This is Pickles on the day I found her last October, standing by the roadside in Ballyscanlan Woods, in the pouring rain. I subsequently discovered that a number of my neighbours had passed her standing there the night before but not one of them had stopped to help her. We think she had been hit by a large vehicle at some stage. We dont know when, but she still had unhealed scars when we clipped her 6 months later. For all I know she had been living in the woods for a time and on that day she managed to haul herself up to the road. If she did, it would have been a monumental effort. The hill up from the woods is very, very steep and rocky. Whatever. Someone simply threw her out when she was of no further use.She is only 2 years old and stands 36 inches high. Pickles has scapulohumeral dysplasia, which in English means that the upper arm of the foreleg does not fit properly into the shoulder blade. This causes instability of the joint, arthritis and muscle wastage. The result of this nasty condition is profound lameness, osteoarthritis and pain.The Merck Vet Manual says that because of the breed disposition and resentment of limb manipulation, even palliative care is impossible and euthanasia should be considered. In that case, I should have been euthanased years ago as I have a bad disposition and resent having my limbs manipulated, but having been fortunate to escape an early exit from the planet, I feel it my duty to explore other options where Pickles is concerned. .A daily dose of Buteless has controlled her pain and ongoing massage has markedly improved her mobility.My training as an Equine Massage Therapist has proved immensely helpful.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 09:24:38 +0000
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