Skipper and Othello - One Year On!

Its hard to believe a whole year has passed since our little lad came home with his new friend Skipper!  Othello took his adventures in his stride and recovered quickly.  It took Skipper a little longer, but I am pleased to report he is doing really well!  Skipper will always have hind end issues, but he is happy and healthy and enjoying life:)

Ben Update - The Best Christmas Present:)

Our little man has been through more than anyone should ever have to go through and the past few days have been no exception.  A routine check up on Friday turned into a 3 hour major surgery to amputate Ben's broken leg.  Despite being on antibiotics and regular vet check ups, he had developed a serious bone infection and this was his only hope.

I am pleased to report that Ben not only made it through the surgery, but is recovering much better than we dared hope for!  Ben is adapting well to having only 3 legs and is able to move around remarkably well - so well I nearly couldn't catch him last night:)  He is eating and drinking well too.

We would like to thank our amazing vet and all of the incredibly kind people who have donated to his surgery costs - words cannot do justice to our appreciation for your support, but THANK YOU:)

Ben is currently wearing a very stylish cone over his head and declined to be photographed for today's blog!  Once he is feeling better, I will post some new photos.

                                           Merry Christmas and Thank You from Ben:)

Ben...a little black and white hero:)

Its been quite the month here at BMM and this week has really tested us all.  On Tuesday night, our neighbour called to say one of our cats was stuck up a tree.  On further investigation we discovered it was Ben, one of a family of four feral cats who found a home here at BMM from Toronto Cat Rescue.  Some of you will remember a post earlier this summer about Ben's brother, Jake who also found himself in a tree predicament!  Apparently it runs in the family as Ben was not making any attempt to get down.  What made the situation worse was this tree was a poplar and looked like a telephone pole with no branches to help him down.  We tried everything to coax him, but the poor guy was terrified. 

This went on for 2 days and by Thursday we were getting desperate.  We borrowed a ladder and found a brave soul to go up it, but Ben was just too scared and climbed right to the top of the tree.  Thursday evening saw about 10 of us rigging up tarps in case he fell, but Ben clung on and spent a very scary night swinging wildly in the wind.

By Friday afternoon, Ben was getting weaker and we knew something had to be done to get him out of the tree.  Once again our neighbour stepped in and climbed the pine tree next to Ben.  When he got near, Ben lost his grip on the branch and he watched in horror as Ben tumbled 80ft to the ground.

Remarkably, Ben survived the fall and was in good spirits.  He was unable to move his legs and we knew at least one leg was broken, but he was bright and purring and enjoyed several small meals.  Fearing the worst, we made him comfortable for the night and planned to take him to the vet this morning.  None of us got much sleep.

By the time we made it to the clinic this morning, Ben showed more signs of movement and we were optimistic that we weren't there to say goodbye.  The story gets better - not only did Ben survive the fall, but he only broke one bone!!!!  Ben is not out of the woods yet and we are waiting to see if there is any long-term neurological damage.  Currently, he is unable to support himself and has a splint on his broken leg, but this is changing all the time as he regains his strength and the swelling subsides.  Ben's attitude is nothing short of inspirational and although he has a long road ahead of him, we feel positive he will make it and this story will have a positive ending.

Today we discovered here is another amazing thing about Ben - when the vet took x-rays this morning, she discovered his entire body is peppered with buckshot.  Dr. Tracy feels this happened to him a couple of years ago due to all the scar tissue surrounding it.  This cat has clearly been through much more than we ever knew.

Watch this space for updates on Ben's progress:)

Ben and Bungee

A Good Week!!!

Its been a really special week for two of our deserving boys!  Braun and Joey will be heading to their new homes at the end of this week.  Congratulations to their adoptive parents and we wish them well as they continue on their journey:)

Friday's Drama!!

No one can say we have dull moments here...sometimes dull might be quite nice though!!!

On Thursday Sascha decided that Jake, one of our feral cats, should go up a tree.  Only it turns out that Jake belongs to the small percentage of the cat population that are terrified of heights and cannot get themselves down.  We tried everything to coax him down, but after 18 hours we realised we had a bit of a problem. Poor Jake was yelling blue murder and shaking like a leaf and due to the extreme heat was very dehydrated.

What to do?  He was quite high up a huge walnut tree and as he is only just coming to term with human company, he wasn't a candidate for someone to go up and get him.  I made a few phone calls and I have say, this didn't restore my faith in the human population.  No one had any words of advice, but seemed to think it was amusing that he couldn't get down.  One person even suggested he had no intelligence!!! Fuelled by this negativity, I was determined that Jake was getting safely out of that tree!

