A shorter name is probably better, I think 2 syllables is enough if you are calling the animal for example. My friend once had a horse named Magnus and I always liked the name.
Has anybody seen The Life of Pi? Obviously. Remember the tiger? Richard Parker? Well that worked really well in my opinion. Why not try something like that perhaps? It doesn't just have to be something that is only 5 or so letters long. How about: Baal-zephon, the idol or possession of the north; hidden; secret Bakbukiah, wasted by Jehovah, effusion of Jehovah Barzillai, son of contempt; made of iron Cephas, a rock or stone Cyrus, as miserable; as heir, King of Persia; means the son of truth These are just a handful of the first few names I saw which I thought have a slight ring to them. Here is a link to where i managed to find these, perhaps you can find something useful. Hope it helps. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biblical_names
In Roman mythology, Epona is the goddess of fertility, and caretaker to horses, mules and donkeys. It's also the name of the horse in Zelda, but only video game nerds will catch that.
