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INSIDE EDITION video clip! Click HERE!
Updated Injury Photographs -- 1/26/17
((WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES. Viewer discression is advised! Click HERE to see them))
((WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES. Viewer discression is advised! Click HERE to see them))
***Site updated 2/14/17***
Our Story Begins...
Barely minutes old, this endangered fewspot Knabstrupper colt, was maliciously attacked by a cougar, shortly after birth. He was dragged away from his still laboring dam,, Phlicka, before she had a chance to respond; and pulled out of the pen, while she tried to get to her feet.
Phlicka scrambled into action, incuring scratches upon her face and chest, as she fought off the cougar to save her only son. She was unable to stop him.
The cougar dragged the colt forty feet outside of the pen; before the family dogs jumped into action and went after the predator; ultimately protecting the colt and saving him from further harm.
Now, both Phlicka and her colt are home from San Luis Rey Equine Hospital, in Bonsall CA; where the colt had undergone intensive care in the ICU. He has puncture wounds on both sides of his neck from the cougar, and damage to his esophagus. In the minutes between his compromised birth and his fleeting rescue by his human parents, Pat & Diane Truxillo; the colt came down with pneumonia... his body going into shock from the attack.
Vets at the emergency hospital have been working with him around the clock, keeping a 24 hour watch, and vet-tech sitting in the stall to keep him quiet. IV fluids, medicine and the constant re-dressing of his injuries are costly, but necessary for his recovery. Phlicka's wounds are also being tended to, although most are superficial and she is serving more as the colt's bodyguard, as she stands constant watch over her ailing son. The need for assistance is a great burden, but a desperate one... |
Every year, the Knabstrupper parent registry in Denmark (the KNN) registers roughly two-dozen applicable newborn foals into the books. Two-dozen foals... worldwide. Slowly those numbers are increasing, but there aren't enough foals yet to pull the Knabstrupper up from the endangered list. Worldwide, we are faced with a staggering low number of fewer than 2,000 recognized/registered Knabstruppers. Here in the United States, the future is even more bleak, with only 150 horses carrying the distinction of Danish passports and proven lineage, with the KNN.
Colts... like Phlicka's son, are of utmost importance to the future of the breed.
Colts... like Phlicka's son, are of utmost importance to the future of the breed.
The colt is sired by the purebred german stallion, Bärenfang Aus Der Schützenden Hand; a black few spot stallion brought overseas to the USA as a colt; to help enfuse fresh blood into the pedigrees of our fleeting young Knabstrupper program. The colt, like his father, is part of a long-standing heritage program with extremely rare lineage, which carries foundation lines from the earliest Knabstruppers.
His dam, is the lovely "Phlicka av Drömmarna", a Black-bay based Blanketed Knabstrupper mare, sired by the German fewspot stallion "Pegasus vom Niehaus-hof". Phlicka is a first-time dam with this new colt, and did everything in her power to save his life. She too, was injured in the cougar attack, and is currently by her son's side; helping him with the recovery process.
His dam, is the lovely "Phlicka av Drömmarna", a Black-bay based Blanketed Knabstrupper mare, sired by the German fewspot stallion "Pegasus vom Niehaus-hof". Phlicka is a first-time dam with this new colt, and did everything in her power to save his life. She too, was injured in the cougar attack, and is currently by her son's side; helping him with the recovery process.
Auction & Fundraiser
Click on the links in the menu above (upper left corner) to view our other pages, including our GoFundMe page for fundraising, our Breed History, and a special silent auction of wonderful donated goods & services, to help fund the ICU Vet bills for both Phlicka and her colt. Every little bit helps! If you wish to donate directly to our financial collecting rep via Paypal, you will find information on our Contact page.
Without generous and wonderful folks like you, we wouldn't have a chance to save this little boy. Our debted gratitude is spread far and wide, around the globe. Many thanks to you, and yours for helping us out!
Without generous and wonderful folks like you, we wouldn't have a chance to save this little boy. Our debted gratitude is spread far and wide, around the globe. Many thanks to you, and yours for helping us out!