SURI - newest orphan at our rescue.

HONEY BANDIT says please - help my family - help Suri!!




First Day with Suri (survivor) – Friday, May 20, 2011

I’m sitting here fighting the glare of the computer screen.  The room is dark, as Suri lays in front of me.  She is half prone, her front half being upright and her head touching the blanket.

She survived two snowstorms in the five days she was without a mom.  Her temperature was 99.8, just a tad below normal, but her legs were colder than they should be.  She had been dehydrated and hadn’t had a good meal for some time. 

At the end of her first day she was plum tuckered out.  Standing in the trailer when we reached Gardnerville, (where she was going to spend a couple of days at her “grandpa’s” house,) she was pretty droopy.  It had been a very long day, and it was a day that would change her life, and hopefully save it.

We had the pleasure of removing some of her ticks tonight  -  UGH!!  I am sorry but they just gross me out.  She had two different types, big fat white ones and some little crunchy brown ones that looked kind of like spiders.  “Double UGH!!!”   I am sure she will feel better without the little suckers chomping on her. 

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Wow, what a whirlwind the last few days have been.  I am now once again officially in my foal coma.  We almost lost Suri on Saturday.  I guess on Friday she had her adrenalin pumping from being brought down the mountain by Anne Hall.  She is the amazing and awesome lady that went back over and over (aided by Willis and Sharon Lamm) until on the 5th day she found her once again.  During those five days Suri had no mama, and no one could find her.  It snowed twice and Anne decided to call her “Survivor”, or “Suri” for short.  (I hope Anne doesn’t mind that we added “Princess” to her nickname, as she is a beautiful little princess.)  I spoke with Anne today, and somehow I don’t think she will mind.   I have to say that without Anne, there would be no “Suri Story”.  So God Bless her for that.  J  She also was creative enough to use her jacket/sweatshirt to tie around Little Suri’s neck and use the elastic straps from her binoculars to wrap around her butt to bring her back to her car.  Unable to lift her into the car, she wrapped a blanket around her, sat in her car and proceeded to “scootch” Suri into the car.  She then drove her to Willis and Sharon’s place where we picked her up.

Unfortunately on Saturday we found out that the snow,  dehydration, semi starvation and the ticks had taken their toll.  She was so dehydrated that it created a “blockage”, so we spent the next 72 hours trying to lube her at both ends.  Long story short, on Saturday night her stomach was rock hard and distended.  She was in severe pain, moaning and swaying back and forth and she could not get up by herself.   Then she started pawing the floor like crazy.  After about 4 minutes, (and me thinking “this was it”), her stomach softened and she started munching away.  Apparently something had released the pressure, the medicine had kicked in and she was out of immediate danger.  However, her tummy would once again become hard and she would have severe problems for the next couple of days.  On Tuesday we took her to Crossroads, and this is what we have.  Suri’s bloodwork looks good.  She is no longer dehydrated, (just severely underweight).  There were two rather serious issues though.  Tuesday morning her temperature had crashed to 94.9 degrees, then after Matt made her walk around to get her blood moving, it went up to 95.  We then put the heat lamps on her and when we took her to the vet her temp was a whopping 96 degrees.  This is very low for a baby.  It should be 101 ish.   The most worrisome news however, was that her heart rate was only 44.  It should be 60, and when Honey Bandit was in his deepest coma, waiting to “crossover”, his heart rate was 40-42.  So this is a very low heart rate and the vet was somewhat concerned.  She told us to take her home, and give her all sorts of stuff to get some energy in her. 

When a baby is exposed to such extreme conditions, such as cold and snow when they are so rundown, the consequences can be severe without being obvious.  Suri is now sitting under the heat lamps in Chilly Pepper’s old stall, where I have the pleasure of staying once again in my hammock.  I have to say that I love my hammock, and after dozing a full 10 or 15 minutes awoke to Suri mauling my face.  She is a very affectionate little girl and WILL BE UP FOR ADOPTION DOWN THE LINE, WHEN SHE IS HEALTHY AND READY TO GO.

In the meantime, once again we are asking anyone who wants to help save one of our National Treasures  to help us get this little girl well and back on her feet.  With 24/7 care and lots of love and good groceries, she should make someone a beautiful “horse partner”.  So please, help us help Suri.  She is also going to need surgery on her hernia, which we were told could be as costly as $900. In a couple of months.  The doc said the fact that the opening is so large is in her favor as it will help keep anything from being “pinched” if it came through.  So she is going to be a costly little girl for a short time (she is well on her way already J), but she is another SURVIVOR, and I am grateful to be part of this little one’s life.  Besides her medical bills, she needs  1) leafy green alfalfa,   2) foal lac (powder)    3) foal lac pellets    4) special grain  and LOTS OF PRAYERS.  Right now her energy level is nonexistent.  She is simply exhausted.  So please send your tax deductible donations to Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang, 30027 State Highway 44 East, Shingletown, CA  96088 or go to www.chillypepper.weebly.com to paypal and help this little princess have a happy and healthy life, and REMEMBER – she will need a safe, wonderful and loving home in the future.