Look How Far She's Come
Remember Willow's arrival day pic (below)? She had been dropped off at an auction, emaciated, with a gash on the leg and a raging infection. Check out the new Willow (images above). Hundreds of pounds heavier now with a dedicated feeding program -- she's left skin-and-bones behind! We clean and re-wrap every four days, and we take special note of any skin changes because fluid-filled legs can turn deadly from the slightest infections - even fly bites, cuts, and scrapes. Today we're also thrilled because a nodule that formed on her leg that had us worried, is completely gone with the help of a steroid treatment Dr. Avery started last week.
Last month, we transported Willow to a surgeon, to see if the smaller-sized leg could finally get an ultrasound to show us what the damaged tendons look like. But no such luck. The scar tissue in her leg is so massive, we will never get a clear understanding of the true damage that was done from so many years of pulling field tractors while injured. If you'd like to see her full story, you can read it here.
We have started Willow on Equioxx - it's a daily anti-inflammatory to help with any pain she may have. The surgeon believes that these working draft horses grow up learning to work through injuries and hide their pain. While she might not show typical pain faces of injured horses, she may have learned to live with a certain level of discomfort that's higher than most.
One thing we all agree on, if we'd met Willow years ago... if she was one of our first rescue cases... we would have 100 draft horses like her today. You just don't know how much these deserving souls change your life, until you get the chance to care for them.
XOXO Forever grateful to all of you who purchase and enjoy FarmHouse Fresh products, which helps us make all of this possible!
