First of all, I want you to know that it was YOU and your good thoughts and donations that brought this little foal in off of the field.
You can read his story here.
I received a frantic text from Willis who was heading up this rescue (Virginia Range Sanctuary, LRTC and LBL), and he begged for help with this foal. He said their coffers were empty and there was no way they could help him unless they were granted funds.
I said, “YES – GO FOR IT(praying to horsegods), we will help you.”
Luckily, you guys all stepped up and within a few hours, there was enough to cover his rescue and first night and testing at the ER. INCREDIBLE. Thank you!
Then on Friday, I received this text:
“Do you have a read on the Milan fund at present? We have to figure out if he can stay with the vet over the weekend and continue the IV therapy.”
YES! Heal him!
Little Milan could not rise. His mother was frantic. But, the band had to move on – and leave him to suffer in the extreme heat.
UPDATES… AS THEY HAPPENED – Can he be reunited with his herd?
Many of you asked if he could be released back with his family band after he was well. Here is Willis’ response:
He’ll be away too long. Mom will have dried up even if he’s accepted back into the band. He will likely be respiratorily compromised for weeks and this is hard country where they live. Can’t let him fall behind and become coyote food.
Also until he’s fully fit, he’s susceptible to relapse if he gets overly stressed or we have more wild weather swings.
When we can, we bring in both the dam and foal so they can stay together and go back out together. Was not possible in this case.
We don’t keep horses off the range unless it’s not in their best interest to return them. In Milan’s case, he’s also getting very tame and becoming dependent on people since he’s not with his dam.
This is Milan as he was improving but still in the hospital being treated for pneumonia and smoke inhalation. Fresh grass, yum!
IT WAS SMOKE INHALATION… THAT INJURED HIM AND TRIGGERED PNEUMONIA!
There were many fires in Nevada and Northern California when this foal was brought in… but no one even considered that he might be suffering smoke inhalation.
It wasn’t until his lungs were Xray’d that they saw the scars… so they scoped his throat. Smoke inhalation.
Luckily, he is young enough that they feel his lungs will be scarred for life, but he will grow and probably be just fine.
Here is what Willis said:
It appears that he was a victim of a nearby wildfire – smoke inhalation which is more of a hazard to horses than the fire. The horses escaped to a pond area where the slope was covered with rocks to control erosion. The smoke and stress likely triggered his condition.
He has some lung scaring but he’s young enough that the vets feel that as he matures the scars will be replaced with healthy tissue.
Richard, the volunteer who will care for him after he’s released, is a retired paramedic who has previously rehabbed track horses. His family is setting up a controlled environment for rehab.
Look how much he has grown in just these 2 weeks!
Here he is, finally in foster care. He is tired often, but he will recover…
HE STILL NEEDS SUPPORT FOR HIS ANTIBIOTICS AND WE’D LIKE TO GET THEM SOME “SAY WHOA TO COLIC!”
This little guy is still on mega-doses of antibiotics as well as probiotics and special feed. Also, he and several other wild horses are tending to come in showing signs of colic because of the huge swings in temperatures, lack of water (dehydration) and stress. So, I’d like to gift them with their first dose of “Say Whoa to Colic” to have on hand for this guy or the next rescue wild horse who will come in with serious issues.
We are $1175 short of our goal… do you have any Starbucks money or seat change to donate to this little guy? All donations are 100% tax deductible! Thank you so much, in advance!
If you receive this post via email, click here to donate!
A worker in a local business called authorities and begged to find help for this baby who was dying before her eyes. The kind soul even paid for the ER call. THANK YOU ALL for picking up the ball here and bringing this boy to the hospital – and saving his life.
