The vet hospital

On June 12 the two donkeys I bought arrived on the farm - a jenny and her 1 1/2 week old baby girl! I named the baby Cookie, because she is so sweet, and the mama Angel. My neighbor has two full size donkey females and just got a mini (really mini!) 7 month old full male donkey. He's not even full grown but he wants us to know he is a stallion and ready to mate 'cause he brays all the time! Also, he is enthralled with my new donkey girl. He follows her along the fence line and cries piteously when she walks away from the fence. His name is Charlie - thus her name Charlie's Angel ;)

They were here less than a week when I started to suspect Cookie was not doing well. It was a killer hot week, usually into the 90's all day, without a drop of rain. Long story short after a frustrating day trying to find a horse doctor that would call me back, I ended up driving her to UT Veterinary Hospital on Sunday night. My son rode in the back of the pickup with her head in his lap and my neighbor stuck around my place for a little to make sure Angel didn't bust through the fence after us. That was June 19. The on call vet that night said she probably wouldn't have lasted the night. They put her on IV fluids and tested her blood with just a very basic panel - super high liver enzymes, really low pH, and electrolytes all out of whack. The next morning she was still alive so they asked if I could bring Angel in. She really needed to be nursed! Poor girl, her baby taken away and her udder tight with milk! I tried to milk her some but holy cow her milk comes out in tiny amounts! No way could I milk her dry.

By today, June 22, her electrolytes are about normal, pH is normal, liver enzymes are almost back down to normal. She still looks ghastly, not moving much but she will dart over to mom for nursing when she is unhooked from the IV and put in Angel's adjoining stall. Once she is back in her own area, though, she mostly just stands, staring at nothing, or lies down to nap, I guess.

I'm still deciding how much money (credit card)  I will spend on this almost -free (HA!) donkey, but I do feel she deserves a chance. I couldn't just let her lie there and die....