Rescue & Adoptions
Past Featured Rescues
Bonnie
 When
Bonnie was first unloaded from an Animal Control trailer one cold
morning in the winter of 1995, the staff at our California Shelter
couldn't believe their eyes. A victim of horrific neglect, Bonnie
could barely stand or walk. The hooves on all four of her feet had
each overgrown by eleven inches or more, and were curled underneath
her so far that they were hitting the backs of her legs. She struggled
to keep her balance enough to simply remain upright. In order to
attempt a step, she had to cautiously lift each foot high off the
ground, set her mangled hoof down, and then try to regain balance
all over again. Bonnie's hair was missing in huge patches and she
was crawling with lice.
The
Animal Control officers delivering Bonnie to Farm Sanctuary explained
that the five-year-old donkey had been confiscated from a private
home, where she had been confined to a 10' x 15' paddock, apparently
for her entire life. She had lived in this paddock, day after day,
without shelter or proper drainage to keep her area clean, and without
any hope of escape. She was found standing in mud and manure up
to her knees.
When
our veterinarian arrived later that morning with a portable x-ray
machine and hoof trimming equipment, he was astounded at her condition.
He determined that her hooves had never been trimmed or maintained
at all. We carefully cradled Bonnie as the excess hoof material
was cut away from each of her feet. All four feet had severe and
painful hoof rot, yet Bonnie quietly underwent lengthy treatments
without complaint, as if she knew she would be well cared for and
was finally safe.
 The
x-rays showed that due to the extreme overgrowth of Bonnie's hooves
during the growth stage of her life, the bones in all four of her
feet were rotated and seriously deformed. Equine experts at UC Davis
later gave Bonnie a grim prognosis of only 2-3 years before the
condition of her feet would deteriorate even further and she would
be unable to stand at all. But,
thankfully, Bonnie proved her doctors wrong. She has now lived many
years longer than expected, and she just keeps getting stronger
and healthier with each passing year. She happily gets her hooves
trimmed every six weeks, and loves to be brushed and doted upon
by her caregivers. She spends most of her free time with her favorite
donkey friend, Waylon, roaming our green pastures and braying loudly
from our hilltops, grateful to be free.
|
