He was a cute, 6 years old pony, who should have been in a child’s dream, instead of the horrific reality he experienced. His story is a story that needs to be told, to help to change the world for suffering animals like Pumpkin.
We rescued Pumpkin in 2021, but our adventure started one year before he moved to us. He lived with a closeby farmer in really bad conditions, so we tried to buy him many times, but they always refused because they were still riding him. Since the pony had enough space, food and clean water, the law was protecting them. There was nothing more we could do but wait. By the time he got to us one year later , he couldn’t stand on his own, was in constant pain and suffered all too much and we still didn’t know the extent of his problems. It was just so sad, that we had been trying to save him for a year… but there was nothing we could do.
He arrived to the sanctuary at halloween, so we called him Pumpkin. After he got some rest and pain relief, we checked his injuries with a vet. It turned out that his lifetime diet was waste vegetables and leftover food or straw when they had a shortage of the first two. This resulted in one of the most extreme cases of laminitis we’ve ever seen. His body was weak and lacking everything he needed.
After his arrival Pumpkin sprang to life. Right food, some tender touches, and the company of the other horses gave him a chance to fight.
We all knew that with his condition his days were numbered, but still we tried our best effort to provide him the best we can. Love and care, what he maybe never experienced before. Maybe even he had false hope.
Sadly the x-rays and results showed that there was nothing we could do to recover him. We had to make one of the hardest decisions again. It was time for Pumpkin to cross the rainbow bridge…
We are hoping that his story can stand as an example and make us remember all the neglected animals living in this planet right now! Hopefully together we can do something about it! It’s just not okay…
We can imagine you might want to know more about our point of view on animal euthanasia. You can find more information about it here.