***Eddie passed away on the 11th of January 2024. His passing was peaceful and pain free. He was surrounded by people who cared for him. He laid his head in my lap, I looked in his eyes and said “I see you for all that you are Eddie and I love you” and then he fell asleep. We believe Eddie is now somewhere wonderful, running free on strong, flexible legs with lots of long grass, cold fresh, sparkling water and surrounded by lots and lots of love.***
EDDIE’S STORY
Eddie was born on an affluent beef cattle farm in July 2022. At birth it was discovered that Eddie’s back legs had very minimal movement, i.e., he could not bend them. This made it practically impossible for Eddie to stand and walk about without his back legs splaying out to the sides.
The farmer’s solution was to put Eddie in their back yard, strap his back legs together with a cord and “see how he goes”.
Eddie was left like this for 4 months. He did not receive any veterinary treatment/assessment.
When we were contacted about rescuing Eddie he had developed his own method of getting about, moving his front legs forward and then hoping or dragging both back legs forward at the same time to meet the front. He had developed abnormal bone and muscle structure. He had open wounds where the cord had cut into his back legs. At this time Eddie was around 60 kgs.
After collecting Eddie from the farmer, we took him straight to the vet for an assessment of his issues. His condition was quickly diagnosed as Bovine Spastic Paresis (BSP), a hereditary condition which affects the nerves and results in the inability to bend the leg.
Click here to learn more about BSP
Eddie underwent surgery on both back legs shortly after we rescued him and then began the intensive task of trying to teach Eddie to rise, stand and walk properly from scratch.
During this period Eddie was on significant pain relief medication and received physio and massage therapies. He had hobbles and a sling custom made for him which without we would not have been able to achieve the results we did.
After many months Eddie was standing and walking on his own. It was always difficult for him, he often fell or slipped, however, he always got back up and kept trying.
Eddie blew our minds every day with his determination, patience and tolerance.
Eddie continued to improve his walking and eventually was completely independent. Eddie’s walk was his own, unique style. It was slow and completely wrong but it worked for him. He still struggled to get up by himself but he did it, he still struggled to walk by himself but he did it. He could get up and move about where he wanted, he could go and get a drink or walk, albeit slowly, to a particular piece of grass and eat it.
During this time Eddie had his own shelter and flat yard, however, he was not able to interact with the other residents except through his fence.
In mid 2023 we moved Eddie to a larger yard which he appeared to really enjoy. He had lots of grass, shelter and could see and interact (through the fence) with the large Cranky cow herd. At this time Eddie was still able to get himself up, although he needed help sometimes.
In September 2023 we rescued a partially blind calf named Fern and she became Eddie’s yard mate and they were perfect together!
From September to November 2023 Eddie and Fern lived together. They developed their own play style, Eddie standing still while Fern ran around and then head butted him and ran away and then ran back. They groomed each other, lay, and snuggled together, ate side by side and were happy. For the first time in Eddie’s life he had the proper companionship of another cow and it was lovely to watch.
Sadly, during November 2023 it became clear that, mostly due to his size, it was becoming harder and harder for Eddie to get up and walk unassisted.
It is now January 2024 and, heartbreakingly, Eddie has now lost his independence completely. He can no longer get up or walk unassisted. He weighs around 200kgs.
Eddie appears to still be happy; he still eats, he still loves pats and cuddles, he still loves the company of Fern (although that is now only at nighttime). However, Eddie can no longer go where he wants, when he wants. Due to the longer periods he spends laying down he has circulation issues and easily develops pressure sores and abscesses.
It is due to these reasons that, although it breaks our hearts, we are preparing to help Eddie peacefully pass on.
Eddie is now on a very high dosage of pain relief medication, a dosage that cannot be tolerated for a lengthy period. He is receiving lots of treats, visitors, cuddles, pats and attention.
We are very frustrated and sadden by Eddie’s situation. His life-long struggle may have easily been avoided had he just received veterinary treatment at birth, or alliteratively, been humanely euthanised.
If you feel for Eddie, know that there are many 1000s just like him born every day on cattle farms. These cattle born with deformities and disease who, unlike Eddie, are never given a chance, are either left to linger and starve to death in paddocks or are bludgeoned or shot to death by farm workers. Others, are still born or unable to be born, sadly, often resulting in their death also of their mother.
Consumption and use of products which are the direct result of this kind of suffering cannot be justified. If you don’t like what happened to Eddie and you are still consuming animal products, please rethink your choices and choose a cruelty free lifestyle.