Enter Stevie the tractor and my friend Dani from National Service Dogs. Its amazing what you can do with a front end loader and a bucket, a few bales of hay and a can of tuna!  Dani came up with the idea of stacking the bales in the bucket of the tractor to make the jump shorter.  We managed to get the bucket within about 2 feet of Jake, but he still needed to get the confidence to move from his spot.

As we waited to see if Jake would take this leap of faith so to speak, a small furry hero came into the picture.  Big Squiggles, not the most athletic or adventurous cat at BMM, pulled himself up the tree and leaped into the bucket of the tractor!!  He showed Jake where the food was and didn't eat any of it (how many cats would leave tuna??) and then climbed back down the tree!  Jake finally found the courage to jump and then allowed me to start the tractor and lower the bucket with him in it.  It was quite the remarkable sight!

Jake has fully recovered from his ordeal and has turned into quite the cuddle bug.  Squiggles is still basking in the glory of being a hero and thoroughly enjoyed the tuna he got to say thank you:)

                                                            Jake back on solid ground!

                                                   The hero of the hour...Big Squiggles:)

Welcome Molly and Keiron!

Our newest residents arrived this morning!  They are settling in well and enjoying all the grass (and weeds!)

                                                  Keiron

                                                 Molly

Happy Birthday Othello & Happy Anniversary Jack!!!

Yesterday (June 20th) marked the arrival at BMM of two special animals.  Othello celebrated his 2nd birthday and Jackson celebrated his 2 year anniversary.  Both are characters in their own right and we are so happy they are with us!  They definately keep life interesting.  Jackson celebrated by stealing his 4th loaf of bread in 4 days....when will we learn??!

Welcome Back!

It seems appropriate on the first day of Summer to relaunch our Blog! After a couple of months of being quiet, I'm pleased to say Bella Misty Meadows Animal Sanctuary is back!  We have become a Not for Profit Corporation and have a new board of directors to take us through the next stage of our development.

Over the next few weeks I will post updates on the animals and share our news! 

Thank you for being patient:)

BMM Website Update

Bella Misty Meadow's website will be off-line for a while.  Please feel free to leave me a message if you have any questions!

I think someone ordered the wrong weather.....

I'm pretty sure the first day of Spring was two days ago.....

Please bring back the sun......!!!

Bad Piggies!!!!

Well, the lads have been feeling the spring weather and took themselves off on a wee adventure today.  Not only did we go for a wander, we went right to the back of the property and dug lots of big mud holes on the way!!  Unfortunately I didn't capture the look on Gordon's face when  he peered out from his freshly dug mud hole at me, but I did get some other cute shots:)

                                          Who says a dog toy is just for dogs!

                                           If we move fast enough, she'll never catch us!!!

                                          HeeHee...this is so much fun!!!

Braun is Home:)

This Sunday we picked up Braun.  It is awesome to have him here and he is settling in well.  He has already made himself the boss and is choosing a different friend every day!  Today, Joe was his new best friend!!

Rant of the Month!!!!

In November we moved to our new location in St. Williams.  We had very little time to get things ready before the cold weather hit and many repairs and new fencing had to be put off to the Spring. 

I confess, I'm not happy with the holes in our shelters (the horses that previously lived here were wood chewers), or that there are no gates wide enough or accessible enough for me to drive my tractor in to clean out the paddocks (it is impossible to pick up frozen poop with a fork!).  And I'm really not happy that the drainage is terrible and causes big ice patches, making me keep the animals in a restricted area to prevent them from hurting themselves.  I'm also not happy that we didn't have time to fence an emergency area for rescues coming in, but I cannot deny that the horses look better than they have in years and are happy and healthy.  Apparently they don't feel my unhappiness!!

I have to tell you what I am most unhappy about!  I can live with the current situation because the animals are so happy, but what hurts and angers me more than anything is the negativity and unkind comments we are receiving from some of the people who drive past our farm.  Apparently, we are cruel to leave them out in the winter and I don't feed them!  The animals in our care are fed free-choice hay and always have food and water.

We are often guilty of projecting our own feelings and beliefs onto animals.  A horse standing outside with his back to driving rain or snow has likely made a choice to stand like that.  It doesn't mean he is being abused or neglected!  Horses are designed to live outside and in many circumstances, it is more healthy for them.  They have wonderful thick coats to keep them warm and they adapt very well.

