HI ya'll,
Well, once again the babies need your help, and it is Rocky in particular that really could use some.  He has been having a lot of tummy issues, which I am happy to say, seem to be moving in the right direction finally.   He has been colicky off and on, yet still "flowing" more than he should.  Well, as Shirley with her 20 years +/-  of doing this told me, the ONLY diapers that work are the KROGER - UNISEX - OVERNIGHT SLEEP GUARD - WITH LEAK GUARDS AND MAXIMUM ABSORBENCY.  Right now he is in SMALL/MEDIUM, but in the near future he will be moving to the next size.  We have tried everything else, and it is a nightmarish 'flow' of very bad stuff.   

Of course I am a teeny bit tired, and a tad emotional due to this little venture, (which is fine because this is what we do and 99.9% of the time I wouldn't change it), but I went to the post office to pick up a package and lo and behold it was two packs of KROGER dipeys.  PTL!.  I have to say I actually sat down and cried a tiny bit.  It was like winning the lottery.  I know that sounds dramatic, but I guess you would have to be there to really understand.  Anyway, that has saved us for the last two days, but now we only have a few left, probably enough for tonight.  THANK YOU!

Rocky is being treated for his "abnormal diaper filler that runs out everywhere", but he had some type of blockage where only the liquid stuff was coming through.  I am very happy to say that he seems to have passed that point and is having much less tummy trouble and is much less colicky.  So he is heading in the right direction.  He is perky, pretty much into everything he can be, an expert at removing the diapers, especially the ones that are less than fabulous, and needs to be reminded on a daily basis that he is not the boss and does not completely rule the world.  He is definitely one of the fastest little guys I have ever seen, and I have seen well over 300 newborns in the past few years.  He would have been such a great stallion on the range.  He is above average in intelligence and was a born leader.  He is a very expressive little guy, although not so little now, and has no issues with letting you know exactly how he feels.

Our plan is to create/fix our permanent "foal nursery" in the garage.  We need to get insulation and completely finish it, although the floor will be one that is washable etc.   It will be set up specifically for what we do, and in a way that will be efficient for heating etc.  We had begun planning that and started moving things around after we lost Little Mister.  However, we obviously did not get it done before the "next foal", which is Rocky.  With the Kroger diapers being so hard to get, and we still have not found a place that we can order them online, it seems that since we live where we do, it will be much less expensive once the nursery is complete to do what we did with Honey Bandit.

But for now - Rocky is here and he needs the diapers!   WE ARE HAVING A "DIAPER DRIVE FOR ROCKY", and asking that anyone who would like to help, please go to the attached list and see if there are any places on the list that are near you WHERE YOU could pick up some dipeys for ROCKY.  The closest place to me that we have found is about 3 hours away, so by the time we get fuel it is not even reasonable.

OTHER ITEMS HE NEEDS ARE 1) DISPOSABLE GLOVES (for mom & dad),  2) Vaseline in large amounts as it keeps him from getting "tender", 3) Baby wipes  and Paper Towels and DIAPERS, DIAPERS, DIAPERS. :)   We also need more Foal lac powder, and we will be starting him on foal lac pellets in the very near future.

We so appreciate everyone's support and help as that is what allows us to help these babies.   Don't forget this handsome young man will be available for adoption at a later date.  

We will also be looking for any available insulation etc. so we can get the actual nursery complete!!   We had such a good one started and it was working so well for Honey Bandit, Suri and Dabubbles etc. before we had to move.  But when God closes a door, He always opens a window, and this should be our "permanent" rescue, unless of course someone wins the lottery and the big dream comes true!

I also want to thank everyone who has been looking for diapers for us.  We came home the other day to find a box of wipes that one of the babies wonderful "aunties" had sent, THANK YOU KITTY !  only to discover that the UPS guy in all his/her brilliance, set the box on the porch with our four very large dogs. You get the picture.  Supposedly UPS is going to handle it, but in the meantime we are once again going through those like crazy.

Susan  (WWAS) & Shirley (Allen) are beyond amazing, and I am blessed and honored that we are not only such good friends, but they are always there 24/7 if I need a shoulder or help.    

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE.  WITHOUT YA'LL, THERE WOULD BE NO SAVED BABIES, AS YA'LL ARE ULTIMATELY THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR SAVING THESE BABIES, AS WELL AS THE OTHERS THAT HAVE BEEN RESCUED !

