Bruno
Sick and skinny, this 6 month old Jersey mix bull calf was dumped at a slaughter auction to be sold off to the veal market. He was suffering from pneumonia and a severe case of pinkeye, and completely withdrawn never knowing a human touch, and we battled it out at auction with the Veal dealer--determined not to let that be his final fate.
As we got him home, he went through intensive vet treatments for his first 6 weeks at the sanctuary. His immune system was compromised from the horrible conditions we rescued him from, and he just couldn't lick the pneumonia or pinkeye despite multiple treatments. After staying in the Vet Hospital ICU and treated with IV antibiotics and fluids and other supplements, he finally started to turn the corner on the pneumonia, but his pinkeye continued to worsened. He already had scarring when we rescued him, but we started treatments immediately hoping we could lick it. At one point the ulceration covered the entire eye and the vet thought our sweet boy would lose his eye since it wasn't responding to any antibiotics, but we were going to try everything first to give him his best shot. Luckily, with some creative treatments and support from all his followers, he rounded the corner and the stabilized. Even on his road to recovery, he continued to show signs of thriving at Xanadu!
Bruno was rescued in 2018 along with Lucille. He lived an amazing, however short life of 4 ½ years here with us at Xanadu. He was happy and healthy, running and playing ball, and was the life of the party for 4 straight years. His last year with us, he began to show signs of a congenital orthopedic issue that could not be treated surgically. After seeing all the best vets, including Mississippi State Vet School, we were only able to keep him comfortable and happy for 6 months. Ultimately, his bones became too brittle and he couldn’t get around much at all without a decent level of pain. Surrounded by love and all his farm friends, we sent Bruno over the Rainbow Bridge in October of 2022. As our first livestock rescue, it was a heartbreaking loss, but knowing he lived 4 HAPPY years he would have never gotten any other way, brings us peace. Bruno will always be an icon for Xanadu Animal Sanctuary.
