Our blind foal Brynn, now 11 months old, has been experiencing dramatic temperature spikes in the past few weeks.  Ever since she came back from urinary tract surgery at Washington State University’s veterinary teaching hospital in early March, I had taken her temperature every morning as an early warning indicator of potential infection. Because she…

Alayne got this interesting shot this afternoon of Daisy the miniature Dachshund checking out a dead-to-the- world blind Joey.  We had a sunny, very warm 70-degree day — that’s unseasonably warm for us, where the average high temperature for April is only 54 degrees — and the dogs were finding the shady spots to sack…

Here’s blind baby Nevada on the left, meeting wobbly Soba for the first time.  This is about as stable as we’ve ever seen Soba, although what the camera doesn’t capture is the slight bob-and-weave as she tries to stand still.  Nevada was initially very submissive with Soba and all the other dogs she greeted for…

A wonderful friend and supporter of the sanctuary, Randi S. in northern Virginia, just sent us a big box of peanut butter dog cookies.  Blind Goldie did her instant sniff test and determined there were no soft chew toys inside, so there was no need to start shredding the cardboard with her teeth.  Her nose…

Every afternoon, between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., this is what rises up from underneath my desk.  Blind Widget has a daily routine, which is to wander into my office, mill around my desk chair, then stand up on her little short legs and put her front paws on my lap.  Her expression is inevitably,…

It’s a good thing these two sisters have different markings, because it would be hard to tell them apart sometimes!  It’s like they’re programmed to give us the same looks.  These girls are the cerebellar hypoplasia pups who came to us from an Iowa shelter a few weeks ago.  That’s Noodle on the left and…

On Saturday our wonderful volunteer Laura B. from Helena picked up Brody and Nevada at the vet clinic and brought them out to us.  Joining Laura at the ranch to volunteer was her daughter Kate, who lives in Missoula.  Together they make volunteering a regular mother/daughter event … one drives east, one drives west, and…

One of the things we do here, in addition to directly taking care of 80 animals, is communicating our basic message that disabled animals can have a wonderful quality of life.  (Regular blog readers don’t need to be convinced of that, of course!) The biggest challenge we have is helping people in the horse world…

Many months ago I posted an item and a still photo about blind Widget "looming" over the other dogs until they give up their bed or chair to her.  Widget will quietly walk up to them, stand there motionless (except for her little tail bobbing), and stare intently at them.  (Hey, she’s blind, but a…

Alayne drove new arrivals Nevada the blind puppy and Brody the blind Lab to our vet clinic in Helena today.  We took these photos shortly before Alayne hit the road. Nevada is going in for an eye exam, general medical check-up, blood work and a spay.  We are a bit concerned about the chronic discharge…