We could use some prayers for warmer weather also.  Although we use wood heat for our house, the temps have been cold enough that we are also running an electric heater for Rocky 24/7, but having to  supplement that with a propane heater.  So it will be a blessing when things warm up.  Also, that will allow him to play outside and we will save on the washing and the dipeys.  I too, am very ready for some sunny days and bright blue skies.

God bless ya'll and stay safe

hugs
Palomino & the gang!

Hi ya'll,

Sorry for the delay in the drawing.  However, yesterday we had the
ticket draw at the fabulous Barn Bum in Palo Cedro, California.   We
asked Shauna to be our "independent ticket puller" and she pulled the
ticket that was owned by Gordon "Pat" Patterson of Shingletown,
California.  Congratulations to our lucky winner!

Don't forget to visit the Barn Bum and check out all their fabulous
"horsey" goodies.  If you know anyone who likes horses, or cute
western stuff, this is the most awesome place to go.  Don't forget to
ask for Shauna if you need to get your hair done.  She does beautiful
work and is one of our wonderful horse lovin' ladies.

Sorry this is so short, but Rocky calls, literally. haha

hugs and thank you to everyone who showed their support for our
rescue.   The animals love you for it and so do I.
p

HI YA'LL

Sorry it has taken so long to do another update.  We have been on the
typical orphan foal roller coaster.  Two days ago (I think - they are
kind of blurring together), he was pretty lethargic and not feeling
well.  When I checked his temp he was running a fever.  So we treated
him for that, but he was still having intestinal issues.  (He is still
having those, but that is kind of to be expected.  He was colicky for
a couple of nights, but seems to be over that right now.)  But this is
why we stay with them literally 24/7 (although we do run to the
bathroom haha).  He had started rolling when he was colicky so it is
very important that he is monitored, as we don't want him twisting his
gut.

The good news is that he is happy and perky and eating well.  His eyes
are bright and he is getting into everything.  I finally got to lay
down last night in bed, and then I felt it.  The MILK MONSTER was
approaching.  He seems to think (just like Honey Bandit and Chilly
Pepper did) that it is great entertainment to get a mouth full of milk
and slowly dribble it on my face, pillow, hair etc.   Then he lay down
and was right next to the day bed I am sleeping on.  I just started to
drift off (after I had gotten up, changed his diapers and fed him, and
was just starting to relax when I heard this little clangy noise.  He
was playing with the bed.  So now I am paranoid thinking he will hit
the release and the bed will drop and he will get hurt.  So again, I
get up and I put a box underneath the bed so even if he did hit it,
nothing could possibly happen.

I am pretty sure that God made the women the "moms", as we hear every
little thing and every little noise.  Guess that is one of the reasons
He picked Shirley Allen and I to do this.  We both have chronic pain,
so we don't sleep much anyway.  So we pretty much hear every little
movement they make.  PTL for that, because if Rocky had kept rolling,
he could have twisted his gut and it could have been fatal.

Now the not so good news.  Rocky has a major "cold", for want of a
better word.  He is coughing and sounds kind of like a seal.  He is
basically a "snot factory" (sorry to be so indelicate), and we are
watching him like a hawk as usual.  Shirley just went through the same
thing with her latest orphan foal "Rainy" (short for Rainbow).   They
went through it for two weeks.  Her Doc told her that the coughing is
actually good, although heartbreaking to hear, because they have to
get the stuff out of their lungs so it doesn't progress into
pneumonia.  It is also extremely beneficial for him to get rid of the
mucous so his lungs don't fill up.

This is where ya'll come in.  If anyone wants to help Rocky, we are
going through propane, tissues and baby wipes at an alarming rate.
But it is imperative that we keep him in an environment that is stable
temperature wise.   We also need lots and lots and lots of prayers.
If he was left behind on purpose, this could be part of the reason.
It is all part of the wait and see period you go through, waiting for
whatever is going to come out..  We have made it through the 3 day
window, the eight day window and our next  hurdle is the 3 week
timeline.  The goofy weather most likely contributed to Little
Mister's pneumonia, and we are praying that Rocky fights through this.
 We do not want pneumonia again!  Like I mentioned prior though, the
good news is that he is feeling perky, eating well and is pretty much
bright eyed and bushy tailed - especially around 1 a.m.,  2 a.m., 3
a..m., (you get the picture.)

