SAINTS Blog - Febuary 27th 2024

Section 2/3

The first Blog created was split into 3 sections, this is the next section focusing on Cats, Horses and the Donkeys. After the final section is released, the blog will be updated Bi-weekly.

Cats

As many of you are aware, we have a lot of cats at SAINTS. The need for space for older/special needs cats grows by the day, and we try to accommodate as many as we can. However, the reality is that we cannot accommodate every animal that is requested for us to take. It is a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless. This is not unique to SAINTS; most other shelters/sanctuaries also do not have the space for the sheer number of cats needing homes or needing to be surrendered.

We have a range of cats with different ongoing issues, from dental problems to eye surgery to diabetic check-ups, and the list goes on and on. We will elaborate on a couple below.

Bubba came to us as a transfer from a shelter. He is diabetic and just 5 years old. Bubba is obese, has a hard time walking, and is "flat-footed." We took Bubba for many trips to the vet and discovered that he has Plantigrade due to long untreated diabetes. His nerves are damaged, and the ligaments in his legs won’t tighten, and muscles don’t contract like they should. There could be a surgical fix, as they believe it's too late for his body to fix on its own. We are currently evaluating his glycemic control to stabilize it further. He has lost some weight while being at SAINTS. We see a long road ahead for Bubba, but with time and care, we should be able to improve his quality of life.

Charley had to have dental surgery due to stomatitis, which is an extremely unfortunate yet common occurrence in FIV+ cats. He kept his canines and incisors for jaw structure, but the rest of his teeth were extracted. He is doing well and healing nicely.

Horses

SAINTS is only set up to accommodate four horses; however, we had one horse in foster care who needed to be transferred back to SAINTS. We do have space for him, but not enough to be housed with the other horses at the center. Walter is 36 years old and fancies himself a 'stud.' He is a sweet, gentle lad but loves chatting with Blackie and Dixie, but mainly Ziggy and Rupert. Walter gets a bit anxious at turn-in when the mares start going in, but he isn’t very vocal about it. However, when the donkeys are shut in for the night, he will call to them! We are currently about to start adding an extension to his stable so that the Donkeys can be housed at night next to him.

Once he is inside, we leave his door open so he can see us at the feed room. During this time, he also calls out to us. He is a very social being and very vocal, which may be due to being late-gelded or proud cut (suspected). For those not familiar with horse behavior, hearing him whinny can be alarming. However, if you work with him, you understand he has a close bond with his friends at SAINTS. Once it's time to shut him in at night, he calms down and can be seen on cameras happily munching away and sleeping calmly throughout the night.

First thing in the morning, we open his stable door and promptly feed him. Once he has finished his breakfast, he is ready to go greet his friends Rupert and Ziggy and has no problem letting you know! Once he is let outside, he runs up to the donkeys' pen to greet them! He loves Ziggy especially! We started letting them in together, and both run around bucking like foals! It is truly special to see how far he has come and how settled in he has become. Walter cannot be introduced to the mares as he has shown too much 'enthusiasm' and could hurt himself trying to get to 'know' the mares. Additionally, Lisa is not a fan of Walter. If we had the space, we would have Walter and the donkeys housed together with the other horses at night, which Walter would really enjoy. Currently, this is not available to us without separating the mares who have a close friendship and have been together for years. Walter has skin cancer and Cushing's disease. The Cushing's is being assessed by the vet as previous treatment left him not eating enough. We took him off this medication, and he has since gained weight and found a love for food again. We have changed to a different method of controlling Cushing's and will see if it helps.

We have done some lunging with Lisa and Dixie, which seems to help them have something to do, as they can seem to get bored at times and act out towards each other. Lisa is going to the vet today and spending the night there to have her stomach looked at as potentially she may have ulcers. Annabelle is doing very well! We wish she could be with the horses, but as herd animals, they will try to push out any animal in the herd that is seen as a weakness to the herd. It is sad as she does love being with them. However, the current setup we have is that at night they are housed next to each other, and outside she has her own corral so she can be close to them while ensuring her safety.

Donkeys

Ziggy has been put on a diet as he was seen as a bit larger than chunky! He is losing weight, and the vet is happy with his progress! For some of you who don’t know, Ziggy has an ongoing lung infection that will be with him until his last days. He receives medication every day (which he doesn’t like), but it is for his betterment. He seems to have a lot of life and love in him! He used to love to gallop around with Rupert. However, Rupert's age has caught up with him, as well as some medical issues, and he cannot run around anymore. With the introduction of Walter, these two tear around the place playing! Rupert is happy being on the sidelines eating hay! Rupert has been slowing down in the last few months and seems to have sore feet. The vets did repeat radiographs of Rupert’s feet and found no sign of laminitis. Donkeys can get sore feet as they age, and we got him (sparkly) boots that seem to be helping him with mobility. They also did radiographs of his hind legs and did not see any signs of arthritis. He is going into the clinic today to have two front teeth extracted, and they will look to see if there’s anything else they can rule out while he’s there.

Stay Tuned for the final section!