11/11/2024
💔We have just said goodbye to our sweetest angel donkey, little Polly. Polly came here with neurological issues, horribly deformed hooves; she was half blind, she had skin that would just shred with too much pressure, as it was so delicate. Lameness issues would arise and our vets and farriers were always called upon to improve and insure her comfort.She was a precious package of love to be handled with special loving care every day.Our hearts are so heavy with grief at the loss of this amazing little girl, but her little body simply chose to stop fighting every day to heal, to walk, to deal with pain and whatever issues came up for her. And there were a lot. Throughout Polly's life here, this fragile appearing sweetie let us know that we could not hold her back from anything. She was going where her friends went. She was running when the other donkeys ran. She was going to hang out with everyone else and endearingly, she followed us around all the time insisting upon our lives and attention and our love. She would complain loudly when we would leave her. Loving her was the easiest part.She was a remarkable donkey, both with her resilience and her determination to give as much love as she demanded. She was not shy about wanting to be near people. Visitors were warned: she was famous for pushing her head between your legs and if you weren't careful, she would lift you and take you for a ride.I cannot even describe the joy, the love, and the expression of pure will to live every day at its fullest, that Polly showed to us. She was a lesson in how to live our lives. Suddenly, with a new lameness issue and her fetlock weak, Polly just decided to lay down. She tried to get up when we asked, but she was too weak. She knew. Her body said she had enough and she was letting go.Her eyes said everything. The sparkle was gone.What she needed from us now was love, yes, but the truly selfless love that understands when an animal wants assistance to leave this world of ours peacefully, without pain, but instead with sweet kisses, hugs and "I love you's" We will all see Polly again. She will come to us in her own way. She will not leave us alone. Not Polly! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🫏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️I have talked about the many health issues that Polly had.There is always the question of "quality of life".It is incumbent upon veterinarians to have this discussion with you when you have animals with problems. It is absolutely imperative that you are honest with yourself. Please, always listen with an open mind. It can be possible to be in denial about whether youare allowing your animal to suffer as opposed to the thought of losing them.I can assure you that we always considered Polly's quality of life.With all of the challenges she has faced, we have been able to help her with solutions. Her happiness and health has always been our priority. This is the priority for every donkey in our care.Our medical expenses are high for this reason. All donkeys have regular blood chemistry panels, vet checkups, X-rays always when needed, along with all other regularly scheduled health maintenance, ie., dentals, hooves, immunizations, any testing, etc. Any donkey who needs meds per test results is on meds.We do all we are capable of to insure that each and every donkey is healthy, and happy.It is obvious to us when there is a quality of life question as we are intimately involved with our donkeys and individual donkey care every day. Happiness and comfort are of primary importance.Unfortunately, most donkeys we rescue have had pre-existing conditions which have already done permanent damage internally and/or externally. And this can lead to an earlier end of life than would be natural for a totally healthy animal.Our goal is to educate current and prospective donkey owners as to the proper care of donkeys.It is the lack of education and failure to give proper care that results in so much damage done to these very special animals. We will be moved to our new sanctuary location before the end of the year. We will be offering classes on all aspects of donkey care.❤️Love Your Animals. ❤️Carlen Donate to our legacy fund to help future donkeys in need. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=CGM2Y2D8AGZZL
We provide rehabilitation and lifetime sanctuary to special needs donkeys who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected.
