Charlie and Sammy - pretending to be donkeys.
Star. |
Newsletter No. 11 - Spring 1998 Welcome to Spring 1998 and what we hope will be some warm dry days after a winter which boasted in excess of 150% average rainfall. Even for Ireland that is a lot of water but thanks to the continued devotion of all the lovely people who responded so generously to our Christmas newsletter, the donkeys have passed a comfortable winter in their well bedded sheds and concrete exercise yard. On better days they take it in turns to go out into the fields for a change of scenery. If they had any complaints at all it would be a question of boredom, though they find many ingenious ways of amusing themselves from playing tag with each other and chasing the cats, to knocking down stone walls in order to eat the few vegetables left growing in the garden. Their general health has been good with foot problems kept to a minimum with the exception of the chronic cases like Jilly and Susie. Jilly suffers an ongoing foot-rot condition and Susie has pain from dropped pedal bones within the hoof, a result of long term laminitis and bad farriership in the years before she came to the Sanctuary. In the event of phenylbutizone being phased out (except by veterinary prescription), she is responding well to a herbal blend called Zerobute which consists of a blend of meadowsweet, devil's claw, willow bark and chamomile and is available from Kane O'Hara at Annaghmore Stud, Collooney, Co. Sligo. It seems to be an excellent product which suits the donkeys well without the traumatic side effects of many chemical drugs. Biddy and Star Early in December we were privileged to have Biddy and Star come to stay for an indefinite period. Biddy is a large, dark brown mare of around 35 years and Star, her foal. Star is smaller but of the same colouring so at first glance it is often difficult to tell them apart. Biddy is another donkey with ongoing foot problems, no doubt as a result of neglect or abuse in the years before she came to her present owners. Although the hooves look fairly normal from the outside, underneath they are rotten and diseased, so it is essential that she is kept as much as possible on clean, deep bedding and dry concrete surfaces until the problem is under control. After November's torrential and unyielding rain, she was depressed and in pain, so her owners asked if she and Star could could come into the Sanctuary, at least for the winter and possibly on a permanent basis, with the offer that they would contribute towards their upkeep. Initially, Biddy, who had previously lost a foal at birth, was unduly anxious for Star, but gradually she has settled into the security of having lots of 'uncles' and 'aunts' to help her with this responsibility, whilst Star is in her element, playing and galloping around with the younger donkeys. |
Enquiries to: Sue Paling, Sathya Sai Sanctuary Trust for Nature, Cloghogue Lower, Castlebaldwin, Co Sligo, Ireland. Frontpage | All the donkeys | Spring 1994 | Autumn 1994 | Spring 1995 | Autumn 1995 | Autumn 1996 | Spring 1997 | Autumn 1997 | Spring 1998 | Autumn 1998 | Spring 1999 | Autumn 1999 | Spring 2000 | Autumn 2000 | Spring 2001 | Autumn 2001 | Spring 2002 | Autumn 2002 | Adopt a Donkey | Donkey Links | E mail
|
