On October 15, Herd Manager Wesley Stallings observed a yearling filly that was clearly in great distress. Her body condition was poor and he could see a large wound on the right side of her neck by her jowl. Kimberlee Hoey met him at the site and when I arrived, Wesley slowly moved the filly toward and into a paneled pen that Kimberlee and I created in the yard of a nearby house. Volunteer Todd Zeisloft picked up our horse trailer and brought it to Corolla joined by CWHF Program Director, Amber George and Todd’s friend Patty. Getting the trailer to the filly was no small feat as the roads behind the dunes had many deeply flooded areas from a recent heavy rain. On the way out Wesley saw a rainbow and the filly’s name became “Rainbow.”
Rainbow was in critical condition. Upon closer examination, she had a puncture wound right above her chest, the large wound by her jowl, and another near her poll. The veterinarian and blood work determined that the puncture wound was the original wound. It became infected and the infection traveled up her neck to her lymph nodes and literally blew out a hole slightly smaller that a tennis ball. The dying tissue had progressed to within ¼ inch from her jugular vein. She was a ¼ inch from death.
It is now 5 weeks later. With expert care from Dominion Equine and Wesley, she made it through the first and most critical two weeks. Now that she has turned the corner, our attention has turned to gentling, weight gain, and physical therapy to restore mobility to her neck.
Her initial vet bill was over $1,300. There is more to come. Please know that when you donate to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund – you are helping to save the horses of kings – one at a time. Rainbow thanks you, and so do we.
