Cookie was rescued from a New Jersey auction with a bun in her oven.

There was a problem soon after Cookie gave birth. And it was a problem which, left unchecked, would have resulted in Elsa’s DEATH.

Poor momma Cookie would not allow Elsa to nurse. Sadly, this is not uncommon and can happen for many different reasons.

Elsa needed a lot of help, we knew it would take a miracle for such a young donkey.

​But without milk and colostrum from her mother, Elsa would have died. So Cookie and Elsa were rushed to the hospital where Elsa received IV antibiotics and plasma transfers to develop her immune system. She also received milk replacement as the staff attempted to create a bond between mother and daughter in hopes cookie would soon let Elsa nurse.

​These procedures meant that Elsa had a long stay in the hospital.

​Eventually, with patience and coaching, Elsa got 25% of her milk needs from nursing from her momma. But that wasn’t enough for her to survive … so we gave here the remaining 75% through milk replacement formula.

​And the best news of all came after all those hard weeks of work and prayer … Elsa was going to survive!

​Yes, the IVs, the plasma transfers, and the milk replacement formula did save Elsa’s life

The best part came when Elsa returned home. She and her developed a closer bond.
A rescue friend brought her to my attention, and TPDR bought her and got her immediate vet care. Luna remained in quarantine where they applied medication to her leg Daily. The medication worked wonders and the abrasion healed and she grew her fur back after some time.

The vet came to meet the farrier to do x-rays and give pain medication and some sedation so that the farrier could trim up her feet. Luna was in extreme pain in her feet. Immediately after her trimming, Luna was walking much more comfortably and laying down much less frequently . She will need continued hoof care to get them back in shape, but the farrier’s initial trim has improved her hooves and comfort level substantially.

However, severe damage had already been done to Luna’s legs due to the long term lack of trimming. She will never be 100%, so we must manage her pain. Luna will remain with us as a sanctuary donkey as long as we can manage her pain and she maintains a good quality of life.