I have to say that it is a privilege to be able to care for these
babies.  (Albeit a kind of gooey one right now.)  We are so blessed to
be part of such a "community rescue" and have the support of all of
the 'extended family".   Again it is all because of ya'll that these
babies have a chance to survive, and to be surrounded by the love and
care that they are given.  I was talking to Shirley this a.m., and I
don't know how she does it.  She had 3 or more foals at one time, and
I know her washer and dryer did not stop and was running 24/7.  Then
you add the lights as she was giving round the clock care, and all the
extra heat etc. and I think her electric bill doubled.  It's funny how
everything you do in life ends up being so costly.  She also had to
buy lots of laundry soap and disinfectant.  Those are some of the
hidden costs with these guys.  I have been lucky with Rocky so far,
and only had to run a couple loads of laundry.  Will keep ya'll
updated.  Thanks again for being part of this and stay safe and kiss
your critters!

Hugs

Palomino

p.s.  It has been over a week now with not so much sleep, so if I say
anything goofier than usual, just bear with me :)

Hi

Here are a couple of pix of Rocky, at home in Shingletown.  He will be
up for adoption at a later date.  He is doing well, although not
completely out of the woods.  He is going through diapers and propane
like crazy.   Will be glad when the weather gets warmer.  Snowing and
very cold right now.

Having a few intestinal issues, but making the most of his "nursery"
and getting a little bit of exercise.  He got to go outside for about
15 minutes yesterday, and yes, we do know his blankie is pink even
though he is a boy.  But he is staying warm and that's what counts.

Hugs and thank yous to everyone who is involved in helping this little guy.

P

p.s.  Have had little to no internet access, so if you get a duplicate
of this, please erase.  When the portable internet (all we can get) is
so slow, sometimes it re-sends messages over and over, or doesn't send
them at all.  Was pretty exciting over at Shirley's in Nevada - I saw
full bars.  wow - here I have one at best.

Hi ya'll.

We are heading home in an hour or so.  Please pray for safe travel and
good weather.

Also, have a question for all of those in California.  We are needing
to put him in diapers for now, and after years and years of experience
and trial, Shirley has found that only one design works.  If not, then
it is just a waste of money.

We are looking for a place that has Adult diapers, and they MUST HAVE
Leak Guards, and be for Overnight wear - Ya'll have seen how much a
horse can pee, (haha)   It is amazing how much those Adult - Overnight
diapers absorb, and how important those leak guards are.  His system
is working so well as far as his kidneys, and these Adult diapers work
very well.   He is "flushing" out all (hopefully) the toxins so we are
using lots of diapers.

His gut seems to be working a little bit better with every hour that
passes.  Was kind of a rough night as he had quite a bit of gas.  Was
kind of funny though, because after he did his "business" this morning
he started bucking and kicking and jumping around cuz he felt so much
better.

So things are getting better and he is improving each day.  Thank you
for your prayers and support.  We are on day 5, so we have passed one
hurdle, next comes the 8th day and then we have one more major hurdle
to get to the 21st day, where we can start to worry less.



Big hugs
Palomino & Matt

Hi ya'll,

Thought you might want a peek into what really goes on when we rescue
these newborns and critical or orphan foals.

The first 3 days are by far the scariest.  Then you have the "next 5
days", and if you survive to 8 days, you can take a teeny tiny breath.
But you are still not out of the woods by any means.  There are many
diseases/illnesses etc. that do not "show themselves" until you have
passed the 3 week period.  So the first 21 days are just taking it an
hour at a time.  What makes even more complications is when people
"pick up" or "rescue" a baby without the proper procedures being
followed.  Without observation by people who are trained and have
specific knowledge, foals are often stripped away when the band is
coming back.  They could have "scattered" and left a baby behind that
is simply too "new" or weak to follow.  The bands will come back and
the moms pick up the foal if they had just been "startled", like by
ATV's for instance.

