WILLIE'S STORY
updates
Because Willie has made such an amazing recovery and is doing so well with his new "feet," he has been placed in a wonderful foster home with a family that adores him and he is doing great. Read all about Willie and his journey below.
As you can see, Willie is not a horse -- he is a donkey! (Actually, we were informed by someone who knows that he is a burro - not a donkey). When we started the rescue, we were taking only horses -- ONLY HORSES! As anyone involved in rescues will tell you -- there is always an exception and Willie is ours. We really don't know how Willie ended up in the shape that he, however, we are hoping that we can help him recover.
What do we know about Willie?
He's
between 12 and 20 years old - his registration papers have
been located, he is a registered burro, 6 years old;
He has not had any farrier work in quite some time and as a result, Willie lays down a great deal because of his feet;
He was "rescued" by someone that thought he only needed to be fed every five days;
He was seized and brought to us;
He can be quite "talkative" and will sit if you try and make him do something he does not want to; and
He is very gentle and very, very sweet.
These are pictures from when we picked him up -- he does indeed sit when the need arises.
Willie's feet are in terrible shape, especially his back ones. His back feet have curled and gone inward and as a result, Willie doesn't move very fast -- even though it's hard to watch the way he has to walk in order to keep from tripping himself, it's always amazing to see what an animal can adapt to when the humans that were supposed to take care of them - didn't. If you would like to watch how Willie moves -- click here.
If you look closely at his back feet, it looks as though someone "sawed" off the ends. We think this happened right before he was seized so that his feet didn't look so "bad."
Unfortunately, we have found out that Willie's issues with his feet are much more serious than first thought. Because burros (and donkeys) feet are different than a horse; and because Willie's feet are in such terrible shape; it will be very expensive to try and correct his feet. He currently lays down a lot because it is so hard for him to stand for any length of time. Because of the expected costs, Willie is no longer adopted. We are in the process of contacting people who specialize in this type of work to see what can be done for him, however, we are in need of donations to help cover these costs.
Shar (she's pictured here with Willie) has written a wonderful, heart-warming story of how Willie ended up at our rescue. Check out her story at http://www.pawswi.com/willystorypdf.pdf.
Wonderful things have been happening with Willie since our last update. Willie has new feet as you can see in his current picture. Lake View Equine Veterinary Clinic in River Falls, Wi generously donated their time and services to give Willie a chance at a new life. Dr. Racich estimated that it had been at least 4 years since Willie had anything done to his feet. We can't thank Dr. Racich and Mike enough for helping Willy take his first "steps" to a new life. We are very happy to say that everything went well and Willie is a much happier burro!
His whole attitude and demeanor has changed along with his walk. He has a daily routine of walking to strengthen up his legs; his appetite has changed and he has once again found his voice. Now that his feet have healed a little, he has been allowed outside for some exercise and sunshine. Needless to say, Willie treated all the the horses to his lovely voice (they are still trying to figure out exactly what he is) and is looking forward to much more suntime!
Did we mention that Willie has a new walk? Click here to see Willie's new walk from the front and here to see his walk from the back. If you would like to watch how Willie used to walk -- click here.
The picture below was taken right after his initial trimming and shows just how twisted Willie's feet have become from the neglect he suffered. Our goal now is to undo as much of the damage as possible by slowing turning his feet back to a more normal position.
If you would like to donate to help Willie and/or make a difference in another horse's life, please check out our donate page to find out how.
