*WARNING: This article contains a very graphic image. Do not scroll down if you don’t want to see it*
A SEVEN-MONTH-old foal with extensive neck wounds was found abandoned on waste-ground in Sligo town earlier this week.
Concerned members of the public spotted the foal and called the ISPCA on Monday and inspector Karen Lyons found the young colt in a great deal of pain. Both side of his neck had massive puncture wounds which were badly infected and he was clearly in an “extremely weakened state” the charity said today.
“He was just standing listlessly on his own in the middle of a kind of car park, what was an old car park,” Lyons told TheJournal.ie. “There was a rope hanging out of him and a head collar on him. He was very weak – he must have been in an awful lot of pain and he was a bit scared when we approached him but I don’t think he had the energy to go very far.”
The foal, later named Chance, was taken for veterinary treatment where it was found that the wounds on his neck, thought to be over a week old, were only centimetres from the vertibrae in his neck. It is hoped that the vertebrae will not become infected but he has a long road to recovery ahead of him now.
Lyon’s said he is in good spirits and every day his wounds are improving.
It’s unbelievable how quickly they heal once they get the right treatment.
She said it is not known what caused the horrific injuries the foal sustained. It is possible an aggressive stallion attacked him or that something or someone punctured the colt’s neck.
Unfortunately, little Chance was not micro-chipped and local enquiries have not revealed an owner. Lyons appealed to anyone in the area who recognises him to contact them in confidence on 1890 515 515.
If his owner cannot be found, it is hoped Chance can be re-homed, once he is fully healed.
“He has a long way to go but we hope that Chance will find a home,” Lyons said. “He’s a lovely little blue and white fella, he is very cute and he seems to have a good temperament”.
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