Editor’s Note: This is the second and final part in a series on saving Freeway, a horse that was rescued from starvation and neglect by passer-by Sue Thompson of Clayton, Calif., on Dec. 28, 2007. See also Part 1 of this story.

"That weekend a big storm hit the Bay Area," said Thompson, referring to the weekend after she brought Freeway home, Dec. 29-30, 2007. "We all kind of surmised that (had we not taken him in) Freeway would’ve gone down in that storm and not gotten up. He was really that close."

When veterinarian Renee Golenz, DVM, arrived that day (Dec. 29) and Thompson opened the door for her, she noted the veterinarian’s facial expression of utter unbelief. " ‘I told you it was a starving horse,’ I said, before she went to get her camera."

Golenz offered her first impression: "I saw a very, very neglected horse. He was a rack of bones, with a body condition score of 1. He was coughing, had a snotty nose, respiratory problems, pneumonia, he was depressed, and it was obvious his immune system was weak