Foaling Vet Supplies

[Deserae]

Greetings all,

I am new to the world of miniature horses and wasn't expecting to have foaling expected so soon. I've only had her for a week and she's bagged up pretty good! I am thinking she will foal by Christmas.

Located in Minnesota

Looking for advice on vet supplies for both mom and baby. I've read a lot about diarrhea in both. BioSponge comes up a lot.

Here are my questions:

1. Wondering what everyone recommends for necessary supplies/supplements in their foaling kit as well as dosage.

2. Any special diet for mom?
*currently, fine stem grass hay, 1 cup of 10% sweet feed in the morning, 1 horse cookie in the evening.*

3. I have a foaling stall set up in our barn and am curious about what everyone else has in their barn?

Any advice is appreciated as I only have experience in larger horses.

Thank you all in advance for your advice! ❤

 

[Standards Equine]

Oh boy! Welcome to breeding! Were you aware your mare was in foal when you acquired her or was this a surprise to you?
Fortunately mares are usually pretty good at dealing with foaling on their own. But if they need help, it usually needs intervention quickly. What I keep is a towel, iodine for the navel, a stall or small paddock well bedded in clean straw, I put tails up to keep things clean when it's close to time, and a baby enema in case the foal is having a hard time passing first poops.
As far as watching for foaling time, udders bagging up can mean it's right around the corner, or it's a month or more away. If you're able to, express a small amount of fluid from the teat and check it's pH and colour. 12-24 hours prior to foaling, the colour will change from mostly clear to milky white and the pH will drop.
You will notice the flesh around the tail head becomes buttery soft as the tissues become relaxed to accommodate the delivery. You may notice a bit of blood within the vulva as the cervix dilates.

Fingers crossed for an uncomplicated delivery and a healthy mom and foal.

 

[LostandFound]

Sounds like you are in for some sleepless nights. Well, in quite a few years of foaling, mostly with the larger horses, I've never had an issue with diarrhea. Sometimes the mares get a little loose for a day or two, and the foals usually get it during the mares first heat cycle, but I've never seen it be a problem aside from a little bit of foal butt cleanup. I have iodine, an enema, a glove that goes up to my shoulder, scissors, banamine, and now milk of magnesia handy. Also syringe in case I need to give it. As far as feed, it depends on the mare. I would think you will at least need to double her feed once she foals, but maybe more. Set up for me is just that all my stalls are foaling sized. One thing that's different with the minis is that they seem more likely to have a red bag birth. You might want to read up on that if you aren't familiar, to be prepared.

 

[MaryFlora]

Welcome Deserae! I am also in Minnesota, north central area, with 4 minis and a mini donkey.

You mention diet, and my thought is that she would benefit from an evening feed as well. My minis in the colder months get 1 1/2 cups of senior feed/alfalfa pellets, broken into two feedings, and free choice hay. They are a bit on the rounder side now, but our vet is very comfortable with that as winters can be so bitter.

Our temperature here this morning is (-8) .

Congratulations on your mini and all the best going forward!