lily

When this little girl from Palomino Butte joined our family, she was struggling with health issues that she would not have survived without our help. We came across her in a confinement pen at the BLM corrals. The staff was as puzzled as we were about what was wrong with her. Broken, depressed, and lethargic, completely shut down, she was covered with painful, puss-filled blisters that burst and scabbed all over her body. He hair fell out in clumps and there was swelling in her abdomen and legs. As if that wasn’t enough, she was bowlegged. We were delighted when the corrals said yes to letting us bring her home to Skydog and take over her care.

Lily was so starved for love and kindness, she crawled right into Janelle’s lap. Janelle gentled her over the weekend, so we could have her ready for the veterinary examination. With the love of the world behind her, she seemed to understand we were all there to help her feel better. She was not stressed by being poked and prodded. After bloodwork, a biopsy, and skin grafts, we learned she had Pemphigus Foliation, an auto-immune disease. Steroids can drive it into remission, but it can reoccur often, which makes the medication less and less effective. Some horses have to be euthanized. Lily had a fifty percent chance of survival. We believed she would be just fine with no stress, the best veterinary care, medications, supplements, proper nutrition, regular baths, family and love. Key to her healing was her introduction to Rosa and Blue Moon - two totally blind, senior mares - and Dakoda, who had her own special needs. They took Lily right under their wings and bonded. With all of this, the little filly sprang back to life.

Her treatment needs to be managed. She wears special - and very stylish - frocks to protect her sensitive skin from UV light and insects. The surgery to correct her bowed legs was successful. The hardest part about that for Lily was the restrictions on her movement afterwards while she was healing. She was climbing the barn walls. As soon as she was cleared for some motion, Dakoda was brought in to play with her and what a joyful reunion that was.

When Dakoda went to UC Davis for a rare (and successful) surgical procedure, the bills were high. An incredibly special donor covered the costs of her haul and care. It is very poignant that her name is also Lily.

Dollar was eventually brought in to the special needs pen when his vision deteriorated, as happens with many appaloosas. Lily was beside herself with excitement to meet a male up close for the first time. She bravely ran up to him to stomp and squeal a lot before racing back to the mares to talk about him. Then they all raced around the pen together. Dollar has been a very harmonious addition to this little family.

Lily is a ray of sunshine. She is loved by many and is one of our most popular rescues. She looks and feels fantastic with her flowing, golden mane of candy floss - and I’m certain I’ve seen angel wing feathers.

American Mustangs and Burros Need Your Help

In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon, or sponsoring a Skydog, there are several important pieces of legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and Senators and urge them to support these bills:

Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2025 (H.R.1661 in the House and S.775 in the Senate). This bill would amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Commonly known as the “Farm Bill”, this omnibus federal law includes several important provisions for animals. Among them, the Cat and Dog Meat Trade Prohibition Act, which makes it illegal to slaughter, transport, possess, purchase, sell, or donate dogs and cats, or their parts, for human consumption. This SAFE Act would extend the prohibition to equines. Specifically, prohibiting a person from knowingly slaughtering an American equine for human consumption; or shipping, transporting, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donating an American equine to be slaughtered for human consumption. This bill will shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.

You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121‬, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io

See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at US canned hunt ranches, stop production of Premarin & other PMU drugs, and defund the Adoption Incentive Program.

Bills from the previous 118th Congress that we hope will be introduced again this year:

The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 3656) This bill will prohibit the use of helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft in the management of wild mustangs and burros on public lands, and require a report on humane alternatives to current management practices.

Ejiao Act of 2023 (H.R. 6021). To ​​ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.