Stanley

Hello! I'm Stanley!

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Pet Pleasures:  The smell of movie theatre popcorn.

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Pet Peeves:  Tailgating. It's so dangerous! 

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Arrived at FARRM:  2020

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Sex:  Male

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Age:  2013 

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About:   We were contacted by one of our supporters about a horrifying situation of neglect. Our supporter was asked by one of their neighbors to come over and help them move a deceased donkey. Upon investigating, the deceased donkey's companion was still alive, in awful condition, on the brink of death. This poor soul was Stanley. The supporter immediately removed Stanley from this neglectful situation and brought him to FARRM.

 

Stanley was one of the worst cases of neglect we had seen to date at FARRM. Stanley was a senior and had never had his hooves trimmed before. His hooves had essentially turned into tubes, curling up and backwards, and started growing into his shins. We had our ferrier come out the next day and she trimmed off as much hoof as they possibly could without harming Stanley. Because Stanley had his hooves growing into his legs for so long, his legs and feet were very sore, causing huge mobility issues and arthritis. Getting Stanley to a comfortable position has taken years of work; Stanley basically had to learn how to walk again every single time he got his hooves trimmed. Stanley was also severely malnourished for a very long time, if not his whole life. Due to his deformities, his infected and overgrown hooves, and being malnourished, the bone inside of his hoof, called the coffin bone, had completely eroded away. To put it simply, every time Stanley walks, it feels like wearing a shoe on your ankle, not your foot. To help alleviate this pain, our ferrier has had to get creative over the years! Stanley's hooves cannot be trimmed normally, they must be trimmed in a way that takes the pressure off the fronts of his hooves and places more stability on the backs. Having regular vet check-ups and x-rays to monitor his hoof condition has helped us greatly in providing Stanley good quality of life and comfort.                                                                                                        

Despite Stanley's heartbreaking past, he has integrated flawlessly into our herd and remains a happy FARRM resident. Stanley formed a deep bond with another one of our donkeys C.C. (who has since crossed the rainbow bridge). This was extremely hard for Stanley, as he had already mourned the loss of his previous companion.

 

Stanley has sore days where he struggles to keep up with his herd. He is on a pain management regime including medications, extra time and space to eat and receive supplemented nutrition, and special accommodations in colder weather - or whenever he feels like it! 

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Stanley's good days outweigh the bad, and we continue to monitor him and his quality of life. Stanley is more than his horrific past and lingering health issues. He is kind, gentle, and brave. He has endured great loss, felt a great deal of pain, and has persevered through it all. Stanley loves rolling in the dirt with the sunshine beating down on him. He loves relaxing in the hay shed with the feral cats. He is loved deeply by his herd, by us, and will forever be a testament to the perseverance that all of our residents possess.