met the love of her life, Nick, named in honor of St. Nick. The two were inseparable. Sadly on Christmas Eve 2010, we bid a sad farewell to Nick. A few weeks later, Meg exhibited her first signs of laminitis. In the midst of a snowstorm, we moved her into a barn stall where she met Randy. Randy looked a lot like Nick, being a short, heavy-set bay. So perhaps that was what drew Meg to Randy. But whatever it was, Randy fell hard for our gorgeous long-legged girl. Randy was a wonderful companion for Meg as she struggled through recurrent laminitis issues. In order to x-ray Meg, she had to walk to the tack shed, which is less than 150 feet away, but Randy always went with her, just to keep "his girl" safe. Randy passes away in August of 2012.

Our veterinarians could not have asked for a better patient then Meg. She stood patiently through x-ray after x-ray. She was the perfect lady when we tried various corrective shoes, pads, and clogs. Her temperament allowed us to provide her with a home for almost four years. A few months ago, she experienced another flareup and our veterinarians cautioned that recovery was unlikely. But Meg was a fighter and she proved them wrong. For the last few months she did great, flirting with her neighbor Sundance and really enjoying spring.

Our veterinarians could not have asked for a better patient then Meg. She stood patiently through x-ray after x-ray. She was the perfect lady when we tried various corrective shoes, pads, and clogs. Her temperament allowed us to provide her with a home for almost four years. A few months ago, she experienced another flareup and our veterinarians cautioned that recovery was unlikely. But Meg was a fighter and she proved them wrong. For the last few months she did great, flirting with her neighbor Sundance and really enjoying spring.

As we said our good byes to our beautiful, gentle girl we knew that both Nick and Randy would be waiting for her, waiting to race Meg across endless pastures of green grass. Our silent wish was that Meg would be granted winged feet, feet free of pain and disease, feet that would allow those long legs of hers to fly!Omega was abandoned by her owner in a private property. Her tattoo tells us she may once have been a race horse, but the tattoo is too faded to be read clearly.

When rescued by County of San Diego Department of Animal Services, she was terribly emaciated. A life-time of cribbing had worn her front teeth down to nubs. Soon after arriving at Horses of Tir Na Nog, she lost one of her molars. All of these factors posed challenges to Meg’s recovery. Although our biggest challenge wasn’t evident until her second blood test. Meg suffers from liver disease. As a result of dangerously high liver values, Meg is on a low protein diet and special herbal support from Silverlining Herbs. This diet restriction means that she gained weight slowly.

In spite of the lack of care Meg had received from her former owner, she is a sweet girl who stands patiently while volunteers brush and groom her. Meg loves having her neck scratched, but beware, she might get so comfortable that she doses off on you!

At Horses of Tir Na Nog, Meg was quickly joined by Joanne, a second emaciated mare that arrived just a couple of weeks after Meg. These two girls have faced great difficulties in their lives. But now that they are home, they are gaining weight and enjoying companionship.