Be part of Gemma's Journey
Donation protected
At around 11pm last Tuesday I was in my pyjamas when I got the call that every horse guardian dreads … new girl, Gemma, was really sick with ‘colic’/gut upset (this can be fatal).
After a call to our amazing vet @northcoast, I threw some clothes on and headed to the Sanctuary (12 mins away). That was the beginning of an all night vigil to save Gem. She was in a huge amount of gut pain, her pulse was extremely erratic, her temperature was low and she was exhausted.
Following the vet’s instructions we immediately got a dose of painkillers on board and tried to gently walk her to help her move through the bout of colic.
But the painkillers didn’t seem to do much and by about 1.00am Gem had gone downhill. We frantically tried to get our vet out, only to discover that she had already been called out on an emergency! It was terrifying seeing this big, beautiful soul that we have all fallen so deeply in love with over the past 3 months, slipping away before our eyes.
While desperately trying to get hold of another vet Gemma’s two guardian angels, Britt and Fede, did everything they could to keep her comfortable. Eventually we were able to get Gem back on her feet and we took it in turns to gently walk her in the pouring rain (we'd snuggled her up in a warm rug and raincoat).
By around 1.30am Gem had turned the corner … still in a great deal of discomfort but she was stable. She was happy to stand in her shelter and rest her head on our shoulders. She was a lot more relaxed. If it hadn’t have been for the love, care, attention and dedication of these amazing women by my side, i’m sure Gem would not have made it. I am so grateful for Fede and Britt.
We stayed with Gem all night continuing to monitor her vitals. By around 4am she took herself out and started grazing. Feeling relived but concerned that this would set her off again, I stayed with her until just before dawn just to be sure she was continuing to recover.
We had the vet attend as soon as possible who confirmed that Gem has an extremely damaged digestive system. And although we’ll never know for sure, we feel that the colic was most likely brought on by the broad spectrum wormer that we’d needed to give her 36 hours before. Gem had a huge parasite burden and the die-off must have tipped her fragile gut over the edge.
She's also now had her teeth done and it's been confirmed she's actually in her 30s!! She also needed a little operation on her lady bits (Caslicks procedure), so as our gorgeous vet said … she had a ’top and tail’. Bloods were taken and they have come back fine so we're super excited that there's no underlying diseases.
Gem is now back to happily grazing and chatting to her paddock pals. But geeezzzzzz did she give us a fright!! Healing Gemma is like peeling back the layers of an onion…just as we get on top of one thing, something else presents itself. But we are confident that by healing her gut she will continue to improve in leaps and gallops!
Can you help us help Gemma?
Apart from vet bills and treatments, Gem’s feed bill is over $100 per week. To be part of Gem’s healing journey please consider donating here.
We are a family-run, self-funded animal sanctuary that has been hit hard by COVID-19, so all support is gratefully received. And even if you can't donate, you can still support Gemma by liking and sharing our posts and following us on FB and IG. We are also looking for volunteers at the Sanctuary, so come and give this gentle girl some real-life love.
Big love from Gemma and all the beings at The Owl and The PussyCat Farm Animal Sanctuary.
https://www.facebook.com/OwlandPusCatFarm/
https://www.instagram.com/owlandpuscat/
After a call to our amazing vet @northcoast, I threw some clothes on and headed to the Sanctuary (12 mins away). That was the beginning of an all night vigil to save Gem. She was in a huge amount of gut pain, her pulse was extremely erratic, her temperature was low and she was exhausted.
Following the vet’s instructions we immediately got a dose of painkillers on board and tried to gently walk her to help her move through the bout of colic.
But the painkillers didn’t seem to do much and by about 1.00am Gem had gone downhill. We frantically tried to get our vet out, only to discover that she had already been called out on an emergency! It was terrifying seeing this big, beautiful soul that we have all fallen so deeply in love with over the past 3 months, slipping away before our eyes.
While desperately trying to get hold of another vet Gemma’s two guardian angels, Britt and Fede, did everything they could to keep her comfortable. Eventually we were able to get Gem back on her feet and we took it in turns to gently walk her in the pouring rain (we'd snuggled her up in a warm rug and raincoat).
By around 1.30am Gem had turned the corner … still in a great deal of discomfort but she was stable. She was happy to stand in her shelter and rest her head on our shoulders. She was a lot more relaxed. If it hadn’t have been for the love, care, attention and dedication of these amazing women by my side, i’m sure Gem would not have made it. I am so grateful for Fede and Britt.
We stayed with Gem all night continuing to monitor her vitals. By around 4am she took herself out and started grazing. Feeling relived but concerned that this would set her off again, I stayed with her until just before dawn just to be sure she was continuing to recover.
We had the vet attend as soon as possible who confirmed that Gem has an extremely damaged digestive system. And although we’ll never know for sure, we feel that the colic was most likely brought on by the broad spectrum wormer that we’d needed to give her 36 hours before. Gem had a huge parasite burden and the die-off must have tipped her fragile gut over the edge.
She's also now had her teeth done and it's been confirmed she's actually in her 30s!! She also needed a little operation on her lady bits (Caslicks procedure), so as our gorgeous vet said … she had a ’top and tail’. Bloods were taken and they have come back fine so we're super excited that there's no underlying diseases.
Gem is now back to happily grazing and chatting to her paddock pals. But geeezzzzzz did she give us a fright!! Healing Gemma is like peeling back the layers of an onion…just as we get on top of one thing, something else presents itself. But we are confident that by healing her gut she will continue to improve in leaps and gallops!
Can you help us help Gemma?
Apart from vet bills and treatments, Gem’s feed bill is over $100 per week. To be part of Gem’s healing journey please consider donating here.
We are a family-run, self-funded animal sanctuary that has been hit hard by COVID-19, so all support is gratefully received. And even if you can't donate, you can still support Gemma by liking and sharing our posts and following us on FB and IG. We are also looking for volunteers at the Sanctuary, so come and give this gentle girl some real-life love.
Big love from Gemma and all the beings at The Owl and The PussyCat Farm Animal Sanctuary.
https://www.facebook.com/OwlandPusCatFarm/
https://www.instagram.com/owlandpuscat/
Organizer
B Starbright
Organizer
Billinudgel NSW
