Rescue & Adoptions

Healthcare with Heart Stories

From Trash Heap to Sanctuary

Against unbelievable odds, a newborn calf named Mario has gone from the trash heap to sanctuary. Discovered on a dead pile, newborn Mario immediately began reaching the most unlikely people. A rendering truck driver, who arrived at a dairy farm to pick up their dead cows, was horrified to find the 45-pound Jersey calf helplessly lying atop a stack of corpses, alive and healthy except for an injured leg. Mario had been discarded because, as a male calf, he was considered worthless by the dairy farm. The driver was so disturbed by Mario's plight that he helped Mario find his way to Farm Sanctuary.

When Mario arrived at our California Shelter, it was confirmed that he had a fractured humerus and he was rushed to UC Davis Veterinary School. After examining him, the veterinary hospital orthopedic department explained that, because the fracture was not a clean break, repairing Mario's leg would be very challenging, require lengthy recovery and rehabilitation, and be expensive. In Mario's favor, however, was the fact the he was newborn and his bones could heal quickly, and that Farm Sanctuary's shelter staff would be more than willing to spend as much time as was necessary with him on rehabilitation and treatments, and to customize his recovery environment to perfectly suit his needs. The okay to proceed with surgery was given.

Although there were only two surgeons assigned to Mario's procedure, a total of five surgeons assisted during his four-hour surgery because, according to his attending veterinarian, "Everyone here was so touched by his story they wanted to do everything possible to make it work so that he would survive!" After a total of 10 days in intensive care at the hospital, Mario was stable enough to make the trip home. When he arrived at the shelter, a specially padded and restricted recovery stall was ready for its fragile guest. It took no time for Mario to snuggle in and get comfortable, and no time for the volunteers and staff to fall in love with this incredible survivor.

Mario's recovery proceeded better than predicted. The six-inch incision on his upper leg healed perfectly, and his appetite, attitude and spunk were above average from the beginning. There was one complication with his leg, however -- several tendons were damaged by the fracture. The damage to these tendons began to affect Mario's ability to pull his lower leg forward and step correctly and solidly on the hoof, so for weeks he had to wear a splint for 12 to 14 hours a day to prevent his hoof from buckling under when he walked; caregivers spent two to three hours per day, helping him to place the leg correctly and flex the tendons to speed their recovery.

During his recovery period, Mario grew to love "therapy time," and was always generous with kisses while we put on and removed his splint. Within a few months, we were amazed to see him bucking and running just as any happy calf would, even with his awkward splint. As each day passed, we began to feel more and more confident that little Mario would recover completely -- and eventually he did. Today, Mario is all grown up and living the good life here at our California Shelter. His story of hope and compassion continues to inspire us all, and each Saturday he teaches visitors to our shelter that farm animals, like all animals, deserve to be protected from cruelty.