‘Guide Donkey’ Lends a Sweet Helping Hand To Blind Horse and Leads the Way

Disability doesn't discriminate. Any animal can be born disabled, and any animal can develop a disability later in life. The most important thing any caretaker can do is try their best to accommodate their needs, even as they change.

Of course, it always helps to have some friends by your side to help you live your best life. On Saturday, March 23rd, a farmer was kind enough to show everybody on TikTok the sweet relationship between her blind horse and her "guide donkey." It's just amazing:

Petey the Seeing Eye Donkey is all too happy to lead Luna around the barnyard, and she's happy to let him. Really, they're helping each other out!

Related: Blind Calf's Arrival at New Rescue Home Tugs at Everyone's Heartstrings

Petey and Luna have a very special relationship. Neither of them are rescues, which is often the case with disabled animals, and Luna was not born blind, and she had some sight for a while after their dad brought her home. Originally, she was supposed to be a trail horse, but he chooses not to ride her.Blind horses can be ridden, but it's a little risky.

He says she has a condition called Equine Recurrent Uveitis , commonly referred to as "moon blindness." Moon blindness is an autoimmune disease that causes the horse's immune system to attack their eyes and leads to a gradual loss of vision. The eye develops a white haze, and when the disease is severe enough, the horse's eye looks like the Moon, hence the name.

Petey was purchased after Luna went blind, and he's been a big help to her. He stays at her side, and if he notices that she's starting to stray, he walks away. Luna follows the sound of his footsteps!

More About Moon Blindness

Moon blindness can affect any horse, but there are some factors that make it more likely. It's thought to be a genetic autoimmune disorder, so improper breeding practices in horses are the largest contributing factor. Other things can expedite the disease's progression , like:

1. Bacterial infections
2. Poor husbandry (dirty stalls, unclean water, etc.,)
3. Flus and other illnesses
4. Allergies

Luna's dad mentions in another TikTok that there is nothing that can be done to stop or cure moon blindness once it's diagnosed, but there are ways to manage it. Medications prescribed by an equine veterinarian, a healthy diet, regular hygiene maintenance, and clean living conditions can all help to slow the disease. Even once they're fully blind, though, Luna is living proof that the world doesn't end: they just need a little bit of extra love and care (preferably from an adorable donkey)!