Helpful Hints for foaling season....

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What about if the baby is in the wrong position? Are there any websites too? Thanks.

I don't know about websites, but some of the books try to cover the subject to a point. Lots of what you will learn will be from visiting other farms and from your own experiences.....at least that's what happened with us.

We are STILL learning after over 15 years of breeding........

FIRST thing is to call the vet!

One of the biggest things I know to do is when the presentation of the two hooves and the nose isn't right, is to be aggressive....."Grease up, dip yourself in iodine/nolvasan" and go up inside the mare to feel what's going on. Sometimes it's an easy fix....Either the nose is hooked up or one foot is folded back. Don't be afraid to push the foal back up inside a ways to unhook or unfold.

Another common presentation is a breech. That's when it's good to know a horse's basic conformation so you know you are feeling the BACK legs. The best thing to do is to pull the foal out (in a downward motion) with the mare's contractions as FAST as possible.

Unfortunately there are presentations that are almost impossible to solve without a vet and unless your vet lives within minutes away, you are destined for a sad result, I hate to say..... They aren't common, but they do happen and they've happened to us. One is what I call an "umbrella breech" and it's when the foal is trying to come out butt first.

For an "umbrella breech" you can feel the tail and rear but no legs or feet. It's rare, but it's possible to push the foal back up and get the two legs extended to present as a regular breech. Looking back, if we'd known more at the time, we may have been able to do it but instead the vet did and by that time the foal was lost.
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This is probably a lot of stuff to absorb in one post....sorry about that. And there are many other presentations not mentioned, but many of the books mentioned in previous posts bring them up. They aren't common, but they do happen. The most important thing to remember is --- IF YOU GO INSIDE THE MARE AND DON"T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON --- MAKE SURE YOUR VET IS ALREADY ON THE WAY!!!!

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE HEALTH AND LIFE OF YOUR MARE.

Please feel free to PM me if you want.

MA
 
Last year I had a foal that was shoulder locked for a moment, but when I pushed the second leg back she popped right out!

The foal is always born with the one leg first and the other a bit behind the first, because of the angle of the shoulder, it slippes true the birth canal easier in that way.

(maybe someone can explain the front leg thing better then me, since english is not my home language)

Also if the foal should be hiplocked you could try turning it, right?
 
i had a hiplocked foal last season
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He also had a back leg up to the front and was twisted in the cord. Most say to push backward and twist slightly to get the hip to unlock. Unfortunaley it didnt work for us.
 
Something else to remember is DON'T EVER pull the afterbirth from the mare. Allow it to come out on its own. If you try to pull it out it can tear and leave some inside the mare causing infection. If she doesn't push it out gather it up and tie it to her tail so that she doesn't step on it and tear it herself. Usually the weight of it will allow it to fall out itself and if it doesn't call the vet.

If the umbilical cord doesn't break on it own given plenty of time my vet tells me to twist it and pull to tear it which will help to seal it off rather than cutting it which leaves it open to infection.

Relating to the shoulders - when pulling a foal to help get it out don't pull both legs evenly. The shoulders must be uneven to fit through and if you pull on both legs you will straighten them up making it more difficult if not impossible.
 
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[SIZE=12pt]These tips may sound a little strange to you...but here goes!
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Be aware of you OWN health issues as well! I have asthma, so I have a spare inhaler in my foaling kit!

Viki
BOy this is the truth.. we had a mare last year who's foal kept stopping breathing she did it like 3 times before the vet arrived and again a couple times in front of him she wasnt fainting she was not breathing it was very scary .. by the time the vet got here he was like go in and get your own meds or you will croak to I hadnt even realized i couldnt breath in all the panic and not sure i would have gone into the house at that point anyway so yes for sure make sure you have your meds in your foaling kit that is GREAT advice
 
[SIZE=12pt]These tips may sound a little strange to you...but here goes!
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Be aware of you OWN health issues as well! I have asthma, so I have a spare inhaler in my foaling kit!

Long finger nails! Sorry, girls, IF you have long lovely finger nails, in foaling season, shorten them! You sure don't want to be going inside a mare (gloved or not) with long nails!

Viki
It is lambing season here and normally I have very nice nails..however this time of year they are cut as short as I can keep them and now jewelry rings can tear up a uterus......very glad I do this as I was pulling a lamb at midnight on thurs/friday (it was doa) .....you never know when you will have to help and there probably wont be time to trim your nails.....

I have iodine and nolvasan.....I prefer the iodine.....but the nolvasan is handy for flushing various things and cleaning up.

My lambing kit contains....lube, tube, several sizes syringes, gloves and sleeves. Towels there are never enough towels ........I also take old worn blankets and cut them down to beach towel size for drying warming cleanup......

Flashlight and lots of batteries
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If the umbilical cord doesn't break on it own given plenty of time my vet tells me to twist it and pull to tear it which will help to seal it off rather than cutting it which leaves it open to infection.
Good advice, in 15 years of foaling we have never cut an umbilical cord - our trick for dealing with this situation - is when we have an umbilical cord still attached, either step (you or someone else) on the placenta while the foal is standing up, or step on it and pick the foal up. Each year, this step is necessary for two to three foals- and has always provided a natural break - and we have yet to have a case of naval ill (said with fingers crossed for future good luck) - we now foal out approximately 25 foals a year.
 
Good thread, thanks!

Also... if by chance the foal is lost...... milk the mare for 24 hours and save and freeze the colostrum. You never know when you ot someone else may need it. If you have a need of colostum and have none on hand.... contact the closet vet hospital or foaling far. Most will have some and most will sell some to you.

One more tip.... PRAY!
 
No matter how tired you are don't shoot your spouse for silly things or questions, you never know when you're going to need them in a pinch! :bgrin :risa_suelos:
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Oops, sorry, now for serious, it's good to keep a pair of shoelaces in your foaling kit in case you need them to snag a tiny hoof in there to hang onto and in the rare case of a umbilical cord which does bleed (rare but it does happen).

Krisp
 
When I know a mare is imminently due, and I am turning in for bed, I make sure that my slipon barn shoes, a good grubby pair of jeans and shirt, and contact solution (for my dry nighttime contacts!) are all at my bedside so that when I see the mare doing something on the monitor, I can dress in a flash and get down to the barn.

My foaling supplies are ready to go in the barn and I ALWAYS make my husband go with me just in case someone needs to get on the phone.

We have a barn phone also.
 
I don't see it mentioned yet, maybe I missed it, but so important. Know what a red bag birth is. And don't panic, it's not as scarey as you think. At least for me, when it happens, I just go into this mode of calmness, I cut the bag, pray the foals in the right position and pull it out. Only once was the foal not in the right position in a red bag delivery and it was a little 30 inch mare, hard to get in there but I did it, I was determined and I was lucky enough to get the baby out safe.
 
I always have Banamine paste on hand when foaling, to prevent the mare from cramping afterwards, and going down on the ground again. The vet will tell you the right amounts to give to the mare.. One year I did not have any on hand,- and it took a while for me to run get and it,.. meanwhile the the foal was getting pooped out from running around the mare to get her to stand up.... By the time I got back, the foal was too "tuckered" to nurse, now that the the banamine made the mare feel better, and would stand for him. So I ended up having to express the milk myself to give it to the foal, for the first so many feedings, til he would stand..
 
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If temps are cold/cool, a hair dryer is a MUST for me. Until the foal nurses (could be 40 min or 4 hours) it needs its reserve to stay mobile, and should not have to expend precious energy to stay warm which is impossible if wet. A dry , energetic foal likely to nurse sooner.
 
I always have Banamine paste on hand when foaling, to prevent the mare from cramping afterwards, and going down on the ground again. The vet will tell you the right amounts to give to the mare.. One year I did not have any on hand,- and it took a while for me to run get and it,.. meanwhile the the foal was getting pooped out from running around the mare to get her to stand up.... By the time I got back, the foal was too "tuckered" to nurse, now that the the banamine made the mare feel better, and would stand for him. So I ended up having to express the milk myself to give it to the foal, for the first so many feedings, til he would stand..

We ALWAYS give the mare a half dose of banamine with every birth. It has never affected the mare pushing out the afterbirth. And we ALWAYS milk a little colostrum from the mare and feed it to the foal. It seems to give the newborn a bit of a "jumpstart", gives it energy to be more aggressive, and shows it what they are looking for in both taste and smell.

MA
 
Good tips you guys. I really agree with milking the mare and get a little milk in the foal as soon as possible. It gives them energy to get up and find the food faster I have found.

Also our thing is, take a few drops of the colostrum and put it in a clean cup right after birth. Then as soon as you can, take a drop or so of the umbilical cord blood and add it to the colostrum. Mix the blood and milk. If they mix normally, you are fine. BUT if the blood and milk seperates, then you have incompatibility of the mare and foals blood. DO NOT allow the foal to nurse untill you talk to the vet. This can be fatal if not caught early. Just an easy test to do. We always do it.

And having J Lube around, the slipperest stuff in the world. I have used it everytime I go in to check the foal. My friends vet said that he could get a 10 foot pole in a 3 inch hole with that stuff! It works great. :bgrin
 
Thanks, Meadowridge for starting this post!

What a lot of great ideas!!

I can't actually think of anything to add except have your camera handy so that all your buddies on LB can see your new little mini "bundle of joy!"
 
I have a few headlights -- bought in hunting area at WalMart. Use them for night feeding, checking on animals, etc. Yep, you can open gates, handle buckets and not have to HOLD the flashlight.
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The fit onto your head with adjustable wide elastic....have several degrees of light, even red for night vision...and this allows you to have BOTH hands free, and still have the "flashlight" pointing where you need it. Hey, it's always shadowy in those stalls! Besides, I find the red light is less annoying to them when I just go to check the barn, etc.

Like Marty, I keep my clothes "ready" to jump into and run -- heck, I've even gone out in my PJ's! -- but it's always better if you get dressed first. Just never know what might be happening.

Keep leadlines & halters ready for use. If you use an alert, this is one time when your mare will already be haltered but, don't want to have to search for a leadline. There are times when you need them for more than just leading.
 
This is actually for weaning season.

After you take your foal off your mare, you can put oragel (the stuff for gum pain / teething) on your mare's udder for a few days which will help her with the pain of the udder being full but not nursed.

I will be printing and saving this thread
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The pain killers after birth are important, and not something a Vet will usually tell you, (unless she is a mother
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If I go to bed when a mare is foaling, I go fully clothed bar my boots and hat!!!

May look strange but hey, what do I care??

I always have a small baby bottle to hand and I milk off at least a bottle full off each mare that foals, label and freeze (if not used)

I also give each baby a bottle of milk, before they have stood to nurse, as I can then watch for the muconium and, once that has been passed and the mare has been given her painkillers I can get an hours sleep and not worry about the foal nursing.

If the foal chooses to go to sleep, which they normally do after a feed, the next time they wake they are usually up and at the bag straight away, rested and strong.

I have done this with maidens and experienced mares alike without problems.

It also saved a tiny colts life last year as he would not nurse for three days and his Grandmothers colostrum (not even frozen as she had just foaled) and later "stolen" milk kept him going till he was ready to nurse and his Mama had good milk.
 

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