Tender Loving Care. Amazing what it can do… Let’s look at Honey Bandit today!






As you know, our Bucket Fund Baby for October is Honey Bandit.  (You can read his story here.)  Well, isn’t it amazing what some great food, great determination, total devotion and plain old tender, loving care can do for a sick, little mustang foal.  Amazing.  Our Honey Bandit went from a coma:

Honey Bandit, Day 1, in a coma at the hospital...

To this:

Honey Bandit today... playing with his buddy, Patches!

Wahoo!  If there ever was a little horse who fought for his life, it is this one.  And, that is what our Bucket Fund is all about.  We pool our funds together to help those who are helping these special horses in need.  And, happily, tomorrow, we the HORSE AND MAN GROUP, will be paying back Palomino (HB’s caretaker) for spending sleepless  nights and endless hours tending to this wonderful, tenacious little boy.  Without someone caring for him 24/7, there is no way he would have made it.

He's going to be beautiful when he sheds out!

You see, when Palomino first brought HB to the vet on that very first night, it was discussed to just “let him go”.  HB was in a come, his heart rate was very low, his body temperature was dropping, he was terribly underweight and his little body was giving up.  But, Palomino kept playing with Honey Bandit’s little tongue, hoping he would hang on long enough to respond to fluids, blood transfusions, electrolytes and all the other procedures performed by the equine hospital.  She didn’t give up and he didn’t give up.  And when he did show some signs of life, Palomino decided right there to spend the next part of her life in the company of this boy.  She fed him every hour and kept his IV line full.  She rolled him from one side to the other since he couldn’t stand on his own.  She helped him up, helped him to lay down and did everything for this invalid foal.  Wow.  Lack of sleep makes me a little grouchy but Palomino kept her vigil in spite of the hours and fatigue.

HB and Patches relaxing together.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t function very well in a sleep deprived state.  Poor Palomino has been not sleeping for two months now.  And, if she was sleeping, it was in the garage with a baby horse…  Now, she still sleeps in the garage with a much larger but still sickly foal who is becoming a bit of a rowdy boy!

From the look in Patches' eye, fun is about to begin!

So, I just wanted to say that even though it looks like HB is on his road to recovery – which we hope he is — much time, much effort and much Foal Lac is still needed to care for him until he is weaned and as healthy as he can be.  HB may never be 100%.  He may never have a normal immune system.  No one knows the toll this took on his organs.  No one can say if his hearing will return normally.  No one knows how severe malnutrition and neglect will effect him in his life… But, he wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for one woman who gave up so much to tend to a horse with so little.

Honey Bandit in the arms of his wonderful human Mom.

Today is our last day to top the Bucket!  Please dribble, drop, splash or dollop into the bucket and help Palomino finish the winter shelter for her little man.  I understand that our funds will go towards building his winter home.  (Take if from me who lives near Palomino, it gets COLD here!)  Even though HB is much, much better, he still has a very compromised immune system and needs a warm and dry place to continue to heal.

"I love my new shelter so much I want to lick it!"

Thank you, everyone, who has kept Honey Bandit in your thoughts this month!  Your support has been so sweet.  I will keep you posted on his progress!

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6 comments have been posted...

  1. Jenny

    God bless Palomino and all those who made the miracle come true in Honey Bandit.
    HB, you are loved..God grant you long healthy life.

  2. HORSEMAN

    Please check out this blog about another foal that was saved by Palomino and it has connections to the Honey Bandit story.
    Hoseman said it again,
    Ross

  3. HORSEMAN

    This colt was very fortunate the day that a saving angel came his way with experience in saving another Mustang foal from near death experience and this individual has a name, Palomino Armstrong. The name of the other foal is Chilly Pepper. If you check out the blog site I posted will lead you to that story and back to this story and all the success that this life savin angel has been able to do for others with help from other good hearted people giving her and the foals support s she has been 24/7 helping them out many weeks in a row. I encourage you to check them both out.
    Thanks, Horseman said it,
    Ross, (German for Horse)

  4. Denise Brown

    Thank you so much Palomino for saving our poor defensless wildlife. I admire your dedication!!!!

  5. Sue

    Palomino’s devotion to Honey Bandit is totally amazing. Her strength and courage and character are to be admired. I am not sure if she knows what an inspiration she is. She cares and it shows in the face of Honey Bandit.

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