All animals require food, water and shelter.  If you suspect an animal isnt getting these things, look at the condition of the animals.  Are they thin?  Can you see their ribs?  How does their coat look?  Is it thick and shiney? 

There are often reasons why you might see a horse in an area without a shelter or constant access to hay.  We recently took in Skipper who was covered in lice and had a terrible skin condition.  He was wormy and thin and also had signs of a neurological problem.  We had just moved and due to the winter, we hadn't been able to fence a new area.  We made the decision to get the horse out of the situation and put him in our roundpen.  It doesn't have a shelter, but is right next to the barn which provides protection from the elements.  He has access to heated water and free choice hay, and he is grained 3 times per day.  He has a closet of blankets for every weather situation. We have a stall available in an emergency, but as he hitches we didn't want him banging himself up in the stall.  Skipper has flourished - gaining weight and his skin is healing, and yet we've had constant complaints and threats from people who see him outside.

So, I ask these people, if you do see something you don't think is right, please check first. You can even approach the owner and ask why - you don't have to accuse them, just ask!  The OSPCA get calls all the time and many of them are not founded.  Please save your calls for animals who truly need help.

Cute Little Visitor!

A sudden rise in temperature brought out a little visitor to the farm.  I found this little guy under our trailer.  He was shaking and hungry, but otherwise in good health.  I gave our local wildlife rescue a quick call and she told me what to feed him.  If it had been a horse I would have had no trouble, but coming from the UK, I've really only ever seen racoons in zoos!!

A couple of hours later, our little friend was feeling much better and on his way back to bed:)  Hopefully he found somewhere safe and warm to spend the rest of the winter.

Active Pig!

On Saturday I ordered pot-bellied pig chow and arranged to pick it up after the store had closed.  When I got there, I discovered that instead of the boys' regular "Elder" ration, the feed mill had left "Active Pig"!  This gave Kris and I quite a chuckle...Gordon and Cosmo really aren't all that active and we joked about the affect it would have on them.  We shouldn't have joked.....

Yesterday I was on the phone and happened to glance up at the barn.  I did a double take...Gordon and Cosmo were wandering around by the horses' paddocks!  When I went to investigate, they had broken out of their run by smashing the door!  The boys were quite happily wandering around terrorizing the horses (don't you know pigs are the most scary thing in the world!) and had no intention of going back to their home.  After a quick trip over to the neighbours to beg for help, we began our hour-long mission to get the boys back in.  For those of you who aren't familiar with a pig's vocal range, it can be quite scary!!  They bark and growl, and on occasions when they are really upset, they scream....LOUDLY!  Yesterday they were having a lot of fun so there was no screaming, but the grunts and growls were enough to send my neighbour's four year old son running for cover!!

The boys are now safely back in their home and the gate has been repaired.  This summer we will be fencing the whole 'farm yard', so the boys will be able to wander wherever they please!  One thing is for sure, the boys will have plenty of energy...Active Pig really does work:)

Beauty Update

Beauty has continued to struggle over the last few days.  She is coming in at night and the good news is, she has started eating again.  She seems really depressed and lethargic, so we have been giving her Bach remedies as well as homeopathics.  This morning Beauty seemed a lot brighter, so hopefully she has turned a corner:)  She wasn't terribly impressed to be greeted with our current wintery conditions, but neither was I!!

A Challenging 24 hours....

Its been an interesting 24 hours!  Last night when we went out to do last check, our little girl Beauty was in quite the state.  She was rolling around and kicking her tummy.  We decided to treat her for colic, both traditionally and homeopathically.  It was a long night, but I'm pleased to say she came through ok.  This morning when I went out, she was curled up sleeping with Truffles and Buddy standing watch over her.  She was completely exhausted after her ordeal.  The vet recommended rest for her and tonight she will come into the barn with Buddy. 

When these things happen, its always a stark reminder of how fragile life can be.  I cannot imagine not having Beauty in our life and it makes me appreciate her even more.  I will never forget when she arrived at BMM and lay right down because she was in too much pain to walk.  Our amazing farriers came out and they worked on her while she was lying down.  After, Beauty was able to stand and she turned and thanked Larry.  Beauty has been under the care of Larry and Julie for 18 months now and I'm pleased to report there have been no further laminitic flare ups:)

Larry and Julie put special pack on Beauty's feet and then

made her a styrofoam boot.

