We were harshly reminded of the grim reality of equine welfare work, on the evening of July 1st 2025 - when we received a call about an abandoned foal. Only days old, dehydrated and desperately weak from starvation, Biggles serves as a sad reminder that our need to be Here4Horses is as relevant and important as ever.
One of our team of volunteers immediately whisked him off to Clevedale Vets Equine where Vet Alistair Love so kindly met her at 10pm to administer fluids, test his antibody levels and give him antibiotics. It was a long night trying to teach him to suckle from a bottle.
We were a little concerned that he may be a dummy foal, suffering from ‘Neonatal Maladjustment Syndrome’ and twice performed a ‘Madigan Squeeze’ just in case.
A repeat visit to Clevedale Equine Vets, the following day, led to blood tests, more IV fluids and milk via a stomach tube. He was put on strong antibiotics to mitigate against infection, indicated by a high white blood cell count.
Hand rearing a sick foal is extremely challenging & expensive and despite improving daily, Biggles needed round the clock care. Biggles became brighter and more curious in the following days, which made us cautiously optimistic for the future.
We hope to find him a foster mum but this is a huge long-term commitment for our small charity as he will accumulate costs in excess of £2,500 per year and will now be Here4Horses’ responsibility for life.
Please support team Biggles and to help this wee boy, our team of volunteers will be eternally grateful for any sum you can afford.
Optionally, you can save your purchase to your account by Signing in.
If you don’t have an account, you can Sign up to create one.