'Baby Angel' Recovering at Home

Baby Angel, a miniature horse born premature March 6, is at home in Rolling Hills Estates and recovering well, according to owner Deborah Melzak Gorney.

When Melzak Gorney rescued the filly's mother, the previous owner told her that the mare was fat—not pregnant. The foal, named Baby Angel, was born less than a week later.

"When she delivered that tiny little filly in my barn and I saw the tiny baby laying on the cold ground not moving, just shivering, I wrapped her in a blanket and held her in my arms until the vet came," Melzak Gorney told Patch in mid-March.

Baby Angel was rushed to the intensive care unit at the Chino Valley Equine Hospital and placed on a steady drip of plasma and antibiotics.

No longer the tiny baby wrapped in a blanket, Baby Angel frolics next to her mother during their daily spurt of outdoor exercise. Her bones are still growing, so she still needs to wear special shoes to support her hind legs.

"She is doing really good, eating and starting to act like a little filly a little more every day," Melzak Gorney wrote on her GoFundMe page. "She is such a joy!"

After maxing out her credit cards to pay for the $800-to-$1,000-per-night ICU costs, Melzak Gorney turned to the Internet to help pay for Baby Angel's care. More than 100 people have donated a total of $6,413 to the cause.

Donations for Baby Angel's medical care can be made via Melzak Gorney's online fundraising page.