Without truly knowing if a baby was "rejected", vs. "rescued by a
citizen who thought they were helping", it is so much more stressful
and difficult every minute of every hour when you are trying to save
them.  IF, a baby was actually rejected, then you know that every
twitch, shake of the head, discoloration of gums, eyes etc. is a
definite sign.  However, when you don't know if they were rejected or
just picked up, you still have to assume that every single individual
sign is critical.  So we spend every minute with the baby, if we are
not physically in the room, we watch them on camera (when we get
coffee etc.).  They  do need to have some alone time so they don't
grow up and end up crazy if they are by themselves.  Your stomach is
in knots and although you have to keep a "good attitude" and put out
positive

With Rocky, he is doing well so far.  He is eating, playing, and going
through diapers like crazy.  His kidneys appear to be working
fabulously.  He did have some yellow tinge to his eyes and some yellow
on his gum line.  This is one of the signs that scares you to death,
as it can be signs of tetanus.  Tetanus is usually 99.9% deadly.  PTL
the yellow has faded and his gums look perfect.   He is having a
little bit of tummy issues, which unfortunately is pretty normal in
this situation.  Not having food for a long period of time, then
having different food in their tummies and with going through all the
stress and changes, it is very hard on them.   He likes to shake his
head a lot, which if he was rejected, could mean trouble, or, since he
is cutting his little front teeth, it could simply mean that he is
shaking his head because he's teething.

It is so hard and very exhausting because behavior that you would
never ever even notice if he was with a mare can seem critical and you
stay on alert every single second.  Foals without their mamas can be
so touch and go, and you can lose one in a day.

An interesting example is Honey Bandit, who by any standards is truly
a miracle.  His vitals were so bad that he was considered pretty much
"not viable".  Yet we all know he survived.  We do not know the amount
of damage his organs suffered though.  He is such a happy boy, but he
just seems old.    Then you have Little Mister.  Upon first sight,
there was no way that you would have expected him to be so ill.   He
went downhill so fast.  He was an example of signs that could be
important or not.  He had just a little boogie nose, which mostly
looked like he had stuck his nose in the dirt.  It was not "runny" and
there was no visible drainage.  Yet it actually ended up being a very
important sign.   He had a teeny cough, like he had a tickle.  We paid
attention to those, and were on top of it when his breathing became
irregular.  But it didn't matter, there was simply nothing anyone
could do that wasn't done.  The vet had said there was a "guarded"
chance for him to survive.  Hmmmm  -  Honey Bandit was given basically
no chance to survive.  So we do what we can, and yes we stress on
every teeny tiny little thing, and that is why we need all your
prayers.

Rocky is doing great so far.  His lungs and heart sound awesome.  He
is starting to get a little "buck in his butt", and we are gonna head
out either today or tomorrow.  His  papa is "Bubba", and I will try to
send a pix of him.  What an amazing stallion.  Apparently that is
where Rocky got his "tude".  He will definitely be one who will push
as far as he can.  He is extremely intelligent, but if you give him an
inch, he will definitely get a mile or two out of it.

So thank you for being part of this.  Prayers, prayers, prayers!!
(You can also add another prayer that I get better at cutting out the
hole in the diaper for his tail - haha).  I have never used them
before, but he may be in the house for awhile due to weather etc.

Hugs and God bless!

Quick request for help.

We are leaving in about 5 minutes to go pick up another foal.  We
really need help (again - as usual) as fuel prices are so high.
Anyone who wants to help and be part of this little girl's path can
send donations to our paypal for the trip and supplies.  You can go to
the website  www.chillypepper.weebly.com and go to donations.

Or you can go to paypal at [email protected].

We only ask for the babies.  I appreciate everyone's help and please
please please pray for her, and my mom.

lots of love

p

THE BIG DREAM!

As usual, we want to thank everyone for being part of this, but now we
need even more help.  We have a dream (like so many others), but I
truly believe we can accomplish it together.  We have taken baby steps
towards it, but I just wanted to "throw it all out there", as I know
someone out there will help us figure out how to accomplish it.

The dream is this.  We have a sanctuary where the sick and injured
people and the sick and injured critters heal each other.  It is not a
new idea, but I read something the other day that brought me to quick
attention.  It states that if a dream is from God, it will be too big
to do by yourself, and you will know it is from Him because it will
take FAITH!!!!

