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8 Horses, Donkey Rescued In Hohenwald

Posted at 11:04 PM, Dec 21, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-22 00:04:38-05

Eight emaciated horses and one starving donkey were rescued from a property in Lewis County, according to deputies.

The animals were rescued after the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at a property Friday.

Officials with the Horse Plus Humane Society said three horses were also found died on the property.

One had reportedly been burned, while the remains of the other dead horses were kept in the pen with live horses for more than two weeks.  

"There's a body score from one to nine, nine being obese, one being as skinny as they can get and there's a mare out there that’s a body score of one," said Tawnee Preisner with the Horse Plus Humane Society.

Rescue officials said the donkey collapsed from both dehydration and starvation and has been placed on IV fluids at a foster home. A veterinarian said she would not have made it another day without treatment. Even now she may not survive.

"The problem is when animals have been starved to this extent they start using their organs to break down in order to survive so there may be organ damage she cant recover from," said Preisner.

Several veterinarians and animal shelter workers were brought with the Lewis County Sheriff's Office Friday so they could examine the animals on the spot. A raccoon and squirrel, kept in cages in the home, were also seized from the owner and put into the care of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The livestock were placed into the care of the Horse Plus Humane Society, whose members visited the home after receiving a tip weeks before and offered to help the owner with their care. They say she refused, saying she had it under control. Deputies are still not releasing her name.

"It's hard for us to kind of comprehend what goes through someone's mind in order to justify the level of abuse that we saw in this case," Preisner said.

The rescue said it's in need of donations to help cover the cost of the rescue, which could climb to as much as $20,000 or more. The court case could take months and there's even a chance the animals could be returned to their owner.

For more information, visit the Horse Plus Humane Society blog or website. (Warning: Some may find images disturbing)