Rolling Dog Farm Blog

Here’s a photo I took last week but didn’t have time to post.  I had hauled this crew in to our equine vet, Bill Brown, for various "issues." 

That’s blind Luna on the left of the trailer, wearing a flymask.  We had to remove her eyes a few weeks ago, and then she developed a sinus infection.  So on this visit Bill drilled a hole into her sinus cavity and inserted a catheter so we could flush her sinuses.  (We’re doing it every day right now.)

Behind Luna is blind Chance, who was in for an abscess on his left front foot.  Bill opened it up and drained it.  Chance is still holding up remarkably well in his battle with lymphoma — we’re almost a year after the initial diagnosis.

On the right side of the trailer in the foreground is old Crazy Horse — 30 years + — who is sighted.  We had taken him in several years ago as a ‘seeing eye’ horse for one of our blind ones.  He has not been doing well, limping and acting lame.  Earlier treatments with injectable joint medications (first Legend, then Adequan) had not worked.  On this visit Bill injected his joints with cortisone.  The next day, little old Crazy was a new horse … walking without a limp!  We were relieved, because if this hadn’t worked, we would have had to euthanize him because of the pain he was in.

Behind Crazy Horse on the right is blind Hawk, who also had an abscess in a front foot.  Bill drained that one, too.

Caring for horses is expensive.  For the month of April alone, we just wrote Bill a check for $6,299.  This covered the herd health day, Luna’s surgery, a week in the hospital for Lonesome George, medications, and several other medical visits, including chemotherapy treatments for Chance and George.  (It didn’t cover any expenses in May, like the group visit above.)

When we agree to take an animal, we know it’s a major — often lifetime — commitment we’re making.  And that includes providing whatever medical care the animal needs.  It’s all thanks to the sanctuary’s generous supporters, who make this possible.