NOVEMBER 2024

Dear readers,

The newsletter is back. An eventful, emotional month full of suffering and joy lies behind us. We take you back to our reception centre, Finca Noah.
A month in which you reach your limits as a human being, as an animal rights activist.

Seriously injured on a public holiday!

A rabbit is a small, cute, fluffy and always friendly animal. Many of us must have had a rabbit in our nursery, patio or garden as a child. At Finca Noah, we have built a secure enclosure of around 200 square metres for our little hopping furry friends. Enough space for everyone to get out of the way if they just want to lie around lazily in the sun.
We found Blue the rabbit in the morning with a wound on his back and on the back part where the little stubby tail is. With small wounds, it's not normally a problem for us to take care of the initial treatment, cleaning and disinfecting the wound. In this case, the wound care was not so simple, but nevertheless necessary. We had to act, even though it wasn't really a pleasant task. All the vets were closed due to a public holiday. But that doesn't stop us from not helping an animal in need. The wound was covered in maggots. We removed every single maggot with a pair of tweezers. Blue bravely endured everything. He kept still and was certainly relieved that after what felt like half an eternity we had finally removed them all. The next day the vet decided to close the wound. Blue was operated on. Rabbits can suffer cardiac arrest in stressful situations, so an operation is associated with a high risk. However, we wanted to relieve the little one of his pain and decided in favour of an operation. Thank goodness it went very well. The wound was closed and the scar was able to heal. After two weeks in solitary quarantine, Blue had to go back to the vet. Two large bumps had grown on his belly that should definitely not be there. After three days of antibiotic treatment, they got bigger instead of smaller. Another visit to the vet, including an ultrasound scan, revealed that they were probably tumours but could not be removed at this size. A huge ordeal for little Blue. We really tried everything to nurse him back to health. We tended to him several times a day so that the operation scar would heal well. So that no infection would develop. But we wanted to spare him another operation with very little chance of recovery. I accompanied him to sleep peacefully and looked for a dignified place for him to sleep peacefully.
Take care little Blue, you were a brave little treasure.
Unfortunately, this is also part of animal welfare. Being able to let animals go. That's something you have to learn, it's really not an easy task.

Another shock moment with a good outcome!

I have already introduced you to our lady horse Nebraska. She had a tumour removed and came through the operation very well. The operation was a while ago. A fortnight ago, Nebraska was lying on the ground, she was really struggling to stay on her feet. Worried that Nebraska was seriously ill again, we called our horse vet Barbara. Some of you may remember her from the treatment of our sheep Angel. Barbara only knows the way to Finca Noah by heart. She set off straight away. According to what she was told on the phone, Barbara suspected colic, so every minute counted. Colic can be fatal. Nebraska had to undergo gastric lavage. Last but not least, Nebraska's stomach was flushed with a liquid containing Vaseline using a tube fed through her nose into her stomach. This should help her to eat apples again. The gastric lavage really seems to have done her good, because after we regularly led her around the riding arena on a rope and were able to keep her away from the food, she was visibly better. After just one day she was back to her old self.

Rescue at the last minute!

Barbara had barely left the yard when she had to turn back.
We had now arrived at the morning round with our donkey Pablo and the proud Argos. Argos was lying motionless on the muddy floor of his enclosure. The persistent rain of the previous days had turned the ground into real mud holes in places.
Like Nebraska, Argos also had colic. What Nebraska had to endure, Argos also had to endure. Towards the evening, his health deteriorated rapidly. We really struggled to get him to get up. A horse weighing around 500 kilos has to be put back on its feet first. Barbara came to us for the third time that day. She made her way to us in the middle of the night. She had to give Argos another gastric lavage. Plus a liquid from the drip. We went to him every two hours during the night and had to move him. The next morning Barbara was back at Finca Noah because Argos was still not feeling any better. She decided that Argos had to go to the clinic. A horse transport was quickly organised. Every minute counted again. Argos had barely arrived at the clinic when the phone rang. Argos had to be operated on immediately. He has a lump in his stomach that will kill him if he is not operated on quickly. As we had to move Argos every two hours during the night, we sought advice from experts on what we could do to help him as quickly as possible. We were advised to have him put to sleep. An operation would be very expensive and the long-term consequences are incalculable. Once again we had to make a decision. We have decided that Argos has a right to live. Argos came to us at Finca Noah about 4 years ago and was in a very poor condition. He slowly recovered with us and found trust in people again.
He was given a chance at life back then, and we didn't want to take that away from him now.
The operation went well. The vet was very pleased with the recovery and the result. Argos was discharged from the clinic and transferred to rehab. There, Argos was professionally cared for until he could return home without any risk. After 14 days, the time had come. Argos was already sorely missed by his friend Pablo. The joy of seeing him again was immense. It was such a beautiful moment that it brought tears to my eyes.
These are exactly the moments that show us that it's worth fighting for. Despite all the worries, all the efforts, all the costs, we have the feeling that we have done everything right. Now horse and donkey are enjoying their togetherness again, which is so nice to be able to experience.