A donkey's harrowing journey to get life-saving care at the Atlantic Veterinary College has a happy ending

Brittany Spencer · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 12:35 PM EST | Last Updated: November 6

A donkey from Nova Scotia is receiving attraction astatine the Atlantic Veterinary College astatine UPEI aft precocious winds astatine the Confederation Bridge astir prevented his proprietor from getting him to the Island.

Darcy the donkey, who lives with his proprietor Mary Jane Hampton adjacent Peggys Cove, N.S., was experiencing dense bleeding aft being castrated earlier this week. Hampton said her section vet tried to assistance but Darcy would request a peculiar country to halt the bleeding.

“Things started going downhill beauteous rapidly and we needed to get him implicit to P.E.I.,” Hampton said.

The AVC was the lone spot wherever Darcy could get the country helium needed, but erstwhile helium and Hampton arrived astatine the New Brunswick broadside of the Confederation Bridge astatine midnight, upwind gusts had reached 95 km per hr and high-sided vehicles oregon those pulling a trailer were restricted from crossing.

Darcy's owner, Mary Jane Hampton, says she was overwhelmed by the enactment she received from radical from each astir the Maritimes. (Submitted by Mary Jane Hampton)

“They told america that the span would not beryllium opening for respective hours,” she said. “Literally, I had my donkey bleeding retired successful my cargo trailer sitting successful the holding parking lot.

“I cannot statesman to picture to you the feeling of hopelessness.” 

Desperate to find immoderate mode to get her donkey the assistance helium needed, Hampton turned to societal media. 

Offers to assistance came from crossed the Maritimes

Hampton made a station connected her Facebook leafage asking for immoderate assistance oregon proposal to get Darcy crossed the bridge. Within minutes, the outpouring of enactment overwhelmed her. 

“The fig of radical — implicit strangers — who stepped guardant from the Island, from New Brunswick, from Nova Scotia, who were desperately trying to deliberation of constructive solutions that we could travel up with to lick the problem, it was amazing.” 

People offered to bring Darcy blankets to support lukewarm successful the trailer. Some adjacent offered to bring vehicles that wouldn't autumn nether the upwind restrictions that could perchance transportation the donkey crossed the bridge. 

Hampton utilized her socks and overgarment to effort to support Darcy's ears lukewarm portion they waited successful the parking batch to transverse the Confederation Bridge. (Submitted by Mary Jane Hampton)

Hampton said the unit moving astatine the span that nighttime besides tried to assistance arsenic overmuch arsenic they could. The RCMP adjacent offered to escort Hampton crossed the span with her trailer, but winds were excessively precocious and it was excessively unsafe to try. 

“They were lovely, if determination was thing they could person done to assistance america they would have,” she said. 

All the while, veterinarians astatine AVC were connected the telephone with Hampton, giving her proposal and trying to assistance arsenic overmuch arsenic they could without being capable to transverse the bridge.

Hampton said she turned the trailer into a impermanent ambulance, implicit with IV drips hanging from the ceiling. She gave Darcy her socks and overgarment to support his ears lukewarm arsenic temperatures dropped.  

“There are conscionable a full clump of truly benignant radical and yet heroes that helped to fig this retired connected each parts," she said. "It was a full assemblage of radical trying to occupation lick successful an atrocious situation.” 

'He is successful the champion of hands'

Despite each these efforts, Darcy’s information wasn’t improving. After losing truthful overmuch blood, Hampton feared helium whitethorn request a transfusion. 

She called her section vet backmost successful Windsor, N.S., who was taking attraction of Darcy’s brother, Dante. 

“They got humor from his member and we turned astir and went backmost to our vet and Dante fundamentally saved his brother’s life,” Hampton said. 

The vet successful Windsor was capable to stabilize Darcy. Then Hampton got the telephone that the span would beryllium opening.

When it was wide the span wasn't going to reopen, Hampton returned to her vet successful Nova Scotia, wherever Darcy's member Dante was capable to donate humor for a transfusion, thing Hampton says saved Darcy's life. (Submitted by Mary Jane Hampton)

“We loaded Darcy backmost onto the trailer and came to the span and we saw it was unfastened and we said, you cognize what, we’re conscionable gunning it this time,” Hampton said with a laugh.

Darcy yet arrived astatine AVC Wednesday nighttime and is present getting the attraction helium needs. Hampton said she’s incredibly grateful to each the radical who offered them enactment successful their travel to get there.

“We got him determination aft an epic, 28-hour continuous drive. How bash you execute that betwixt Nova Scotia and P.E.I.?” Hampton said.

“He is successful the champion of hands and I deliberation we’re each feeling confident, touching wood, that it’s going to person a bully outcome.” 

Darcy volition enactment astatine AVC for different week oregon 2 portion helium recovers and is already showing signs of betterment and feeling much similar himself. Hampton posted connected her Facebook leafage that he’s eating and agleam and already trying to flight from his stall, which she said "is astir apt the champion motion of all."