Picture this, a place with a group of cabins.  I am talking simple,
back to basic cabins.  We would have a community shower house (very
clean!!  haha), a mess hall and a big huge dining room with a fire
place.  We would have cabins for the "volunteers/workers/partners
etc." to stay in, and we would have another set of cabins further away
that were set up more for families.  The single cabins would be for
our service men and women who return from war, or our injured
firefighters or police officers who simply need a quiet place to
decompress.  Ideally we would have a place with a stream, river or
lake where they could spend quiet time fishing etc.  The single cabins
would be for the people that were not ready to be "thrown back in to
society or the family" all at once.  The families could come and visit
and our soldiers could take whatever time they needed to integrate
back into the family.  We would have hiking trails, and "rolling
trails".  One of the blessings of having to use a wheel chair - if you
can say that - is that it definitely makes you aware of what will and
will not work.  We would make sure that there were smooth sidewalks so
anyone and everyone would be able to enjoy the facilities.  We would
keep the place as "down home and country" as possible.  Sick or
disabled kids could come and be a "cowboy" or a "cowgirl", and for
even just a day, they wouldn't just be a "sick or different".  Believe
me,  just sitting on a horse can be such a mind altering thing.  When
I sit on a horse, even if we aren't moving, I am not crippled for that
moment.  And even though it is extremely painful, I am free, and there
are so many people out there who would also get the same fulfillment
out of it.  Even for just an hour - no crutches, wheelchairs, etc.  I
know it isn't easy to imagine for those of you who are fortunate
enough to be able to walk, run or play without even thinking about it,
but there are so many out there who either can't walk at all, or maybe
just barely and it would be life altering.

We would  be set up for the disabled, the battered and abused, and
anyone else who simply needed a healing place.  We would have a huge
barn and covered arena, where eventually we would have enough suitable
horses for therapeutic riding.  Hmmmm, that would give some of the
older and not so "useful" horses a place to go instead of just to
"slaughter".   We would continue rescuing not only the orphan foals,
OF COURSE, but all the rest of the critters.  Studies have shown that
even in prison environments, animals have a huge healing impact.  They
also use therapeutic riding for many of the amputees and/or injured.
Animal therapy has been proven beneficial for sick and special needs
children and adults.  This would be a place where everyone is welcome,
no matter what their financial situation.  I truly believe that we do
not take adequate care of the people that take care of us.   I know
there are fabulous grant writers out there who could help with
funding, and there would be an endless amount of avenues to raise
funds through.  So while we were saving wild horses, abandoned and
mistreated animals, we would also be helping the people in our
community who needed it.  It would be a win/win situation and I truly
think it is time to focus on our "problems at home" where we can make
a huge difference.

So there it is - THE BIG DREAM - Can YOU help?  Obviously we need
brainpower, land, people who want to help, but most of all, we need
FAITH so we can "git 'er done"!   Honey Bandit was one of those
"impossibilities".  Apparently pretty much no one thought he would
survive, and he did.  So if he can overcome everything he went
through, I bet if we all got together we could do this too.  I am so
open to any thoughts and suggestions.  Shasta county would be a
perfect place to do this, although it would work pretty much anywhere.
 So lets start brainstorming and "git 'er done"!

God Bless!

Palomino

p.s.  Due to a family emergency, I had to go to Washington for a few
days.  When I get back we will have the drawing for the fabulous
Bailey Creek Fishing Lodge.  Thank you for your patience and
understanding.  Family emergencies wait for no one, not even Honey
Bandit and his raffle.

Hi ya'll,

Today was supposed to be the big drawing for the Bailey Creek Fishing
Lodge raffle.  Unfortunately, when we were making the final rounds to
pickup all the tickets, one of the stores was closed due to the heavy
snows.  Since we couldn't possibly do the drawing without ALL the
tickets, we had to postpone the big day.

Ya'll will be the first to know the new date.  I so appreciate your patience.

The horses seem to be enjoying the snow, and it was a winter
wonderland this morning when I drove my son to school.  I have to say
I thoroughly enjoy how beautiful everything is.  This is definitely
the "pretty time".  Matt and I saw  huge bear prints, right next to
the "baby bear prints" right outside the fence.  They were just
meandering along, but the mama bear is quite large, judging by her
print.  Would be awesome to be able to see them up close and personal
- IN A TOTALLY SAFE WAY OF COURSE!!   I bet that would be such a
beautiful sight.

I am sorry this is not a great update, but we suffered the loss of a
much loved member of our extended family.  So take care and make sure
the people you love know that you love them.  You never get those
minutes back.  God bless you and thank you for supporting our beloved
critters.

Palomino