I was the animal care manager/vet tech at a sarari park. One of the owner's old horses is suffering from what the vets & I assume is cancer. The owners hate to pay for vet care & always find a friend or neighbor to take advice from. 2 vets & I have treated her for everything under the sun, but they refused further testing to verify cancer because it costs too much. The horse has been sick for 6 weeks now...a pile of skin & bones with explosive diarrhea, too weak to hardly stand unless leaning on the fence, & her rectum has prolapsed.
Yesterday, the neighbor was there & told them there was nothing wrong with the horse...she just needed more feed. I was then directed to stop all meds & increase feed amount. I told them if they didn't do something with the horse (meaning further testing at an equine facility or euthanasia) that day..I was giving my notice & quitting. They told me to just go....nobody was going to threaten them that way.
For the past 4 months, I've been raising a kangaroo joey & he has been with me 24/7. The owner broke his leg pulling him out of his mom's pouch through a fence just to look at him. I pretty much gave up my life for the time it would take to raise him. We've been through surgery & 2 instances of intestinal distress where the prognosis was grave. Joeys are not like some other animals...they bond to only one person & that person has to see them through until they are about 10-12 months old, fully weaned, & mature enough to not think of hiding in the pouch when scared.
Gilbert is 8 months old...they would not let me keep him to finish raising him & then return him to the park. They actually ripped him out of my arms. In the past 4 months they have never seen him except in passing. They don't know how to care for him in any way. He was shaking & crying for me....he can easily stress out & die.
I am heartbroken...words cannot describe how I feel. All I can think of is how scared he is & how he feels abandoned. In trying to help the horse, I have sacrificed Gilbert too.
Maybe I should have just bitten my tongue & waited until Gilbert was on his own, but I didn't think at the time. This is the first time that I've been punished for doing the right thing. I'm having a really hard time with this.
Yesterday, the neighbor was there & told them there was nothing wrong with the horse...she just needed more feed. I was then directed to stop all meds & increase feed amount. I told them if they didn't do something with the horse (meaning further testing at an equine facility or euthanasia) that day..I was giving my notice & quitting. They told me to just go....nobody was going to threaten them that way.
For the past 4 months, I've been raising a kangaroo joey & he has been with me 24/7. The owner broke his leg pulling him out of his mom's pouch through a fence just to look at him. I pretty much gave up my life for the time it would take to raise him. We've been through surgery & 2 instances of intestinal distress where the prognosis was grave. Joeys are not like some other animals...they bond to only one person & that person has to see them through until they are about 10-12 months old, fully weaned, & mature enough to not think of hiding in the pouch when scared.
Gilbert is 8 months old...they would not let me keep him to finish raising him & then return him to the park. They actually ripped him out of my arms. In the past 4 months they have never seen him except in passing. They don't know how to care for him in any way. He was shaking & crying for me....he can easily stress out & die.
I am heartbroken...words cannot describe how I feel. All I can think of is how scared he is & how he feels abandoned. In trying to help the horse, I have sacrificed Gilbert too.
Maybe I should have just bitten my tongue & waited until Gilbert was on his own, but I didn't think at the time. This is the first time that I've been punished for doing the right thing. I'm having a really hard time with this.
