08 October 2021

Phoenix Fights: Week Seven

WARNING: Distressing image below.

Since the moment Phoenix was found on a roadside at the start of August, he has been surrounded by an army of veterinary professionals and kind-hearted supporters.

Their dedication and love - including your incredible donations - have ensured he has already come a long way with his treatment and recovery.

We’d like to use this week’s blog to pay particular tribute to a few people who have supported Phoenix in his care to date.

Our vets have decades’ worth of experience when it comes to caring for abused or neglected equines, but to see such extensive burns on a pony of Phoenix’s age is very rare, so we have reached out for support from fellow professionals who can provide invaluable advice so together we can ensure he receives the best treatment plan possible.

Since Phoenix’s arrival at Redwings, we have been working closely with Georgie Hollis, of the Vet Wound Library, who helps vets and nurses utilise the latest advice and technologies to deliver the best outcomes for their patients.

As well as visiting Phoenix at the Horse Hospital, Georgie has been using her extensive knowledge and contacts to guide us through a breadth of care options and help us source the specialist veterinary supplies, such as dressings, that will give him the best chance of recovery.

Georgie with Phoenix

Georgie said she felt honoured to have been involved in Phoenix’s story early on, which gave her the chance to research the options available and the prognosis of his injuries as soon as possible.

She added: “There are products, techniques and skills that transition from human healthcare (and vice versa) that can both help and hinder progress. Horses are not the same as humans, or dogs or cats, but the technologies available can help all of them. My job as an independent technologist, combined with knowing the right people to call on, means we are able to ensure Phoenix gets the right choices.”

This week, we also hosted a visit from vet Beth and vet nurse Sarah, from Lingfield Equine Vets, who were the first to treat Phoenix when he was discovered.

The practice cared for Phoenix on our behalf for two weeks before he was transported to our Horse Hospital. Without doubt, their quick actions saved his life and helped put him on the path to recovery.

Yesterday, they enjoyed an emotional reunion with their former patient and watched him enjoy some time in his special care paddock. He gave them plenty of adoring cuddles, so we like to think he may have remembered them!

They also kindly dropped off £85 they had recently collected through a donation bucket at a community event.

Beth enjoys catching-up with Phoenix again.

Of course, Georgie and the team at Lingfield Equine Vets are just some of the many professionals who have played a role so far in supporting us with Phoenix’s care.

But we would never have been able to utilise their expertise if it wasn’t for your support. Everything we do is funded by donations from the public, so every penny you give truly goes a long way in helping us provide the intensive treatment Phoenix requires, as well as care for the hundreds of other horses, ponies, donkeys and mules living at the Sanctuary.

If you’d like to make a donation, please call 01508 481000 or simply click here.

Thank you #RedwingsAngels

Click here to read last week’s Phoenix Fights blog.