Bambi - Orphaned foal from Fallon Feedlot

On 10-29-11 we transported three orphaned foals to EqWBR.  Enzo went on to his family after a week of  care and the two we bailed off the feedlot have stayed here.  I wrote about Diesel yesterday and today I wanted to let everyone know about Bambi.   She has strangles like he does, but she is older and in better health upon arrival so she has not been on the brink of death like him.

Here is our pretty girl.

Bambi 10-30-11

One look at her butt and you can see how she got the name Bambi.  To top that off she also has a hair swirl on her right hind leg that is in the shape of  a "B".  So we thought that was more confirmation that we picked a good name for her.

Bambi, Enzo & Diesel first day here 10-29-11

On 10-30-11 a group of volunteers came over to help us put each of the babies in a squeeze/stock (narrow stall), get halters on them and check for injuries, give them de-wormer and see what else they may need.   Bambi was the tallest and I suspect the oldest of the horses and was the leader of the pack, thus the first to walk in the squeeze.  She did awesome and we were able to get a halter on her with no problem.  She is 12. hands high (48 inches at the shoulder) and weighs almost 400 pounds.

Laura, Rebecca & Mike lovin up Bambi in the squeeze.

While the other two showed symptoms of strangles she didn't.  But after a few days here, she started to have an abscess swell on the right side of her neck.  My friend Tammy came over and we shaved both Bambi and Diesel to be able to see both their abscesses and to clean them better without the winter fur.

Tammy volunteered her time to help shave the foals.

A few days later the abscess had grown to the size of a softball and she was having trouble both breathing and eating so we lanced it open and drained the pus.  It took over 45 minutes to express the purulent drainage and there was over a liter that had come out by the time we were done.  We couldn't believe how much came out because it must have been all over inside her neck and skull area because a lot more came out than the size the abscess reflected.   We know it had to be painful before drained.

Her abscess is still draining small amounts and requires cleaning several times throughout the day to help contain the bacteria filled pus, reduce the crusting on her neck and to keep it bug free with an application of a salve called Swat.  

Drain tract on neck abscess a few days after it opened.

The wound has started to heal up and the opening is getting smaller.  She loves the cleaning process as I massage her entire neck, ear and head area.  I just can't imagine what it feels like to have this on the side of her neck.  

Each day she gets some bermuda and alfalfa, Purina Enrich 32 vitamin/mineral/amino acid supplement, pain medication as needed, electrolyte paste and we recently received a donation of colostrum powder from Dani Lloyd (thank you SO much Dani), that is supposed to help boost the immune system.  She also gets brushed and yesterday we worked on her feet.  She let me pick them each up, clean them out and spray them to prevent thrush.   She LOVES the time we spend together and she approaches the pipe panel for attention as soon as someone walks up.

She gets her nose into everything.  When I am mucking the stall she follows me around and wants to sniff everything, when I am working with Diesel, she has to have her nose in there to see what we are doing and when I take a break and sit on the pipe panel, she walks over and puts her head on my shoulder.  She is very affectionate.   She will make someone a very nice horse.

With this kind of start on handling our other very young horses have been VERY easy to train, trust people so they tend to not be spooky, and they truly seem to like hanging with humans.   I hope this is the case for her. She will be available for adoption after her strangles have cleared and her quarantine is done.  So stay tuned and if you are interested in giving this sweet girl a forever home, please contact me.

I got an email this week from one of our donors that she ordered a winter blanket for both Diesel and Bambi and they should arrive around the 14th of Nov.  Just in time for the cold winter nights and winter rains that come.   We can't thank her enough, especially for Diesel who is still skin and bones.

We can't provide any of the care, food and meds these babies need without the generous donations of people who hear their stories and want to help them get a re-start on life.  If you would like to donate and help provide for their needs, you can send a check to Equine WellBeing Rescue Inc. PO Box 324, Ramona, CA  92065 or through PayPal by clicking the button below.  

Thank You So Much!

To reach me send an email to christine@EquineWellBeing.com  or call me at 760-703-4860