An elderly donkey with a potentially life-threatening illness is now on the road to recovery thanks to teamwork and round-the-clock care from our expert teams.
Pandora and her bonded companion Paddy, both 20, arrived at our New Arrivals Unit at Sidmouth in June after being relinquished into our care.
Not long after arriving, grooms noticed a change in Pandora’s behaviour. Her demeanour was dull, she was quiet and off her food – a sure sign that something was wrong.
Our vets checked her thoroughly and gave her pain relief, oral fluids and glucose to help support her while they waited for blood test results.
She was diagnosed with colitis, an inflammation of the large intestine and a potentially life-threatening condition for equids. Arrangements were made for her to be treated at our Slade House Farm veterinary unit to prevent any unnecessary stress from being moved.
Pandora was put on a drip to keep her fluids up, and a team of vets, nurses and grooms took it in turns to be with her throughout the night.
Veterinary nurse Chloe Millar’s shift certainly had extra challenges, as at around three o’clock in the morning the entire Slade site lost power, meaning that she had to rely on the light from her mobile phone until the sun came up a couple of hours later.
The next morning, to add to the drama, Pandora’s bonded friend Paddy started to show signs of dullness. Fortunately he responded quickly to the extra care he was given.
But Pandora still needed close care, and the following night New Arrivals Manager Sara Blair-Salter visited her at midnight to provide extra medication, and to ensure she was comfortable for the night. The duty veterinary and farm teams provided intensive care throughout the weekend.
By Monday morning Pandora started to slowly show signs of recovery, much to relief of the army of staff who had been taking turns looking after her. She will take time to fully recover, but her blood sample results are now normal and both she and Paddy are doing well.
And since their illness, both donkeys seem to have embraced human contact even more and love to come up for a fuss.
Pandora’s illness could have led to a very different outcome as she is an elderly donkey, but thanks to the dedication and teamwork of staff who ensured she had the very best round the clock care, she is now well on the road to recovery.
Sara added: “They are both coming over for cuddles and scratches when staff enter the barn, which shows, despite everything they have been through, they trust and enjoy our company and had a good experience.”
We hope that soon Pandora and Paddy will move to one of our farms where they can live healthy and enriched lives.
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