Buddy (pictured left) and his mother Misty-Jean (pictured right) out in the field before Buddy went down. Nola’s Angels is set to hold a fundraiser for Buddy at the end of the month. Submitted photo

PANAMA — A fundraiser originally set to help bring a horse back to health at Nola’s Angels and Horse Rescue will now end up being held in the horse’s memory.

A spaghetti dinner fundraiser is set to be held on June 28 at the Panama Methodist Church, 22 E. Main St., for one of Nola’s Angels’s newest horse rescues, Buddy. Originally the fundraiser was set to raise money to help with Buddy’s vet bills and other care. While the fundraiser will still go on to help buy a lift sling for the rescue, Buddy passed away peacefully on June 14.

Owner of Nola’s Angels, Nola Anthony Perrin, said that Buddy came to the rescue as a surprise.

“We had lost one horse due to old age and after looking around found Misty Jean,” Perrin said. “We did a fundraiser for her and raised $600 to be able to pay to get her out of the kill pen where she was. I received a message that she had a son, which I had no idea about, and someone said they would pay his bail too if we rescued them both, because they were a bonded pair.”

Perrin said she went out to Campfield to the kill pen, which she described as having gates like a jail and being “one of the worst kill pens” she had ever seen. The two horses had to be in quarantine for 30 days when they were rescued back in November, and it was discovered that Misty Jean had shrangles. Buddy’s hooves were very bad and he also had Cushing’s disease. Perrin said they tried to help Buddy’s hooves several times but he would fight every time, enough that they had to sedate him.

Eventually, the shrangles spread throughout the barn and Nola’s Angels shut down for about six weeks to clean, spray and treat all of the affected animals. As they slowly opened back up, Perrin said they tried Buddy’s feet again and it took five people to get it done and even with him sedated they were only able to shave off the sides.

The day before speaking with the Post-Journal, Perrin said Buddy was out in the field with his mother, Misty-Jean, where he went down and could not get back up. Nola’s Angels did everything they could for him, but Buddy ended up passing away from his Cushing’s Disease. The fundraiser will still go on, but the plan has changed.

“Originally we were holding the fundraiser because of his cushings disease,” Perrin said. “Medication for that for just one month costs $200 so we are trying to get him treated and the original plan was to put him under so he would sleep through the treatment and get his feet done and everything. That was the original plan to have the fundraiser for that and the vet bill. Now it will be in his memory.”

Perrin said people should come out to the fundraiser to show support and to help save another life. The spaghetti dinner fundraiser is $10 for ages six to 11, $15 for 12 and up and kids under six years old by donation. So far, Perrin has gone around to several grocery stores and collected pasta, sauce, garlic bread, and has had several places donate items for the Chinese auction.

Perrin said this fundraiser is still important, even though Buddy has passed, to continue to show support to the other horses at the rescue.

“Just because they are horses doesn’t mean they don’t deserve love too,” Perrin said. “People support dog pounds, and those dogs would have no home without them, this is the same idea. We take in neglect cases and horses from kill pens. I say we’re like a big horse pound.”

Additionally, Nola’s Angels does not only rescue and keep the horses, but they offer additional programs such as the ability to adopt out, riding, and sponsorship. Perrin said people can get on the waitlist to adopt, can sponsor and come ride, or can also come out to a fun day fundraiser next month to raise money for winter hay for the horses.

“There are many different ways people can support us,” Perrin said.