A Story for All to read! IMPORTANT !! LONG

[shane]

im so sorry......you must be going through the mill........prayers that you get all healthy foals and the precious magnet :no:

 

[Just Us N Texas]

Do you have anyone near you that has any mares that have recently foaled, or are due soon? If so, you could take some colostrum from their mares and freeze it in case you need it. I believe it will keep okay for several months. It would help you immensely, expense wise, and for peace of mind. Hope everyone else is okay at your farm and all foal out well. When you go to a lot of stores to buy grass seed for hay, you wouldn't believe how many idiots will try and sell you fescue.

 

[nootka]

This is so sad. You try and do your best, try harder than many people do, and end up getting deliberately misled.

I'm sorry for the loss so far, and hope that you can recoup the rest and get them all on track for healthy, safe foals and moms.

My thoughts are with you,

Liz M.

 

[Donna]

I would like to Thank ALL of you that have expressed your concerns and sent Prayers our way, I can't tell you how much I believe in the Power of Prayer, Thank You. I would like to address the post by minimor in regards to the Broker that sold me this hay. I bought hay from him before around 5 years ago and at that time He himself was raising the Orchard Grass hay. He was cultivating the fields and planting the seed and cutting and baling the hay. He told me the day I purchased the hay that he got out of raising it himself because the temperatures and weather conditions in the part of Va. where he lived was so unpredictable that one year he would have a good crop and the next year a loss, therefore , he started buying it from hay farmers that he knew and rebaling it and selling it. I would certainly think that someone who raised it should know what it looks like. I myself had never raised any hay until this past year when my husband decided to plant a field of Orchard Grass and well, the weather did not allow for us to get but one cutting off it. Our hay did not look like the hay we bought, I have never seen any hay like the hay we bought.

I took this mans word for it because he swore to me not once but many times that it was Orchard Grass Hay. When I asked him a question, he had an answer. He honestly may not have known, that could be, but I did ask him if he was sure that he had not sent me the wrong hay,he said and I quote " I do not have any fescue in my barn". I only have my bill of sale for the load that was brought. The first load has on my ticket 250 bales of Orchard Grasss hay. The second delivery ticket said 250 bales of hay. I can only hope and pray that this man is a man of honor and self worth and will try to call me to rectify his mistake if it was a mistake. You see, he knows what happened to me. It seems funny, but he went to a Equine Forage meeting just today and the very Extention Agent that verified my hay to be Fescue told him about me and my delima. The agent also took a sample of my hay to the meeting where the Maryland State Extension Forage Rep. analyzed my hay and agreed that it was Fescue. It is my understanding that when the two agents confronted the broker he said " I did not know it was Fescue". Well, if he did not know, why did he tell me it wasn't. Why did he drill it into me that it was Orchard Grass. Why did he tell me that it was Orchard Grass and the only reason it looked differant was because of the weather. I gave this man every opportunity to tell me that he simply did not know what may be in the hay. He knew the Fescue would be detramental to my mares, I TOLD HIM THAT IS WHY I NEEDED ORCHARD GRASS HAY! I stressed the HAY MUST NOT Have fescue!

I am going to take him to court if I have to sell every last horse to do it!

I do understand where you are coming from, but I will not give up the fight until the fight in me is gone!

 

[Candice]

Donna,

You and your mares and foals are in my thoughts and prayers.

God Bless,

 

[Watcheye]

This is terrible! I would be devistated! My thoughts and prayers are absolutely with you and I am so sorry for your loss!

 

[wendymac]

Donna,

I am so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through right now. I'm sending lots of prayers your way. I hope you caught it in time, and everyone foals safely.

 

[sedeh]

I'm so sorry for what you're going through Donna........what a nightmare!! I'm no expert on what the different grass hays look either and would take my hay guy's word for it. I've been using the same guy for a while now and so far he's delivered nice hay. I'm praying that the rest of your mares progress nicely and deliver healthy foals for you. Please let us know how it goes.

 

[WeeOkie]

OMG, Donna, how very sad I am to read about your tragic story. Poor Lady--my heart goes out to you all. You know I love you and your family, and of course, you have my prayers.

I'll read the entire thread and get an email off to you this afternoon.

Rita

 

[Cimarron]

I am so sorry for your loss and what you are going thru. I am sending prayers for you and your mares. Sheila

 

[Rachel]

Lots of prayers and love being sent to you and your beautiful mares

:

 

[CKC]

I'm so sorry for your loss of your mare and foal and for everything you are going through with the hay. I pray the other mares and foals will be ok.

Kim

 

[KTS@Sawmill River]

OH MY!!! I am so sorry for the loss of your mare, Donna! I will be praying for your other mares!!!!

 

[qtrmoonfarm]

Donna, I'm so glad you thought to have the hay retested, good for you! I'm very sorry you found out the hard way tho

~HUGS~ Sending many prayers you have no further trouble, you certainly sound prepared for the worst, I hope it doesn't come to that. Please keep us posted! GO, FIGHT, WIN!

 

[Donna]

Here is the latest info.

All mares are doing good, in stalls, under cameras and have foaling alarms on halters. Mares are on EQUITOX to help promote milk production. Some look as if they could go soon as their back ends are very relaxed. Due Dates at 320 days started on Feb 3. We are watching very closely. Here is a copy of a letter I received just moments ago from the Extension Office. I have not spoken to an attorney as of today. I have however left messages with a couple and am just waiting.

Donna,

This is the message that I received from my colleague at the University of Kentucky. He had their forage group (five individuals) look at the sample.

Message starts here:

"I hope you got my phone message on the hay sample. All agreed (5) mainly fescue. Tim Phillip's picked through and came up with approx 50%fescue and 30% OR and BG and other misc. stuff. So this could have been an OR field at one time and had thinned. "

This means that the subsample that I sent to Kentucky was about half tall fescue, 30% bluegrass and orchardgrass, and 20% other species and material.

I also spoke with my colleague on campus this morning and she reported the following:

"The hay sample you sent me is mainly tall fescue with minimum amount of orchardgrass, foxtail barley and horsenettle seedheads."

Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense) is in the nightshade genus and can be poisonous. However, it tends to cause to nervous system symptoms and I not sure that it would be relevant in your case. Here is a link that describes nightshade poisoning: http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/poison/plants/pphorne.htm.

We will have the results of the alkaloid test back at the end of this week or early next week and they will give us a better idea of what is going on.

I would set aside that hay, but keep it in case we need to look at a more representative sample of the entire lot.

At this point, I think that you have done about all you can by taking the hay out of the mares' diets and starting the Domperidone.

Chris D. Teutsch, Ph.D.