Be a Hero for a Crippled Senior Donkey
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
Assoc for Donkey and Equine HavenA $400 miracle will provide relief from crippling rotation laminitis for a struggling senior donkey.
$525
raised by 5 people
$400 goal
Update on Dancer's Progress
I'm so pleased to let everyone know that we raised the money for Dancer's Soft Ride boots. Thank you all for your generosity and loving kindness.
Dancer's hooves are being trimmed and shaped in anticipation of being fitted for her new boots. I don't have a current picture to share with you but I will follow up soon.
Please pray for all of our residents this winter. A cold front arrives this weekend that will plunge temps into the teens for days. Freezing winds up to 60 MPH will be a significant issue to contend with. We are preparing for the onslaught, but despite being hardy animals, our residents are vulnerable to cold weather. Their only protection is provided by loafing shelters and thickets of trees. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated.
The first time I saw Dancer, her feet were so badly butchered she could hardly stand. This weathered, old soul came to the Haven from a livestock auction but her journey began long before then.
She was put on an open transport trailer and traveled for days in filthy, overcrowded conditions without food or water, ravaged by freezing winter wind, until she wound up in Oklahoma. She stood on twisted ankles, painful from rotation laminitis, in an outdoor pen unprotected from the harsh elements. She wasn't purchased at auction, likely due to her age and the condition of her feet, which someone eventually trimmed until there was almost nothing left of them but tiny, square platforms hardly larger than her ankles, leaving little foundation on which to balance.
By December 2022, she'd made her way into North Texas on another transport trailer, and by the new year - with the help of many caring hands and donations - she found her way to us. She arrived at the Haven after dark with a small group of donkeys, all of whom were in bad shape. Climbing down from the trailer was agonizing for her, and we all wondered how she'd managed to make it this far.
When she was finally moved into a pasture with our other residents, her suffering kept her isolated. There was little to be done about her feet because they had been so crudely hacked there was nothing left for a farrier to work with. For the entire winter she ate, slept, and stood in the same square of pasture. There were days I was certain she wouldn't make it through - she was so thin and bony - but her appetite remained strong and something about her willfulness and independent spirit gave me tremendous hope. By spring, she was attempting to walk to the fence line to eat with the other donkeys, despite her tender, painful gait and being pushed out by stronger and younger donkeys. Her struggle became a great source of inspiration to everyone who encountered her.
A year later, her hooves have finally grown enough to be slowly shaped and trimmed to carry her further with less pain and less pressure on her ankles. It is an agonizingly slow process, and to give her some degree of relief, Dancer's veterinarian has recommended orthopedic shoes with gel inserts. https://softrideboots.com/laminitis-lameness.php. This is a $400 expense and we are humbly asking for your help in alleviating her pain.
Dancer is a miracle. She is an inspiration. She is a role model for perseverance. Finally, she has the love and support of a community who wants the best for her.
Will you help our Dancer experience a degree of relief by contributing to gel inserts?