With all the rain, very cold temperatures and mud out here in California, the wild horses who are foaling right now – are running into difficulties.
Two foals were not lucky. One was hypothermic and the other was stuck in mud. Luckily, good Nevada citizens saw these foals in distress and called the Wild Horse Connection. Meet Creedence and Ben.
This adorable foal is Creedence.
This little munchkin is Ben.
March Bucket Fund, can we help?!
It won’t take much to really help those who help these foals! Let’s please give Wild Horse Connection a boost for their good deeds – going out in any kind of weather or situation – to help our wild horses. Can we help them pay the medical bills for these innocent babies?
All donations are 100% tax deductible. Thank you in advance!
THEIR STORIES
Their stories are told to me by Willis Lamm of Wild Horse Connection
Creedence
We all are familiar with the extreme weather out West. One of the “atmospheric rivers” accompanied by bone-chilling 51 MPH peak winds had just passed through Lyon County, NV.
At around 1:00 PM a call came in to the Hot Line of a newborn foal in a resident’s driveway, unable to stand. Upon arrival, members of LRTC’s Technical Large Animal Rescue Team found the foal, and were informed that he had been out there since about 9:00 AM. Under optimal conditions, a newborn foal should be active, standing and learning to nurse in about two hours. This was a true emergency.
Team members lifted the foal but he was unable to remain standing on his own. They put him in the back seat of a pickup truck, placed him against one of the members to exchange body warmth, and rushed him to Comstock Equine Hospital in Reno.
“Creedence,” as the crew named him as a Creedence Clear Water Revival tune was playing on the radio, had a few concurrent issues but they were addressable. He never received colostrum so he needed an infusion to kick start his immune system. He had a low body temperature and needed to be carefully rewarmed. He was dehydrated and also needed some medicines to improve his blood chemistry. Within a few hours he could stand on his own, a bit tentatively, was interacting with the volunteers and vet staff and was drinking milk replacer from a bowl.
He will need to stay at Comstock for a couple more days for the staff to monitor a slight umbilical cord infection and address any latent impacts of hypothermia, but his prognosis is very good. He will then be sent to Wild Horse Connection’s orphan foal care where he will likely be joined by another newbie foal that was found alongside US-50A with suspensory issues that will require temporary splinting until its tendons. strengthen. (That second foal may have been compromised following foaling due to sticky mud from the storms.)
Creedence as found in the driveway.
Creedence down in a residential driveway. He wasn’t foaled there, but he ended up there and couldn’t stand. He had not nursed at all.
Wild Horse Connection workers tried to help him stand and nurse with his mother standing watch. He couldn’t remain standing…
He was warmed and brought to the hospital
Waiting to see the ER vet
Yummy! Milk replacer.
With food, he was able to stand.
Plasma has really helped. I was told he tried a little buck today!
Newborn angel feathers.
BEN’S STORY
This is the information on the second foal, “Ben.”
Early Wednesday morning, the Hot Line started receiving calls of a foal without a mother on the highway side of the fence on US 50A near Fernley. Volunteers and LRTC rescue members quickly responded and began searching the area.
There were several bands nearby but no foals near the roadway. One of the nearby bands did have a 2-month-old foal with them. It was quite possible that he had snuck under a fence damaged by the recent storms and then returned the same way to rejoin his family. However, rescue members decided to expand their search further onto the range to make sure there were no other foals in distress. Almost a half a mile from the highway, members found a foal using a fence post to hold himself up. His mother was located about 80 yards away.
Team members quietly approached with the intention of reuniting him with his mother. They determined he was about 12 hours old and it was at this time they noticed he was having trouble walking. It appeared to them that mom knew there was a problem as she backed further away from the area. The foal was very dehydrated and we knew we needed to get him to Comstock Equine Hospital as quickly as possible.
Blood tests were run and it showed he had not been able to successfully nurse since birth and his blood sugar was very low. He also had extremely loose tendons in his back legs, preventing him from being able to walk comfortably. He was immediately given a plasma insfusion, fluids, and intravenous vitamins to help tighten his tendons. He is responding well and regaining his energy quickly. He will remain hospitalized until he is healthy enough to come to the Orphan Foal Project.
Passive rewarmng and on the way to Comstock.
Comforting this little baby while waiting for the ER vet.
Standing him up for his exam
Part of the problem with his inability to stand… could be from stretching his tendons in the mud. He will have temporary splints.
Ben had not nursed at all… so he greatly benefited from his plasma as well. He looks contented here!
I’m so glad these two are at the same hospital so that they can comfort each other and become buddies!
THANK YOU FOR HELPING THESE BABIES!
Wild Horse Connection rarely asks me to help… but they did this season due to outstanding weather conditions. Thank you for helping those who help the innocent horses – especially under these floodlike conditions here in CA and Nevada!
All donations are 100% tax deductible!
