(E.B.W.) Critter Corner

Feature:

Dudley’s Story

“A cattle rancher in Tennessee spent many years buying young cows… & then selling them for a profit to be slaughtered. A few months ago, this man bought a group of baby cows. Among them was a small boy cow later named Dudley who got bailing twine wrapped around his foot which constricted the blood flow & caused his foot to fall off. The calf could barely walk & for some reason the rancher took pity on him…Dudley was spared & the farmer tried to make him well.

The rancher gave Dudley antibiotics to heal the raging infection, but later did not have the funds to give Dudley further care. Over the last 10 months, Dudley has had a very hard time…

In Tennessee, there was a vegan woman who found out about Dudley & begged the man to let her get Dudley to someone who could help him. When she called us, we immediately started calling veterinary hospitals & companies who manufactured prosthetics. With one of the leading bovine surgeons in Tennessee waiting to examine Dudley, &, a prosthetics company on alert to create his missing foot, Jay & I boarded a plane bound for Nashville to save Dudley!

… we drove Dudley 3 hours to the University Tennessee Knoxville Large Animal Hospital…After an exam, x-rays of his foot, blood tests, & fecal exams, the surgeon told us that…Dudley would be an excellent candidate for a prosthetic limb. Dudley was then prepared for surgery where they would amputate the damaged bone & muscle from his injury & fit him with a temporary prosthetic. While Dudley recovers, a mold would be made of his leg to be sent to a prosthetics company that will create a permanent prosthetic to be delivered in a month.

Once Dudley is completely healed, we want to bring him to the safety of The Gentle Barn where he will finally find a safe home & a loving family for the rest of his life. When he is ready, Dudley will give hope & inspiration to thousands of war vets & other people dealing with physical differences.

…Dudley's surgery, post-operative care, & prosthetic will cost thousands of dollars, but we believe he is worth it! Dudley has suffered enough, please help us save him, make him well, & enable him to pay it forward to people who need him.”

Ellie Laks

www.gentlebarn.org