Safe sanctuary for severely underweight foal

Gabriel (name changed for legal reasons), was around four months old when he was rescued during a huge operation earlier this year. He was covered in lice, rain scald and had horribly matted hair. He was so malnourished that his rib cage was visible under his coat. When he was found, he was only days away from collapsing.

Over the course of several months, his grooms were able to increase his weight, treat his lice and bring back the spark in this sweet foal.

One step at a time

After the rescue, Gabriel arrived into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary, where he received specialist round-the-clock care from staff at one of our new arrivals units.

His grooms worked tirelessly to help him gain the strength he needed to thrive. He was fed a steady diet of hay and feed balancer once a day. Gradually, this was increased to two small feeds a day – they had to be careful not to give him too much at once as his little body wasn’t used to eating regularly.

He was weighed once a week and carefully monitored so they could continue to give him the correct amount of food to slowly help him put on weight. Our veterinary team also treated Gabriel for worms and fluke, which would have hindered his ability to put on weight.

We were also forced to clip his coat to remove all traces of lice and to treat the rain scald. He needed to wear two rugs for several months just to keep him warm. Even now, he still needs one rug as his coat is still recovering.

Gabriel’s hooves were also in desperate need of attention, as they were overgrown and starting to curl, which would have caused him severe pain when walking. Our farriers clipped his hooves and will routinely check on and care for them every six to eight weeks.

Alongside his immediate care needs, our veterinary team took care of Gabriel’s vaccinations as he had no blood work or medical history when he arrived. His teeth were checked to identify his age and he was microchipped.

A lifetime of love and care

During a visit from the vet, they discovered that Gabriel suffers from a severe heart murmur. While he requires no medication for his condition, he will have to be monitored closely for the rest of his life.

This means he will not be eligible for our Rehoming Scheme once he’s older. Luckily, he will have a home here in our care for the rest of his life – safe, warm and surrounded by love.

Under normal circumstances, he would also have been castrated in line with our sanctuary rules, but his heart condition means there would be a high risk of him not waking up from the anaesthetic.

Instead, Gabriel will eventually be moved from our new arrivals unit to join a group of young male donkeys, as without castration he cannot share a paddock with females. Here, Gabriel can spend his days happy and healthy.

Despite his distressing start to life, Gabriel has been described as a sweet-natured and gentle foal, who is finally finding his spark.