Ferdinand had no options left. At sixteen years old, he was going to be euthanized by a family who had raised him since he was a foal. It is hard for some of us to even comprehend such a scenario, but it was true. The only family he had ever known, which included two teenage girls, didn't want him anymore. But it wasn't their fault. Hey, their lives had changed. They didn't want to spend anymore time or money on him. "He was just a donkey." And besides, he didn't like to be handled and he wouldn't let anyone near his feet. Now just whose fault was that? Hello…
No one had taken the trouble to train Ferdinand to accept the farrier. Judging from his fear and the condition of his feet, they must have subjected him to some brutal treatment over the years. There were mentions of cowboys and hacksaws. His feet were horribly overgrown and diseased. They fed him food designed for senior horses which made him morbidly obese. He could barely hobble around so he could not get much exercise. He spent many of his days locked in a filthy stall. They could not be bothered with de-worming or vaccinations. He exhibited the obsessive-compulsive, self mutilation behavior of constant flank biting and banging his rear end against the wall. The MSPCA would only take him once his feet were trimmed, but Ferdinand would not allow that. There were no options left for Ferdinand when he was surrendered to Save Your Ass Rescue.
Fast forward two years, and we are happy to report that Ferdinand has a very high quality of life and he is as adored and loved as any donkey could be. He has been rehabilitated and will live the rest of his life with us. He has a clean, comfy stall with an attached paddock, and he spends every afternoon grazing with his herd of other longears. He walks very nicely on a lead and has excellent ground manners. His feet have required a lot of work. We were able to get them trimmed right away with the help of some heavy sedation and a wonderful farrier. But it took 18 months to get him to the point where he would allow his feet to be handled and trimmed without any drugs and without any resistance. His self mutilation behavior gradually disappeared over the course of 6 to 9 months. He still has a few lumps of fat and some extra pounds (don't we all? ), but he has slimmed down a great deal. He trots around and kicks up his heels with the other donkeys. And best of all, every morning when he gets his breakfast hay, he insists on a hug and a cuddle before he will start to eat. That alone makes what we do here at Save Your Ass Rescue worthwhile to us. Just look at Ferdy now!
