Luna is slowly recovering from an
unspecified traumatic injury on the farm, which left her immobile for several
months, left on the ground to develop pressure ulcers and other complications.
The process of healing is very long, if she is able to walk again. We are
exploring all the paths of care to achieve this and we will accompany her in
all stages of her journey, as with all our residents, who often arrive
seriously injured and neglected. Luna is getting all the attention she lacked
in her previous home, surrounded by friends that want her to thrive and be
safe. We hope that one day she can return to the fields.
Following a wonderful fundraising
effort from our supporters, we have been very busy building and constructing.
Luna now has a very strong beam and electric hoist. This was the first time we
have tried hoisting a cow, so it was a swift and steep learning process. Her
pressure sores are all healthy and we hope to apply pressure relieving dressings
once we can get her up for a significant amount of time to do them. After a few
adaptations and a bit of welding, Luna was up on her feet for the first time in
months. For the first five minutes she couldn’t manage to move and looked like
a young baby just trying to stand, which is exactly what she is, except she has
to learn to stand with the weight of a six month old body. She has made such an
effort. She has movement in three legs although all three are not used to being
used. This should have been a happy day, but as always when dealing with cases
of neglect it is a double-edged sword. We can see clearly the fight and
incredibly long journey she has to regain partial movement in her limbs, let
alone being able to walk.
The vet came last week and was
pleasantly surprised by Luna’s progress. He found, as we have, that she is
moving her back legs a surprising amount. Mainly as she tries to escape the
hoist! Her front legs are starting to take a little more weight and she is able
to pull her left foreleg underneath her. Her right foreleg remains a little
bent from lack of use so we massage her twice a day. She can tolerate being in
her hoist for 45 minutes twice a day, although she looks forward to her little
treat afterwards of a brush and some apples and carrots more! Luna's daily
massage can be a little difficult and time consuming. It isn’t the leg
exercises that prove too difficult, she is getting used to everything being
bent and moved. What becomes really challenging is the amount of cuddles she
wants, especially when trying to do her forelegs. A big fluffy head will arrive
for sniffs, rubs and kisses, and I can't say no!
Luna is a such happy person. She
enjoys her apples and carrots and particularly likes a little molasses on her
oats and cereals. Luna is in need of sponsors, as she is going to need a great
deal of medical interventions so we ask anyone that can help to get in touch
with a monthly contribution or a little one-off donation towards her costs. For
example, the dressings alone cost 20 euros, her bedding 10 euros and her feed
10 euros. We hope to change her bedding to something more absorbent to wick
away all faeces and urine, as despite cleaning her bed five times a day and with
a complete change of straw every two days, where she moves about even the clean
straw is sticking into her wounds, if this has any excrement on it this will
enter the wounds. It is absolutely imperative her sores remain clean, the major
one on her hip is impossible to bandage due to position. So we are looking at
an absorbent and dust-free bedding called aubiose usually used for equine
stables. It draws all urine to the base of bedding away from the body.
We rely on all our supporters to
follow Luna’s story and spread the word far and wide – that there are kinder
choices we can all take as humans. That every earthling has a right to live
without abuse, neglect and exploitation. Please share her story and support us
if you are able. She will need all our help.
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