March 9, 2016 
Shammy, the dwarf Miniature Horse, is the lap dog of tiny horses. And he’s not ashamed to admit it. At the barn, in the grass, on the couch—he likes nothing better than to snuggle up with owner Michele Puryear of Georgia under his build-in fluff blanket. It’s unbearably cute.
Unfortunately, all that cute comes at a cost. Dwarf miniature horses have many medical needs over their lifetime. Shammy sees a farrier every four to six weeks to have custom horse shoes that must be sized and glued to his hooves to prevent him from walking on his ankles. In the near future, he’ll require multiple dental surgeries, reports Puryear, as well as treatment for arthritis and possibly joint enlargements/deviations.
“I did not know his parents carried dwarf genes,” says Puryear. “His sire has good conformation and no dwarf characteristics. He sired no other dwarf babies.”
She has since gelded the sire and says Shammy will be gelded as well. In the meantime, Puryear has started a crowd funding campaign to help cover Shammy’s escalating veterinary costs.
“These lil guys give so much love and deserve to be treated as humane as possible the short time they are with us,” she says. “I don’t expect anyone to donate. A donation is a gift for those who like to give.”
You can learn more about Shammy the Dwarf at GoFundMe and on his Facebook page.
