Molly, the Horse with an Artificial Leg-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
Pictures and a story of Molly, a horse that survived hurricane Katrina in Louisiana but lost a leg to infection after a dog attack. It’s a story of survival and Molly is now being used as a source of inspiration to people in shelters and hospitals.
The Truth:
According to media reports, including an article in the New York times from May 16, 2006, this is true.
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused a lot of havoc for animals as well as people. Nobody knows how many pets died or were displaced as a result of the storm.
Kaye Harris loves animals and lives on a pony ranch in St. Rose, Louisiana. She willingly participated in adopting some of the homeless pets and, among other animals, took in an appaloosa that had been found wandering in St. Charles Parish. She named it Molly.
One day Harris arrived at her ranch to the shocking scene of Molly being attacked by another adopted animal, a pit bull. She said Molly’s lip was torn, she had a gash in her side, and all four legs had been severely injured. She thought Molly was going to die.
She sought the help of veterinarian Dr. Allison Barca who treated Molly but knew that the horse’s right leg was too far gone and a few weeks after the attack Molly’s hoof fell off. Both Dr. Barca and Harris made a passionate appeal to experts at Louisiana State University to consider fitting Molly with an artificial leg. It was an uphill battle but after being with Molly for a couple of days, Dr. Rustin Moore, a veterinary surgeon, was impressed with the horse and began to feel like an artificial leg was worth a try. After surgery to remove the leg below the knee, Molly was introduced to the folks at the Bayou Orthotic and Prosthetic Center, which had never before made prosthesis for an animal. They succeeded, however, and Molly uses the artificial limb on a regular basis. She is able to get around on three legs but has been known to communicate some of the times when she wants to use her new leg.
Molly has now become an inspiration to others facing challenges in their lives and a book has been written about her titled Molly the Pony A True Story by author Pam Kaster. Kaster told TruthOrFiction.com that she also took the photos in the forwarded email.
The pit bull was not destroyed, by the way. Harris gave the dog some grace because so many animals were traumatized by Hurricane Katrina. She found a home for him among people who were good at rehabilitating dogs
Updated 5/14/10