A horse is a horse unless it has Type 1

Have you seen this article? A Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse, Justin Credible, was born with Type 1 diabetes. The article says that there may be undocumented cases of this before but this one is different because the owners are actually going to handle treatment for as long as it is possible for both their family and the horse.

When I saw the picture of this colt, who is absolutely beautiful, it broke my heart. Why? I mean it's just a horse. Hold on, I loooove animals and think that horses are incredible creatures but it is not like it is someone's baby. You know why it made me want to well up with tears? Because this is a reminder that illness can not be justified by human behavior. It is a part of the world that affects ALL species, it is a force of nature. For all of the guilt that I have carried being the mama and wife to two amazing guys with chronic illness, the guilt that they got sick on my watch, this is a reminder that it is not my fault.

My immediate reaction was a desire to take this horse into our barn. To make sure that it was treated for all of it's days. The owners are doing just that, they are not allowing the colt to just die without a fight. The woman quit her job, just like many of us, to care for this baby with diabetes. The reality is that her baby most likely will not live a full life like our babies, he will lose out to the complications of diabetes way before his time.

Justin will receive BG checks every four hours and insulin shots every eight hours to try and keep him healthy. He will not be allowed to graze like the other colts, he is put on a regimented diet to keep track of his carbs. Do you think the other colts will bully him? Do you think his mama knows what her baby is going through? He can't tell the owners when he is feeling off, he can't test at will when he feels low or high, do you think he feels scared when this happens? In keeping him alive until the complications kick in, does he have a quality of life like the others or is he living all of our worst fears?

In keeping this horse alive, putting in all of the hard work it takes to do just that, I hope that the owners do not miss the opportunity to give purpose to Justin's life. What an incredible (pun intended) chance to teach people about diabetes. Sometimes we humans place more value on an animals life than another human, maybe Justin could teach people about compassion, maybe he could be a therapy horse to show young people the importance of taking care of their illness. Whatever they decide, I hope that they look in their hearts and see Justin's potential to change/save lives, just the way they have saved his.