Gandalf (sheep) Arrived 17th July 2017
Gandalf arrived at Happy Hooves at around six months of age. His carers had found him three weeks prior on a neighbouring property, downed and covered in frost. There was no sign of his mother. They discovered that his front joints were swollen, and he was unable to walk and tried to treat his condition with home remedies.
When we collected Gandalf we took his straight to our vet. His joints had seized up, and had become septic. Our vet did not hold high hopes that Gandalf would survive as he hadn’t received veterinary care earlier. He administered pain relief and a regime of antibiotics. We also did physiotherapy with Gandy multiple times a day.
Over time Gandy continued to improve, and we were optimistic that he would have decent quality of life – although most likely shorter than his life expectancy might have been had he not had this affliction.
He shared a small paddock with the youngest arrivals, Angus and Fergus. These two young lambs adored Gandalf and would not leave his side. Everyone that met Gandalf, human and animal, were drawn to his sweet and gentle nature.
Later Angus and Fergus moved in with the older lambs, and Gandy was joined by Arlo, a little Damara lamb. Arlo was also drawn to Gandalf, and they quickly formed a bond.
Recently we noticed Gandalf was becoming less mobile, he seemed uncomfortable. We contacted multiple vets in a desperate home that there was something more we could do for him – more physio, surgery, anything! Unfortunately no solution was available for his declining condition.
Gandalf’s little body was failing him, and he no longer had the strength to fight and we made the heartbreaking decision to end his suffering and let him go.
This little boy left a hole in everyone’s hearts; he was the embodiment of innocence – so pure and loving, he was truly one of a kind.
Would you like to help us to take care of the residents at HHFS? One off donations and sponsorship gifts are available now to support our work. Thank you for caring about farm animals.
** Happy Hooves Farm Sanctuary – Where The Good Life Begins ** [wpvideo iMHP1EXJ]
