Buddy the Third--yes, our third blind Appaloosa named Buddy--is having more good days than bad now. And that feels good.

Buddy arrived a couple months ago from a family that loved him deeply but could no longer afford his care. But Buddy had "issues," too--issues about which we weren't told until after he was surrendered to Catskill Animal Sanctuary. He was blind, which we weren't told, he had panic attacks, which we weren't told, and several times he'd broken out of his pasture (probably during a panic attack). Once he was found standing alone in the woods several days after he was missing; once he was hit by a car.

When Buddy is calm, he's a delight. Perhaps because he cannot see, he is exceptionally tactile. He craves touch--he loves being the "toucher" as much as the "touchee," rubbing his head on our backs, nibbling a sleeve or an arm, or occasionally letting us cradle his head in our arms when he's dozing after a good dinner.

But his panic attacks continue. They're both worrisome and frightening, since the possibility of injury to him and to his handler is very real when they occur. We anxiously await the arrival of the only equine opthalmologist in our region. She'll be able to determine if the attacks are because he has some tiny degree of sight left and is perceiving "floaters" -- tiny particles that float across the eye -- and senses he's being assaulted.

Aaaah, yes: Buddy's sudden and wildly erratic movement is EXACTLY the way one would behave if he were trying to escape from something. Even in his stall, he gets so panic stricken that he crashes into the wall, and nothing we can do--not a calm voice, a calm touch, a treat, holding him in place to help him "get" that nothing is coming at him--consoles him.

Come on, Doc.. We need to help this boy. More good days than bad are welcome, indeed, but each new attack is so hard on him, so hard on us...