Rio Marañón
Gender: Gelding
Breed: Peruvian Paso
Approximate Date of Birth: 1/1/2002
Sponsor:Arrival Date: January 2022
Farewell Date: January 14, 2025
Río Marañón arrived at the ranch in January 2022. He was rescued from a terrible neglect case by San Diego Humane Society in October 2021. Rio is thought to be a Peruvian Paso, about twenty years old. He was diagnosed with ataxia, a lack of coordination in his hind legs. He is on Equioxx for pastern arthritis (ringbone).
Rio is a very picky eater. When he arrived in January, he was still a little underweight. Subsequently, we realized we over-shot his goal weight and he’s been on a diet since then.
This Rio is our third “Rio” so we have modified his name slightly to be Río Marañón. Río Marañón is the principal source of the Amazon River which starts northeast of Lima, Peru. It seemed like a name strong enough for this little fighter!
Farewell Date: January 14, 2025
Overnight between Monday and Tuesday (Jan. 13 – 14, 2025) Río Marañón left us.
As a Peruvian Paso, he was gifted with a gorgeous mane and tail. But as beautiful as he was on the outside, it was what was inside that endeared him to our volunteers. Rio was such a quiet, sweet boy who loved spending time being brushed and loved. Río Marañón was thought to only be about twenty-three years of age when he passed, making his passing even more shocking. We reviewed his passing with Dr. Harlan and he believes that sudden passings like this, with no indication of an injury or a struggle, tend to indicate a heart episode, either a heart attack or a stroke. We are so grateful to our volunteer Judith who found Rio and remained so wonderfully calm, even as Amy Pat fell apart.
Unfortunately, Río Marañón left us so close to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County. It is easy to imagine Rio arriving at the Rainbow Bridge and finding a long line of beloved pets waiting to cross. Our sweet, gentle boy would repeatedly step aside, letting dogs and cats and other pets cross ahead of him. He would wait and wait, sharing his patience, gentle strength and kindness, which we loved so much, with each crosser.
