TJ Hooker

Arrival Date:  February 2020

Farewell Date:  April 5, 2026

 

TJ Hooker joined the ranch in February 2020, when a local rescue decided to downsize. He came with his girlfriend Crystal. Sadly, we lost Crystal to a torsion (twisted intestine) in June of 2020.

Fortunately, TJ found a new love in Gila. TJ definitely proved himself to be a ladies’ man, living with Gila, but with Deveny’s Ruckus on one side and Josie on the other. Life was never dull for this off-track thoroughbred. We will definitely miss this goofy boy who “danced” before each meal.

 

Farewell Date:  April 5, 2026

 

On Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, TJ Hooker was lying down when we began feeding breakfast. This was very unusual. He got up easily but was soon lying back down. His vitals were within normal ranges, but after administering Banamine, his heartrate was increasing, which is never a good sign.

Dr. Manring came out right away and treated him for an impaction colic. When she left, we were hopeful he would pass the impaction and be ready to eat by the following morning. Unfortunately, he had not passed any manure by Monday morning. So, Dr. Gonzalez came out and gave TJ his second tubing treatment. She also ultrasounded him. While the ultrasound was inconclusive, we remained hopeful given his low heartrate. By Tuesday morning though, that hope had dimmed when TJ again failed to pass any manure.

This time, Dr. Blanche came out. Once again TJ’s low heartrate gave us hope that one more tubing might dislodge the impaction. Unfortunately, shortly after that treatment we saw the first signs of real discomfort from TJ and the decision was made to say goodbye to our special boy. He was twenty-eight years old. We are so grateful to the entire team at ECLAP who provided such great care for him over three days.

All three of the veterinarians who treated TJ speculated that we might be dealing with intestinal stones (enteroliths). Intestinal stones are rock-like mineral deposits that form in a horse’s colon, often around a small ingested foreign object (e.g., twine, sand, metal). These can be caused by diets high in alfalfa. While some are small enough for a horse to pass, larger ones can cause severe, fatal obstructions. These stones can exist in the colon without causing any issues for years before turning deadly.

Please hold Gila in your thoughts as she adjusts to life without her fellow. In addition to Gila, we are sending loving thoughts to Gina, one of our volunteers who had a very special connection to both TJ and Gila. We are grateful for all of the time she spent with TJ and the richness she added to his life.