24 September 2021

Phoenix Fights: Week Five - Caring for our Carers

As Phoenix’s funky bandage designs continue to brighten life here at Redwings, we’re pleased to say that Phoenix continues to look brighter too. Although he still has a long way to go and he has a cough which we continue to keep an eye on, his most recent blood test results show some improvement, and Phoenix is also able to drink his milk better. When he first arrived, we believe that he may have had some damage caused by smoke inhalation that made drinking a bit more of a challenge, but now he is definitely guzzling it up!

Last week we introduced you to the funky designs our vet nurses had been creating out of vet wrap to protect Phoenix’s bandages. Since then Phoenix has been a tiger, a super hero and sporting a flower-power look with daisies and a bumble-bee!

Funky designs our vet nurses had been creating out of vet wrap to protect Phoenix’s bandages

As we admire the creative talents of our vet nurse team it’s also important to remember just why they are doing them.

Redwings Head of Veterinary and Care, Nicky Jarvis said:

“Phoenix’s story shocked us all – to be a foal, presumed an orphan, and to have had such a terrifying ordeal happen to him, it’s distressing just to think about it. Our nurses have been on the front-line ever since, nursing him, giving him his milk and of course, giving him lots of love too!

“Bandage art, like that the nurses are making for Phoenix’s vet wrap, is a bit of a ‘thing’ in the vet world and here at Redwings our nurses have taken on the challenge and enjoyed working together to come up with a list of ideas.

“To be nursing him around the clock and providing him with the professional level of care they do is a momentous feat. Phoenix’s dressing changes alone can take up to three hours, every two days, and his dressings are crucial to keeping the wound clean and helping promote the healing of his skin.

The nurses remove Phoenix’s dressings, ready to change for new ones

“The nurses lovingly help Phoenix through this process each time, and then apply the vet-wrap to keep the dressings in place. After all that, spending just a few minutes applying the latest of their designs on top does the very important job of bringing a bit of joy to the process, and keeping their morale high!”

As Phoenix is likely to need care like this for a prolonged period of time, it’s important we look after the teams looking after him! Your messages of support on Redwings social media, and the cards and well-wishes sent to Phoenix, along with the bandage art, are giving our veterinary team a much-needed boost!

It’s not just our nurses who are getting a well-earned shout-out in this week’s update – we are sending a huge thanks to our Nights Team.

Like any baby, Phoenix needs feeds around the clock, and this team - who check on our equines overnight, delivering feeds and medications to those who need them - have been supporting the veterinary team by providing Phoenix his much-loved milk!

Phoenix and Rachel from our Nights Team

Phoenix and Rachel from our Nights Team

You can hear Nicky give a special update about Phoenix's care and how his personality is starting to shine in our latest podcast episode. You can find it on your favourite podcast player, or listen below. Phoenix's update starts at 28 minutes in,

We couldn’t provide this level of care without you. To donate to continue to support Phoenix’s care, please call us on 01508 481000 or you can give online here.

Thank you #RedwingsAngels.

Stay tuned for another Phoenix fights blog next Friday!