Rosie, a young lamb at 8-9 weeks of age, arrived at the sanctuary on Monday afternoon (May 22, 2023). Rosie is a Shetland sheep, which is a small breed (similar in size to little June bug), and she is smaller than typical for her age. 

The farm where Rosie was born has no barn, and given her condition, she was an easy target for predators. Miraculously she managed to survive 8 weeks with only the protection of her mother. The farmer also worried that her mobility impairment wouldn’t allow her to compete for grain, further reducing her chances of survival. The farmer reached out, and she was brought to us to give her the best chance at survival. 

During our intake examination of Rosie, it was noted that she has no ears due to frostbite and doesn’t have hooves on her back legs, which could also be a result of frostbite. She has open wounds on both back “feet.” Rosie also walks on her front knees and isn’t able to straighten her front legs or stand herself up on them. The fear at the time was that her mobility might not improve. 

We had the vet out yesterday (Tuesday, May 23, 2023) to see Rosie. Unfortunately, our fears about Rosie’s condition were shared by the vet. We don’t know the exact reason for Rosie’s inability to use her legs, but early intervention in the way of splints/braces and possibly mineral supplementation likely would have helped. 

While the odds aren’t in her favour for being able to walk on her front legs, we’ve started doing physiotherapy to help Rosie improve the range of motion in her front knees. The vet also administered selenium and thiamine injections to help with any mineral deficiencies. We are hand-feeding grain to Rosie several times a day to ensure she is eating enough. A fecal sample was also taken to rule out any parasite issues. 

The next challenge will be figuring out and preparing for how to navigate Rosie’s mobility challenges in a manner that meets her needs currently and as she grows. 

We’ll also need to keep the bottom of her back legs (where her hooves should be) protected/padded for the rest of her life. We will hold on to hope that one day Rosie can gain some proper use of her front legs, but we need to start planning in the event that she is unable to improve enough. 

Rosie may require a wheelchair for her front and booties or prosthetic feet for her back legs. 

Adding to an already challenging situation, the change of environment, diet, and the abrupt fracturing of the mother-daughter bond (arguably one of the most stressful events in a farmed animal’s life), all put Rosie at risk. 

She’s far from being out of the woods yet, and we’ll be closely monitoring her as she settles in.

If you’d like to support Rosie, please consider donating to the sanctuary or becoming a monthly sponsor.

During our intake examination of Rosie, it was noted that she has no ears due to frostbite and doesn’t have hooves on her back legs, which could also be a result of frostbite. She has open wounds on both back “feet.” Rosie also walks on her front knees and isn’t able to straighten her front legs or stand herself up on them. The fear at the time was that her mobility might not improve. 

We had the vet out yesterday (Tuesday, May 23, 2023) to see Rosie. Unfortunately, our fears about Rosie’s condition were shared by the vet. We don’t know the exact reason for Rosie’s inability to use her legs, but early intervention in the way of splints/braces and possibly mineral supplementation likely would have helped. 

While the odds aren’t in her favour for being able to walk on her front legs, we’ve started doing physiotherapy to help Rosie improve the range of motion in her front knees. The vet also administered selenium and thiamine injections to help with any mineral deficiencies. We are hand-feeding grain to Rosie several times a day to ensure she is eating enough. A fecal sample was also taken to rule out any parasite issues. 

The next challenge will be figuring out and preparing for how to navigate Rosie’s mobility challenges in a manner that meets her needs currently and as she grows. 

We’ll also need to keep the bottom of her back legs (where her hooves should be) protected/padded for the rest of her life. We will hold on to hope that one day Rosie can gain some proper use of her front legs, but we need to start planning in the event that she is unable to improve enough.

Rosie may require a wheelchair for her front and booties or prosthetic feet for her back legs. 

Adding to an already challenging situation, the change of environment, diet, and the abrupt fracturing of the mother-daughter bond (arguably one of the most stressful events in a farmed animal’s life), all put Rosie at risk. 

She’s far from being out of the woods yet, and we’ll be closely monitoring her as she settles in.

If you’d like to support Rosie, please consider donating to the sanctuary or becoming a monthly sponsor.

Rosie, a young lamb at 8-9 weeks of age, arrived at the sanctuary on Monday afternoon (May 22, 2023). Rosie is a Shetland sheep, which is a small breed (similar in size to little June bug), and she is smaller than typical for her age. 

The farm where Rosie was born has no barn, and given her condition, she was an easy target for predators. Miraculously she managed to survive 8 weeks with only the protection of her mother. The farmer also worried that her mobility impairment wouldn’t allow her to compete for grain, further reducing her chances of survival. The farmer reached out, and she was brought to us to give her the best chance at survival. 

Rosie

finding sanctuary