A miniature donkey named Elsa is now home for the holidays after surviving a severe bone infection that resulted in the amputation of her leg.
MONROE, Wash. — On a frigid winter night, a premature foal lay nearly frozen inside a barn in Monroe. The tiny donkey, later named Elsa, was discovered in freezing conditions, her life hanging by a thread.
“Scooped her up in 14 degrees, 14 degrees, got her in here, got a hair dryer on her, you know, frantically trying to get her warm at that point, because I knew that we were kind of dealing with a dire situation,” said Brenda Ohlsen, recalling the desperate first moments of Elsa’s life.
Despite making it through that night, Elsa’s next hurdle came weeks later. Though she grew stronger and remained on antibiotics daily, tragedy struck when her mother, Mocha, died, leaving the tiny donkey orphaned.
“So at that point, we were we were on our own,” Ohlsen said.
Elsa’s owners, Brenda and Mike Ohlsen, dedicated themselves to caring for the foal. They named her Elsa after the Disney movie “Frozen,” a nod to the cold conditions she endured at birth.
Miniature donkey gains custom prosthetic after leg amputation
“I think we were within probably 15 to 20 minutes of losing her because she was so cold,” Mike said.
Just as she seemed to be thriving, Elsa suffered another setback. A leg injury developed into a severe infection that moved into the bone, threatening not only her mobility, but her life.
“At that point, we were at a crossroad. We had two choices, one of them was that we put her down, and the other one is that we amputate, which we didn’t even know was an option,” Ohlsen said.
Seeking a way forward, the Ohlsens and their veterinarian consulted specialists at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Pullman.
“How could we say no? And you know, if we could just get rid of that infection and that leg, she’d be good. So he gave us OK the very next day, we threw her in the back seat of the truck, and over to Pullman, we went,” the Ohlsens said.
There, a team led by Dr. Kelly Farnsworth and other surgeons performed a surgical amputation and later fitted Elsa with a custom prosthetic leg, a rare and intricate procedure for a miniature donkey.
“These are the cases that we live for as veterinarians. You know, the the animals that are going to survive in spite of us,” Farnsworth said.
Once Elsa’s surgical swelling subsided and her permanent prosthetic arrived, her recovery took a turn for the better.
“As soon as she realized that she could use that leg again without it hurting, she just immediately began walking around, and her demeanor changed, and everything started to really make a rapid progression from there,” Farnsworth said.
According to WSU, the veterinary team also created a temporary prosthetic while Elsa waited for her custom carbon-fiber device, using materials such as PVC pipe and other components. The temporary leg helped Elsa learn to walk again and adjust her balance.
When the Ohlsens returned to bring Elsa home, they were greeted with one final surprise. The veterinary team presented them with a handmade blanket featuring Disney’s Elsa, a gesture reflecting how deeply the tiny donkey had touched those who cared for her.
“You know, we made a promise to her mom when she was passing, and I scooped her up and I promised her I would give her the best possible life ever that she didn’t have to worry about her. So that’s her goal. That’s our goal,” Ohlsen said.
Elsa’s journey from a fragile, freezing newborn to a thriving youngster with a prosthetic leg is a testament to animal resilience, veterinary innovation and the determination of a family that refused to give up.
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