Buddy and Beauty thank Larry for his help:)

One step forward....two steps back!

Its been an interesting week for Skipper!  Due to swelling in his left leg, we have put him back on a course of antibiotics.  He is responding well (although when he sees me coming with it, he is surprisingly agile!) and the swelling is going down.  Yesterday, we had yet more new abcesses.  These are much higher on his hind legs.  All of the abcesses we have seen have started where mudfever or rainrot has been present.  It really demonstrates the importance of dealing with these conditions immediately before they escalate into something much more serious.

Othello and Skipper are becoming great buddies and when they don't have their heads stuck in the hay feeder, they can be found grooming each other!

The piggies have been very demanding this week!  Apparently it is not time for bed until they have been thoroughly scratched and rubbed:)  This is wonderful, but with the -17 temperatures of the weekend, it was a chilly activity!

Every cloud has a silver lining....

Skipper is having a very difficult day today:(  His left hind is still very swollen and the abcesses are still draining.  The combination of this and the damp weather yesterday seems to have made his 'shivers' much worse.  On a positive note, under all the dead skin that it coming off is lovely pink, healthy skin.  His body is clearly fighting back and pushing out all of the infection.  His other legs are looking beautiful and we are finally making progress on the mudfever.  I hope I never see mudfever like this again.

And the silver lining.....

Today is the first day since his arrival four weeks ago that Skipper has come to me for affection.  It was very moving this morning when he came over for a cuddle and it is a huge breakthrough for him to trust again.  Throughout this healing process, Skipper has been so tolerant and gentle.  I am so happy I can now offer him something he actually wants! 

Skipper is an amazing horse (in case you haven't got that yet!).  It is so inspiring to watch him fight through all his health issues.  If anyone can make it through this, Skipper can:)

The Latest on Skipper

Mother Nature didn't co operate yesterday so we have put off Skipper's Equi-Bow until next Sunday.  We had a lot of snow and it was really cold!  Even the piggies didn't want to venture out!

Today we had some new developments...Skipper has 6 new abcesses that have burst on his hind leg!  It looks awful, but he is clearly feeling much better:)  It is good news that his body is fighting back and pushing out all the infection.

Skipper has made some big progress this week, so hopefully next week will be even more positive:)

Introducing Skipper

On Christmas Eve, Kris and I went to pick up our little man, Othello and his new friend Skipper.  We met the trailer half-way and the switch went smoothly.  Looking back, I remember thinking that Skipper 'didn't look quite right', but we were so excited to be bringing the boys home for Christmas, we got on the road as quickly as possible.

The journey home went well and we unloaded the boys.  To say I was shocked was an understatement.  Skipper, a lovely brown and white paint gelding, was a mess!  He was about 300lbs underweight, had rainrot everywhere, cuts on both hips, some of the worst mudfever I've seen and lacerations to both hind legs.  To top it all off, he was hitching his right hind and I suspected Stringhalt or Shivers.

One step at a time!  It is very tempting in these cases of extreme neglect to over do things.  We started him off on frequent, small meals of hay and addressed his wounds.  Four of us started working on the mud he was caked in, revealling more problems the cleaner he got.  During this quite invasive cleaning, our wonderful new boy just stood, munching on his hay and tolerating our attempts to clean him up.

Over the Holiday, we kept cleaning up a little at a time and we gradually began to see the white legs we knew were underneath the black mud!  His mud fever improved and Skipper was given a nice warm blanket.  He has been on antibiotics, bute and homeopathic remedies, and I'm pleased to report he has responded well.  Skipper is not out of the woods yet.  Today an abcess burst at the back of his fetlock joint.  It has given him some relief, but now we need to be concerned about what is the underlying cause of the abcess.

This week, it was confirmed that Skipper has Shivers, a neurological condition that will likely prevent this young horse from ever being ridden and will likely claim his life much earlier.  We will keep working away and I will post regular updates of his progress. As long as Skipper remains comfortable, he has a home at Bella Misty Meadows.

Tomorrow, Skipper will get his first Equi-Bow session!

Welcome to our Blog!

Finally, Bella Misty Meadows has its own Blog!  We will be posting all of our news and events here, as well as keep you updated on the progress of our residents.  Many of the animals who come to live with us have a lot of healing to do - both emotionally and physically and this will give us the opportunity to allow you to share their in journey.  Enjoy:)