Rufus has been rolling in the mud so we thought it was time for him to have a bath. Maybe it’s because he’s so low to the ground (only 25inches tall!) that he gets so scruffy. Rufus had been shut up in a shed for most of his life, his owner had dementia and kept forgetting he was there. No one knew about him and when the vet and the blacksmith called round they were sent away.
Rufus was in a terrible state when social services discovered him and alerted us. He couldn’t walk because his feet had become deformed over they years, his joints were stiff, he was emaciated and his teeth overgrown. He was overjoyed to be rescued and has made a great improvement. There’s still a long way to go for him though. He had lots of abscesses in his coat which was itchy and bald in places. It’s much better now but a bath will get rid of any lingering dust, debris and irritation.
Rufus loved being soaped all over and rinsed off, it must have been soothing for him. He has been a model patient throughout all his months of treatment and having a shampoo was just the same, he never moved and thought the soap suds and water spray were good fun.
He had his hooves trimmed last week, it’s the dentist again next.