Jesse joined the Farm program about six months ago. Like all of our resident therapy animals Jesse had a traumatic background. He was rescued from a local livestock auction yard where he was left by his previous owner. A veterinary exam showed his age to be about 10 years, his health generally good although he exhibited signs of wear and tear based on scarring but most obvious was the tumor on one of his back legs.
An attempt was made to remove this tumor using cryotherapy but sadly it was unsuccessful and the original tumor continued to grow making it difficult for Jesse to walk normally. A representative from Sonoma Action for Equine Rescue (SAFER) was able to locate an equine veterinarian willing to perform surgery on Jesse to remove this growth. The surgery was set for early June and Jesse was scheduled to recover at Forget Me Not Farm. Our agreement with SAFER was to foster Jesse until he was fully recovered and prepare him for adoption.
Jesse arrived at the Farm the day of surgery. He had just been through quite an ordeal; a three hour trailer ride to the Equine Hospital, an hour-long surgery, recovery and a three hour return trailer ride to Forget Me Not Farm. It was almost dark by the time he arrived at the barn. We did our best to make him comfortable for the night.
Dr. Raina Harris, a local equine veterinarian(see article on Dr. Raina Harris, Volunteer) had agreed to volunteer her time to assist us with Jesse’s recovery. For the past six months Dr. Harris has been caring for Jesse and carefully following his progress.
There have been several obstacles to overcome but Jesse is resilient and has been an exemplary patient. His introduction to the other animals was slow because Jesse had to remain in his stall for nearly two months. The other resident animals had the opportunity to nuzzle Jesse through his paddock but it wasn’t until we let Jesse out in the pasture that he truly made friends with everyone.
The long wait in his stall was not wasted on Jesse – the time he spent healing was also a time spent getting to know the children and volunteers in the program. Right from the start it was clear that Jesse belonged at Forget Me Not Farm – as quickly as possible we changed his status from foster care to Adopted!
Dr. Harris performed a minor surgical procedure on Jesse the first week in December, we are hopeful this will be the last one as the wound on his leg continues to heal. Jesse has tolerated all of the surgical procedures very well but I’m sure he is hoping the New Year will bring him good health and NO bandages.