Shadowfox was an amazing little donkey. He had a will to live stronger than anyone I have ever known. He was born on the coldest April day on record. He seemed unusually weak when he was born. His mother had problems passing the afterbirth. When she was up and ready to feed him, he seemed too weak to even want to eat. We milked his momma and put it in a bottle, but little Shadow could not figure out how to suck on the nipple. He just got weaker and weaker.
We called the vet and he ended up with an IV tube to get some nutrition in him. We were giving him 2 IV bottles a day, milking his momma and squirting the milk in his mouth. I would lay on the hay bales next to Shadow with a blanket over us to keep him calm while the IV drained. By day 3 his mommas milk dried up.
On his fifth day of life, his temperature went down to 92 degrees. It was time to take him from Roxie and he came to live with us in the house.
I held him on my lap in the kitchen with the heat up to 82 degrees while Ron set up a pen for Shadow in our attached garage. He became my baby that day.
His health problems were just beginning.
He somehow damaged his left eye and went blind in it. His IV leaked under his skin and he had an allergic reaction to it. It burned all of his skin away. I had to start washing it and putting dressing on it about 4 times a day. He went on antibiotics and pain killers.
He did not seem to get the hang of nursing so I would put 1 or 2 Foal Lac pellets in his mouth at a time and he would chew those. It would take about 2 hours to feed him. Then 1 hour break and start again. We put a chair in his pen and he would put his head in my lap and I would feed him. My husband quit his job to stay home with him and I would take over the feedings when I got home so he could get some sleep. We would hold a water bowl in between our knees and he would drink water.
Every day that he was still with us was a gift. We were concerned that he was in too much pain and maybe we should put him to sleep. The vet said as long as he was fighting, we needed to fight too. So our lives revolved around Shadow for the next 3 months.
He began to get stronger, he was now eating his pellets out of a bowl, trying some hay (not to crazy about it though) and we would bring him outside to get some fresh air.
He followed at my side like I was his momma. If he got frightened he would hide behind me and peek around my leg. He had a bray that sounded like a bullfrog and it was so musical to me. When I would get home, he would hear my voice and start braying in the garage until I would come to see him. He had a radio that he listened to and a towel that he would carry around in his mouth.
At 5 1/2 months he was very strong and eating the junior grain with the hay in it. We set up a shelter and pen outside for him and introduced him to Tiny Tim who is very small and only 1 week older than him. They became best friends. We started trimming his hoofs, walking him on a lead, I thought the worst was over and he could finally be a regular little jack.
On Thanksgiving morning, I went up to feed him and Tiny but Shadow could not stand up. I called the vet and she came to check him. His body temperature had dropped again and we had to put an IV in. I was reliving the nightmare of 7 months ago. He was back in the garage. Ron was away with his brother, so I had to be strong on my own.Me and my 2 youngest, Cindy and Scott took turns laying next to Shadow and petting him and talking to him. Finally, about 2 in the morning Cindy and Scott fell asleep in my bed. I went back to the garage and Shadow was making gasping sounds. I laid down next to him and put his head on my arm. I kissed his nose and asked him if he was leaving me. He opened his eyes and closed them again. I told him it was OK to go and I would stay with him. He sighed and was gone.
I learned a lot from Shadow and looking back there are things I might have done differently. I don't know if the end would have been any different though.
The vet said he had systolic failure. Was it something he was born with? Was if from being on painkillers and/or antibiotics for so long when he was so young? It is something I will never know. But if given the option, I know I would do it all over again because he was worth it.