Shasta

Shasta is a miracle baby. Her arrival was a delightful surprise. She was born on 3 May 2024 to a wild mother, Sierra. We rescued Sierra with two other mares, with whom she is deeply bonded. We knew the others were expecting, but Sierra neither looked nor tested pregnant. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we found her standing proudly with an adorable, peaceful newborn mule at her side. Sierra had her baby the wild way.

Our normal procedure is to gentle pregnant mares, if it doesn’t stress them too much. The first 24 hours after delivery are delicate and critical. We want to be sure veterinarians can reach the babies and the mothers can accompany them to the clinic, if necessary. We hadn’t done this with Sierra because she was the wildest of the three and we had no idea she was carrying a foal. When we realized she was no longer nursing little Shasta, who was struggling, we had to take her to the veterinary clinic without her mother. 

It was touch and go. Her colostrum, heart rate, and white blood cell count were low. She needed antibiotics, liquids and plasma. Bend Equine vets monitored her around the clock. She was so tiny. It broke our hearts to see her so vulnerable, but as a mule, Shasta is mustang AND donkey strong!

As she responded to treatment, we turned to the task of finding a nurse mare for her. We needed one who was tame and had given birth before. We narrowed down the list and chose Priscilla, who’d a foal, Dalton, a few months after we saved her. She was a wonderful mother. We took her to the clinic, where they started her on hormones, and soon Priscilla began lactating.

“Priscilla is perfect,” texted the vet with a video of Shasta drinking from her nurse mother. Priscilla’s maternal instincts must have have sensed this baby needed her in every way. She rose to the task of being a mother again with love and kindness. Gently, she helped Shasta latch on. Calmly, she groomed, nuzzled, and guided her baby, standing over the foal as Shasta’s eyelids grew heavy with sleep.

When they returned to Skydog, they had to be isolated until Shasta was clear of clostridium. On June 28th, Dr. Findlay gave the green light for her to come out of quarantine. She’s now able to socialize with other equines, play with Blossom and Forest, and take some attitude lessons from Marcie Marshmallow. Shasta is bundle of spice and sweetness and she will love having a huge area to stretch those long legs and run.

We will never know why Sierra stopped nursing her foal. It makes us sad that the abuse she suffered before being rescued may have played a role. Whatever the reason, mother and daughter are doing beautifully now. Sierra carried Shasta to term despite cruelty, neglect, and the terrible stress of a kill pen. Priscilla is nourishing and nurturing her with everything a happy baby needs. Aunties are waiting to help teach her the ways of the wild. In addition to that, she has excellent vets, a sponsor, and wonderful people on Patreon, who have covered her considerable medical bills. Many new patrons joined during this time with the intention of helping the newborn mule and getting the latest updates on her progress. We are so grateful to all of your for helping us do everything in our power to save Shasta’s life and give her the bright future she deserves at Skydog.

#skydogshasta

 Helping Mustangs & Burros

In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon or sponsoring a Skydog, there are several important pieces of legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and Senators and urge them to support these bills:

Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2023 (H.R. 3475 in the House / S.2307 in the Senate). This bill will shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.

The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 3656) This bill will prohibit the use of helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft in the management of wild mustangs and burros on public lands, and require a report on humane alternatives to current management practices.

Ejiao Act of 2023 (H.R. 6021). To ​​ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.

You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121‬, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io

See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches, stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs, and defund the Adoption Incentive Program.