Five-week-old Baby Merlin, a miniature donkey, has been forced to count on the kindness of animal lovers in the county, as high feed costs are threatening the existence of his home, the Dragon Slayers Organization, an Aptos center for the physically challenged.

His mother's first baby, Merlin was premature, and the mother had no milk to feed him. Lori Henning and other Dragon Slayers volunteers began feeding him from a bottle every two hours to ensure he had the proper nutrients to build a strong immune system.

Standing 20 inches tall and weighing 40 pounds, Baby Merlin has been temporarily taken in by Dragon Slayers volunteer Lori Henning at her La Selva home.

"He's doing just fine now although we were worried about him," Henning said. "I have been sleeping out in my shed with him; I have a little cot set up out there. He's so sweet, you can't help but want to help him."

The small bag of foal replacement formula costs $36.99 and lasts Merlin about five days. Henning said she will begin to change feeding periods from every two to three hours and increase the amount she feeds him while introducing him to solid foods.

"He started eating dandelions in my yard now, which is a great sign," Henning said. "He really enjoys just hanging out with the other animals and exploring."

Henning also has a cat and a dog as well as birds, tortoises and an iguana. She said Merlin gets along great with all of the animals and that he will make a great therapy donkey.

Baby Merlin will be trained to interact with physically challenged children and adults with disabilities ranging from muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and polio to those missing limbs. Students who go to Dragon Slayers learn to care for horses, donkeys and a variety of other animals through grooming and feeding.

Henning said Merlin is already used to sounds and quick movements that might otherwise spook untrained animals. He also is used to walking on different types of surfaces, which will be useful when Merlin travels to hospitals or physical therapy centers.

Families that choose to adopt Merlin or other therapy animals will receive an adoption certificate, a baby picture of the animal, and a button saying "I Adopted a Donkey."