Henry Johnson lost part of his left front leg nearly 2 years ago. After going through 5 surgical procedures and being boarded for 14 months at our local vet, I had him home with me during most of the summer and into this winter, with the vet coming twice per week to change his bandage/leg extension. About 3 weeks ago, I took Henry to the University of Tennessee Vet School to have him measured for his prosthesis and to put him into rehab. He is currently wearing his prosthesis about 5 hours per day. The goal is to get him up to about 16 hours per day. I visited him the past couple of weeks while in Knoxville for the birth of our first grandchild.

Henry is a trooper, having gone through much in his short 2 1/2 years of life. Most people would have put him down after the incident occurred, but I just couldn't part with this 8 month foal at the time. He has always had such a will to overcome this disability. Our local vet and his little daughter have really become attached to Henry. There were times between surgical procedures that it was tough for Henry, but the vet said that he knew by looking at Henry's eyes that he was a fighter that wanted to survive. My goal is still to ultimately use him as a therapy donkey for hospitalized children, as well as nursing home patients.

I thought you would be interested in seeing the attached pictures of Henry with his prosthesis. It was specially made by a prosthetic company out of the Northeast per the specifications of the UT Vet School. Please feel free to share Henry's story and pictures with other members of the TDA.

Henry Johnson is owned by one of our members, Dennis Vonderfecht, Appalachian Farmstead, in Jonesborough, Tennessee.