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22nd December.
We had the Vet out today because 30 years o ld Melody (the last horse we admitted) had been spotting blood excessively for the past four days. I thought and hoped it would not be serious but with a senior horse there is always a concern that it could be caused by a tumour so a vet’s professional opinion is always welcome. Fortunately she was not unduly worried and Melody in herself seems fine.Thank goodness, we just need to keep an eye on her in the future.
We have a few old animals in residence and a few are showing signs of age related issues(including me!) Collie /kelpie Tash who is around 11 years and one of our resident dogs has always been hard to handle which means that visits to the Vet are a total nightmare.She even has to be anaesthetised to have her coat clipped ,; she makes it impossible for anyone to groom her unless she is sedated and her short, thick coat tends to get matted very easily.Earlier this year she had trouble eating and a growth in her mouth was found and duly removed. We made a decision at that time that if it grew back we would let her go instead of putting her through another ordeal and there are signs that it is returning so we know that it is on the cards in the not too distant future.Although Tash is not the easiest dog, the staff are still very fond of her and wish that she felt the same way about them but she refuses to allow anyone to pet her except me.Every day she rushes to me for a kiss and cuddle and then she rushes off happily for her exercise on the field. I did try to adopt her once but she does not like other dogs and there was mayhem in the house so that idea sadly came to nothing.Instead we have given her the best life possible for a kennelled dog in rescue.Tash has lots of treats and walks with Scamp, another resident kelpie cross and the only dog whose company she will tolerate. Lately Tash seems to be having a few ‘off’ days so I fear her time is approaching. I dread the day, she is so much part of the shelter .
On the up side of things, little Staffordshire pup Pixie has had her heart operation and is recovering well with her new family, staff member Sue and her partner .She is no longer struggling to breathe and she desperately wants to play but her exercise needs to be limited until her stitches are out and she has her check up at the Veterinary Hospital. Apparently she was quite a hit whilst there and she had offers of adoption from one of the Vet s and the Anaesthetist! Everyone who comes into contact with her falls in love with her though she has already made herself at home sharing a comfy bed with her big amiable staffie ‘brother’.They already love each other.We are still short of around £1,000 to pay for the operation but our online crowdfunder has done well and is still open for anyone who wants to donate to the cost of the operation.(click on the link below or send a donation to the Wales shelter)
http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-pixie-get-the-life-she-deserves
6 kittens ,an adult cat and two dogs were rehomed just before we closed our doors for the Christmas period and another 2 dogs are reserved until we reopen on the 27th December.A couple of our foster homes have asked for a break for a week(sometimes we forget they have their own lives to lead!)but fortunately we still have 2 ‘open’ for business. I am hoping that we will be quiet over the holiday, judging by the amount of calls we had leading up to this holiday period, surely most people have now got rid of their unwanted dogs? Every year I am shocked at the lack of Xmas spirit towards so many family pets who are abandoned or dumped in shelters.You would think I would be well used to it by now but it still horrifies me and always will. Those of us who love our pets cannot understand the lack of feelings shown by some people and thank goodness we are not all like those uncaring individuals.Sometimes when I am on Facebook, I read of terrible animal cruelty as I am sure many of you do also, but I also see thousands of distressed and angry people who are up in arms at what they read, and I read about those who are fighting to improve the lot of suffering animals .Not just in the Uk, but In most countries there are compassionate groups and individuals doing their very best to raise awareness and help abused animals. It is so heartening.Before the internet and when I first set up Fresh fields, I so often felt completely alone, if only I had been able to reach out to others in the same situation, what a difference it would have made.Still, better late than never!
We have taken 6 little Jack russell/collie pups from a home where the pups were left without access to water( on arrival, they leaped on the water bowl and drank relentlessly for several minutes! )They were all full of worms and covered in fleas but seeing pups so desperate for water that they were licking the floor where a tiny drop of water had spilled was so sad. Two of the six have already been reserved.
Another bunny has been rehomed.Frankie has been with us for over a year, so we are so pleased for him. Most of our rabbits go to adult homes and not as children’s pets though of course we don’t ban homes with children from having a rescued rabbit.It is just that so many are hard to handle(I am referring to bunnies not kids though………..? ) having not had much socialisation stuck on their own in hutches. Franki e has gone as a companion to another rabbit and will be cared for by a teenage girl who has them in her bedroom during the winter months. Good luck to him in his new home.
Many of our animals which are admitted start off by being very grumpy and we have found that some of these so called bad tempered animals actually are actually in pain and let’s face it, we can all be grumpy when we are suffering can’t we? One of the most common problems we find is poor dental hygiene for pets. Like humans, pets need dental care too. Remember our horse Melody who came in looking depressed, and like a bag of bones.Once her teeth were sorted out she cheered up and started to gain weight. Well we had a similar case with a cat which came in about a month ago, she came in with Pepsi the neglected Newfoundland dog, and although a stunning blue tortoishell, she was rather bad tempered and had a tendency to lash out at members of staff. After a dental operation where she had three teeth removed, her nature improved considerably and now she is a completely different cat, so affectionate and outgoing and even more to the point, she has become adopteable.
I have just received a call from Jan who runs our Llandudno shop, sh tells me that a lady has handed in a donation of £200 but wishes to remain anonymous. How wonderful that she has thought of the charity at this time of year.. If she reads this blog, I hope she understands exactly what her donation and all others received mean to us here in Wales.Have a Happy Christmas and thanks to all of you who support Fresh fields in whatever way you can.I appreciate every little kindness shown towards our animals.
Here’s to a quiet(ish) holiday though if course we w ill be working every day as normal.Animals still need feeding, cleaning out and exercising. As my mother would often say ‘There’s no peace for the wicked’!
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