Miniature horse back home after Wake animal attack

Leslie Presson thinks that wild dogs attacked her horse, Mr. Butters, in a pen a few feet from her Clayton home March 12.

Mr. Butters spent 14 days at the North Carolina State University Animal Veterinary Center. The horse lost 25 percent of its blood and needed a transfusion. It also got antibiotics by IV to prevent infection.

On Sunday, veterinarians released Mr. Butters to return home.

"It's a huge day, a huge, miraculous day," Presson said. "He's not only out of the woods. Full recovery is in sight. It's magnificent."

Presson has added electrical wiring around the horse's pen in hopes of stopping a future attack.

The attack on the miniature horse came just days after wild animals attacked two dogs in a pen outside a Wendell home. The two attacks unnerved nearby pet owners and sparked speculation that coyotes could have attacked the dogs.

North Carolina wildlife officials said they have not seen a big increase in the number of coyote sightings, but they urged people to keep their small pets indoors as a precaution.