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TOUGH COOKIE
Late in 2005, a local veterinarian contactes us to see if we could take in a little Shetland pony that " might not make it."Cookie shared a field with another pony, and when he fell ill, the other horse ate his food, and so Cookie starved.
When he arrives at Hillesum Farm, he has the bloated belly characteristic of starving creatures. He is put on an IV to get him hydrated, with several people taking turns holding up the IV bag, and, though we are prepared for the worst, he makes it through the first night.
And he madkes it through the second night, and then the third, and the first week....
And he eats, and eats, and, boy, does he eat! Soon his belly is not full of need, but full of feed. Cookie makes friends with Sukkah, the oldest and gentlest horse in the field, and whenever they are separated, they will cry out for each other.
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Cookie is a feisty little fellow, but a sweetheart nevertheless. He will let even small children get on his back, and he will do anything ... as long as there is a treat at the end of the process.
In 2009 we discovera growth on his penis, which is diagnosed as a malignant cancer. With a heavy heart we send him off to the local equine hospital, where he has the required surgery.
For now, he is back to his old self, and we hope that the disease will not recur.
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