Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/horse-loses-an-eye-to-fireworks/

The beginning of November always sees the event known as Bonfire Night, an annual celebration in the UK. As the name might suggest, it’s the perfect night to celebrate using fireworks. However, this year’s festivities were marred for one male horse from Aberdeenshire after he suffered an injury.

The horse, named Dettori, sustained horrible injuries after a man set off a 30-minute display next to a field full of horses.

Dettori’s owners said in their GoFundMe that the man’s actions resulted in “excruciating pain and terror” for the poor animals, and Dettori sadly lost an eye – an injury that could result in him having to be put down.

The GoFundMe page was created in hopes of raising money to help with the costs of Dettori’s medical bills. In the statement on the page, Dettori’s owner called out the person who set off the fireworks, writing that their actions had cost the horse his eye. He went into details of the horrific injury, citing that the firework ended up getting lodged in Dettori’s eye so far that the horse’s eye was pushed “so far into the socket that all the fluid has came out and filled with blood.”

The troubled owner added that the man’s actions had consequences, and his cruelty left the horse with only two options, either have his eye removed through surgery or be put down. He added that their vet stated that the “damage is so severe it is irreversible” – a fallout that left him and his mother facing a difficult situation with their beloved horse.

He finally added that following a confrontation with the man, he received no sense of remorse from the perpetrator, therefore, he chose to contact the police and file a report of the incident in anticipation that the man will have to face consequences for his actions. He added, “As you can imagine we were so distraught as to what had happened, the photos are not very clear.”

Dettori’s owner concluded that both he and his mother felt it was important to share Dettori’s story in order to highlight the dangers of fireworks as well as the importance of firework safety. He is hopeful that his horse’s tragedy will help prevent something similar from happening to another horse.

Dettori’s owner further said, “We are still unsure as to the outcome; we are waiting to see how Dettori handles the trauma he has been inflicted, and as you can imagine he is very stressed. PLEASE think about your actions and the consequences they have on others. If it were not for our friends at the yard, we would not have found Dettori until the morning. No animal deserves this.”

Dettori’s story has already had quite an impact on the public. There have been hundreds of donations made, and it is this kindness that has ended up raising more than £13,500 of the GoFundMe’s initial £1,200 goal.

Dettori’s owner has said that the money will be put towards his treatment, and anything that is left over will be given to the SSPCA. If you are interested, you can click here to donate.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog