When you want to save the colostrum from a mare who has lost her foal -

[nnadams]

I just had a mare lose her silver bay pinto colt at about 4:30 this morning due to dystocia/red bag. I had stayed up with her all night and was right there doing all I could do when she went into labor. By the time I got the little colt turned right so that he could be delivered, it was too late. I tried to revive the poor little thing even though I knew there was no hope.

I realized I should save her colostrum to use on the foal of another one of my mares who started dripping her milk 2 weeks ago. My other mare, Beauty, leaked steadily for 2 days before she stopped. I had a topic going about this you may have read. There was concern that she may have wasted her colostrum. My question now is, how much colostrum should I express from my mare who lost her foal to use with Beauty's foal? So far I have expressed 6 bags of just over 2 oz each, and I am about to go express so more. How much will my other foal need to make sure it has received enough antibodies? Beauty's milk looks like it is collecting more colstrum again on its own as it is turning back to a slightly yellowish color. If Beauty ends up leaking again before her true labor, I did not want to lose this opportunity to get colostrum from one of her fellow barn mates. I thought this might be kind of cruel to express colostrum from my mare who had just lost her own foal, but she does not seem to mind at all. And I do believe it is helping her expell the left over fluids.

So my questions are:

How much colostrum should I save?

How much should I save in each bag to use at a feeding? (I am currently saving just over 2 oz each)

How often should I supplement the new foal with this colostrum?

Will the foal not care to nurse it's own mother if I am giving it colostrum/milk myself?

Thank you for any knowledge, advice and sharing of experiences. I am so glad to have somewhere to go for some support and help! I am sure I will have so more questions on this subject, so thank you in advance for your patience with me.

 

[Jill]

I do not know, but can give this a bump up so that others who may know more can chime in.

One thing I want to really encourage is that you have the vet do a snap test about 12-24 hours after the coming foal has first nursed to be sure that baby has gotten enough colostrum and sufficient immunity from his/her dam or the milk / colostrum you are now collecting.

Hoping for the very best. Raising miniature horses can be such an emotional roller coaster.

 

[MountainMeadows]

From what I have been told a newborn miniature foal (about 20 lbs) needs as a minimum 60 cc's of colostrum - the more the better, but 60 cc's is often "adequate" for passive transfer.

When I freeze colostrum I freeze it in blocks - an in ice cube trays, that way it will warm up quickly when I need it and I can use as little or as much as I need. Dixie cups work also. When totally frozen, I put them in double thick baggies in the freezer with the donor mare's name & date on them and I can pick out individual cubes pretty easily that way.

 

[Knottymare]

So sorry for your loss...

 

[chandab]

From what I have been told a newborn miniature foal (about 20 lbs) needs as a minimum 60 cc's of colostrum - the more the better, but 60 cc's is often "adequate" for passive transfer.

And, 60 cc's is about 2 oz. [some of us still do better with standard measurements than metric.

]

 

[nnadams]

And, 60 cc's is about 2 oz. [some of us still do better with standard measurements than metric.

]

WoW! Then I have plenty. Thank you so much for the conversion!

 

[chandab]

WoW! Then I have plenty. Thank you so much for the conversion!

You're welcome. So sorry for your loss. [i'm still waiting on mine, and getting more nervous about their arrivals by the day. Which means I'll probably be a nervous wreck by the time they arrive, they are due starting Mid-May.]

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Now I'm typing this for the 2nd time. The server issues are making this difficult.

There is no set amount of colostrum as there are uncontrollable variables (quality of colostrum, foals ability to absorb).

In general, 500ml (1 pint) fed over 4 feedings @<12-15 hours is usually adequate, over that time then the volume should be doubled. Bigger foals will need more.

I would not encourage supplementing unless it is obvious the foal is short colostrum without doing an IgG test.

Have an indwelling n-g tube placed and a foal will nurse around it from mom.

Dr Taylor