Cameron continues to thrive here at SAFE, and seems pretty happy and content to be part of our herd. We’re happy to report that his all-mash diet of Haystack and senior grain seems to be working: he’s polishing off every meal and licking the bowl; and best of all, he’s producing good poop right on schedule. Because of our concern about Cameron’s colon function, we’ve asked our volunteers to count his poop piles when cleaning his pen, and track them on a white board outside his gate. Safe to say we have the most patient and tolerant volunteers in the world here at SAFE! They’re doing an excellent job helping us to monitor his output.
Cameron is now being handwalked around the property by volunteers every day, and he looks forward to this outing quite a lot. He greets everyone who approaches his paddock with a sweet nicker, and he remains bright and interested in the horses that live on both sides of him. He’s a perfect gentleman for all of our requests. He got his hooves trimmed last week, and stood perfectly for the farrier. He’s shown some sensitivity when being haltered or fly masked, and we haven’t quite identified where it is he prefers not to be touched, but even when he’s triggered, he is kind enough to move away rather than jumping on top of his handler. He really seems to enjoy being groomed, which is not too surprising: gentle grooming can be quite soothing to a horse, especially one that has lived in isolation like Cameron was before coming to SAFE.
It’s going to take some time to restore Cameron’s weight to where it needs to be, but we’re definitely on the right track. His hips and spine are still quite prominent, but his coat is starting to show a tiny bit of a healthy glow. His energy is certainly better. All in all, our man Cameron is getting better all the time, which is what we love to see!
