A tale of two lambs

A Tale of Two lambs

Sadly our little lamb Shaun did not make it, he had lost the will to live and as I mentioned in the last blog, it is likely that he was a weakling so had little chance of surviving. We wrapped him warmly in my old dressing gown and gave him a heat pad to keep his temperature up but it was not to be. He closed his eyes and went into a deep sleep from which he did not wake up.

The following day we admitted another newborn lamb which was asleep next to his dead mother who had just given birth to him. This baby is stronger altogether and he has a good fighting chance, he is drinking greedily and is altogether brighter and livelier. We will take each day as it comes but we have hopes he will survive. Shown here is foster mum Vanessa and  trying to get in on the action is Amy one of our resident cats!

At this time of year there are hundreds of lambs gambolling in the fields, and the better farmers check them daily, however many fail to do this and lambs are left like this little one, orphaned and cold,lying in mud with little chance of being found before hypothermia sets in. Reporting them to the authorities seems to bring little  or no response which is extremely frustrating.

Fingers crossed for Shaun no 2.

Noddy goes to the Dentist

The Dentist has been out to see Noddy and his treatment will be over three appointments.Due to the little mans great age(Noddy, not the Dentist!) Andre is not keen to give him the treatment in one go as a big anaesthetic given to a pony of 39 years could cause more problems than his bad teeth and even prove fatal.  So Noddy is not quite sorted yet but his treatment has begun and he is already a lot more comfortable. Animals may be more stoical than humans but decaying teeth cause a lot of pain and it was quite apparent by Noddy's recent demeanour, that he was feeling very uncomfortable and not his usual bright little self. I am always amazed by how few of the equines admitted to Freshfields have ever been seen by a  dentist. One would think this was part and parcel of horse care and welfare but it seems to be very low on the list of priorities of some owners. Invariably, most  new horses and ponies need immediate  dental treatment. On his next trip to the shelter (on Monday) Andre will be checking over the teeth of new pony Tomos, and of course, continuing Noddys dental care.

Andre, as usual has been over to Greece to do his bit for the donkeys and horses over there. He truly deserved the animal welfare award he won last year. He is a genuinely kind man.

From Wales to Cornwall.

Merlin, a  beautiful collie rescued from the Pound has been fostered by Elaine for the past few weeks .Poor Merlin was attacked by another dog and badly hurt so she has been caring for him at her home and on Thursday he is going to his new home in Cornwall. His new people know that Merlin is no longer the handsome dog they fell in love with on the website (he had his neck and head shaved)but they know he needs them more than ever and his looks will return when his coat grows back. He is a  great dog and I know he is going to enjoy living on the Cornish Coast.

Two Happy Ponies

It is not often we receive updates and photos of the ponies out in loan homes so it was particularly nice to hear about Freddie and Ember(now called Will and Jac)  This lovely pair of shetlands went to a new home last year and are clearly well loved and cared for in their new home. We have been busy lately doing follow up checks on our ponies and it a very time consuming job. We could do with volunteers to help us do this and are particularly in need of people who live in the Anglesey and Aberdarron areas, also Wrexham and Conway. If you could help or know someone who may fit the bill place let me know. It would be  great help to have a team of outside helpers who could home check and do follow up checks on the horses.(also needed for cats and dogs)

Cat in trouble
We sent in 8 cats to be neutered/spayed  last Thursday and when hey returned one seemed unable to recover from the anaesthetic. He was taken back and given another injection to 'wake him up' (the following day!!) It was clear to me that it was not that and I feared that he may have sustained brain damage under the anaesthetic. He  remains at the vet surgery and I am awaiting news of his condition.It is distressing to know that he went in as a healthy normal young cat and has returned unable to balance and walk properly.
Poor little cat, but I am sure we will find someone kind to take on this little chap whatever the outcome.