A lovable horse that’s been recovering from injuries it received when falling onto Interstate 75 from a moving trailer was rushed into emergency surgery Friday.
The horse, nicknamed Teddy Bear Highway, was rescued by Alachua County sheriff’s deputies from the busy freeway near Micanopy in the early morning hours of Nov. 30 and transported to the Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry. He then underwent knee surgery at the Equine Medical Center of Ocala, where he also was treated for road rash, bruises, etc.
Vets caring for Highway made it known that the gentle horse was facing a long road to recovery. And things were going pretty well until Wednesday night when his knee quickly became very painful and hot.
Highway was rushed back to the equine hospital for immediate medical attention,” according to a Facebook post from the Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic. “He has been on close monitoring while pumping him full of antibiotics.”
On Friday, Highway underwent another surgery. Veterinarians concentrated their efforts on the extensor tendon that runs down Highway’s leg in front of the injured knee.
“On the ultrasound you could see that the tendon was a mess from Highway falling out of the moving trailer onto asphalt,” the Facebook post says.
That prompted the surgery team to remove about five inches of that tendon because it was too damaged and infected to heal. And they also found small pieces of gravel deep inside the injury.
“Everything was then flushed thoroughly and a drain tube was placed before stitching him up,” the social media post says.
Highway, with a large incision about 10 inches long, was put on antibiotics and pain meds and watched closely throughout the night.
“His veterinary team is hopeful that this surgery will be successful but we are not out of the woods yet,” the post reads. “Please keep Highway in your prayers!”
An extensive investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Rural Services Unit earlier this month determined that Highway did, indeed, fall from a moving trailer in the dark of night. An alert truck driver spotted the open gate on the horse trailer that was being transported on I-75 and got the driver’s attention. But by the time he stopped, “Highway” was gone, having already fallen onto the roadway.
In an odd twist of fate, sheriff’s officials were quite shocked to find out that Highway, who appeared to have been well cared for prior to his injuries, had been given to the trailer driver and was going to be euthanized.
“But Highway had different plans, and so do we,” the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page earlier this month.
A fundraiser to help pay for Highway’s care has been set up by the DreamCatcher Horse Ranch Rescue, a non-profit charity. As of early Saturday morning, $1,958 of a $5,000 goal had been reached through donations from 48 people in just one day. Click HERE to go that Facebook page and make a donation.
DreamCatcher’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and educate. The group strives to rehabilitate each equine with their own individually required vet care, farrier care and nutritional needs. And its members provide a safe shelter, personal attention and unconditional love to help heal the animals from their traumatic pasts.
