Sunday, September 14, 2025
.This photo of Pimmy shows her looking fit and fine just a couple of days ago. Yesterday, though, she began limping uncomfortably. I couldn’t find anything wrong with her hoof, so at first I suspected a flare-up of her Cushing’s disease. Later, I noticed swelling around her “ankle” joint, and when I touched it my hand came away with a couple of tiny blood spots. Could it have been an insect bite?
I’m off work today and, if needed, I’ll call an equine vet to come examine her. It’s been a full year since Pimmy’s stay at the emergency veterinary clinic, when she was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease and Type 2 diabetes. These days she’s doing well. She doesn’t fight me too hard over her daily meds, and she’s lost some weight. Since separating her from her horse buddies to control her feed, I’ve been surprised by how close we’ve grown.
Nowadays, Pimmy feels less like just a cute donkey and more like a lovable big dog. She’s teaching me more about donkeys than I ever expected. For example, I’ve learned to give her time to “think over” what I’m asking. More often than not, she’ll eventually decide to do it.
She’s a special one. Now that I know better how to communicate with her, I sometimes dream of training her to pull a cart. That’s still a fantasy, but maybe one day I’ll write more about it.
Meanwhile, please hold good thoughts for Pimmy—that her limp eases without leading to new troubles.
—Diana
Diana's Morning Blog 