​

​

In late fall of 2024 Animal Services of San Luis Obispo received a report that there were some abandoned animals in a rural area of the county. No one had seen anyone take care of the animals in a long time and one of them needed medical attention.

Animal Services quickly acted and went out to investigate. When they arrived at the rural property they found a donkey and a miniature horse but there was no sign of any owners and the two had not had any care in months. Both the horse and the burro were in good body condition, they were not thin and had been fed, but their hooves were in terrible condition. Both had very overgrown hooves that needed immediate attention. The miniature horse was in far worse shape and could barely walk.

The pair were taken to the shelter where they received immediate care. It was clear after further examination that the miniature horse had at some point in her life sustained a serious injury to her right hind leg. This injury was not treated and her leg healed incorrectly causing her to not be able to walk normally. She was basically walking on the side of her hoof instead of the bottom of her hoof. This caused her hoof to grow abnormally and over time caused further damage to her leg.

Veterinarians and farriers came together to help the little mini who the staff at Animal Services had named Sriracha. X-rays revealed that there was a long road ahead to correct the damage to her hoof and help her walk better. When no one came to claim Sriracha Animal Services reached out to us to find a permanent home for her.

Sriracha's journey has just begun. We have months, and realistically probably years, of corrective trimming and shoeing ahead. Her veterinary and farrier bills will be extremely high, but we are dedicated to providing the best care possible for Sriracha and will make sure that she has a long and comfortable life here at the sanctuary.