Open Gates Small Animal Rescue

This year at the Calaveras County Fair there was a beautiful tribute made to one of the beloved rabbits we had the privilege of adopting out. When I was going through the rabbit barn and saw this empty cage in honor of Candy it brought me to tears.

Candy’s owner has adopted many rabbits and guinea pigs from us. We knew when any of our animals were adopted by Scarlett that they would have a forever home filled with more love and care than any animal could ever dream of. It is always our hope that the animals we adopt out will end up with owners who love them as much as this.

For those of you that have been following us throughout this entire journey, you may remember Candy and her sister Marmalade from one of our early rescues who had a litter following her rescue. Their mom Pepper is our last remaining rabbit at the rescue and is living out her days as a free range bun.

**GRAPHIC WARNING**

Last night one of our horse residents got himself pretty scraped up. As a rescue it is important to not only share the good, but also the bad and ugly side of owning animals. He is okay, will be doing a lot of cleaning wounds and cold water to keep swelling down over the next week or so.

When you have animals there is only so much you can do to prevent things like this, it comes with the territory. We always try to do whatever we can to protect our animals, our babies, but need to always be prepared for freak accidents like this. They happen and that is okay, it is important to educate yourself in case medical situations arise where you may need to act quickly in order to help your animals. Having basic medical supplies on hand is also important, this incident happened around 11pm when nothing was open and I wouldn’t have been able to pick up any supplies. Luckily I had a lot of options to choose from on hand to sanitize and protect the wounds until I could pick up the products today that are ideal for treating this situation.

Our horsie boy is in good spirits! Accepting treats and all the attention that goes along with being injured, a little stiff from swelling but isn’t limping today. Now all I can hope for is that he will take it easy 🫣