Name: Beau

    Type: Donkey

    Color: Strawberry Roan

    Markings: None

    Sex: Gelding

    Birthday: 12/29/2015

We received a call from the Equine Director at the Humane Society of North Texas. A jenny, heavy in foal, was in a kill lot. The Humane Society would house them if we would help. Yes, we would. We moved quickly to get them to safety. Joy, a lovely dark chocolate, standard jenny, soon gave birth to a little jack that we named “Christmas Beau,” since it was near Christmas…and then the real trouble started. Joy had a horrific infection, pus dripping from her udders, and unfortunately, she passed this on to poor Beau when he began nursing. Both became extremely ill, spending the next 9 months in a vet clinic; Beau being bottle-fed and both being treated for the infection. 

Poor Beau developed pneumonia which lasted months, requiring a nebulizer and intensive care. Each time the phone rang, we expected the worst. Several times we were told they had very little chance, but they never gave up and neither did we. Finally, the day arrived that Joy was healthy enough and Beau was declared free of pneumonia. The vets gave the all-clear that he and his mom could travel on the Equine Express bus to the Red Bell Run Florida facility for sanctuary. However, Beau’s troubles weren’t over. Despite being healthy when they left, little Beau’s lungs didn’t hold up to the trip and the pneumonia resurfaced. Beau and Joy spent another 3 weeks in a vet clinic, this time in Florida. Once home, Beau received around-the-clock care for six weeks including being treated with a nebulizer twice daily. He was an excellent patient and today they thrive here at The Sanctuary at Red Bell Run in our North Carolina facility. Joy is a gentle soul and Beau is quite a character and visitor favorite in our Longears Lodge barn.