Candy foaled!!! But I need help

[Matt73]

Peak absorption time is between two and four hours. Have someone help you and get some colostrum into that foal. It may already be too late

Oops. Sorry. Saw that you got something in her. That will have helped a bit I'd think.

 

[wwminis]

Twitch the mare if you have to or tie her and get her milked.The best thing for that baby is the mare's own colostrum.You can even get some into the baby with a syringe if you have to -just go slowly.Often times once the baby gets a taste of milk it will begin nursing on its own.Mama is probably feeling uncomfortable now, but once you milk her some and relieve the pressure she will be comfortable letting baby nurse.If you can avoid bottle feeding a baby it is best.Use it only as a last resort.

I'll tell you what a friend and I did for another friend whose maiden mare foaled and wouldn't let the foal nurse. We haltered the mare, tied her up, and one of us held up one of her legs while pinning her to the wall while the other guided the foal to the right area. This mare was NOT wanting her bag touched and she was really awful to deal with, it was quite a fight. We got the foal to finally nurse a few times, but it didn't survive.

I don't know if it didn't get colostrum early enough, or if the mare continued to fight against letting it nurse.

I always desensitize my mares to having their bags touched and handled, so that when they do foal, they are fine for the foal and for me to milk them if needed. It can take months for some to get used to it (and others are ok from the first) but it's really important, IMO.

Good luck with your filly, and please do have her checked for IgG levels by a vet.

[SIZE=14pt]This is all good advice! [/SIZE]

I've had to tie many a mare to let the baby nurse! Put her halter on and tie har as close to a wall as you can! Lift her outside leg and put the baby on the nipple! Maiden mares can be a bit stubburn, but she will come around! If you can't get her to nurse, have your vet tube her with Seramune E3, if no colosturm is available! Then get some Foalac Powdered milk and bottle feed the baby until you can get her to nurse!

Mix 6 ozs. of foalac and let her drink all she wants! To bottle feed the baby, stand over her back, with her between your legs and lift her chin up just like she would do if nursing! Use a regular water bottle with a lamb's nipple on it! We have bottle fed many babies over the years with no problems! You will have to feed her around the clock every 2 hours for the first 4 days, then drop it to every 3 hours for the next week and then every four hours after that! As she grows she will drink more and more, so just mix 12 ozs. of Foallac after the first week at each feeding and just disgaurd what she don't eat! Always mix a fresh bottle at each feeding! And just use warm tap water! Good Luck!

Bill

 

[sedeh]

Congratulations on your filly!

I hope by now the foal is nursing and everything is okay.

I probably milk and syringe feed foals colostrum more than I need to. But if my foals aren't up nursing within the first hour I milk the mare......the link Mona gave you to making your own "breast pump" is great and they work fantastic! I find that if I "prime the pump" and milk out from each teat a little and then I syringe feed the foal. It's amazing how fast it gets into the foals system and they're up and looking for more.....I think milking the mare also softens the teats and makes it easier to grab on....plus it has the milk smell on them. Once I know the foal has had some colostrum in them I leave the area and watch them on the moniter. Good luck, hopefully all is well now!

 

[Laura]

[SIZE=12pt]Just keep trying to milk the mare and feed the foal it's mama's milk. The multi-species colostrum will not do it for a horse foal. It probably won't HURT, but it's not enough for a horse baby. Keep trying, sedating the mare is sometimes the easiest way when they get so tight and miserable. Warm compresses work as well for horses as they do people for engorgement. I think it's sometimes the best foals that make us work the hardest!

[/SIZE]

 

[Gracie]

A mare 2 years ago wouldnt feed and we had to milk her and BOY WHAT a job she fought the entire time, We used a syringe to feed baby it was very time consi\uning but she liekd it and would not touch the bottle, after about 4 hours mama decided to feed on her own,

Also had amare *FullSize* that year whos baby went 5 hours with NOTHING mama would not be milk period by the time vet arrived so I had asst we got baby fed and hes a strapping 2 year old now,

Congrads on the baby and i hope all works well

 

[eagles ring farm]

How are you making out with the filly

any update?

 

[hrselady]

UPDATE:::: 5:00 this afternoon she finally nursed on her own. We've had a day though trying to get her to. I want to THANK EVERYONE who called.. messaged and helped with her. I dont feel we are completely out of the woods right now because the baby is having a hard time finding her nipples because they are facing inward. I will be going back out at 7 to make sure it can nurse on its own. I have added a few pics of her, not her best but hopefully we'll have plenty of time to take more. I do feel better though as she has nursed and has mom's colostrum. It only took her 14 hours OH!

Any idea as to a color?

Thanks again sooooooo much!!! One day I hope to know enough to repay each and every one of you!!!!

Mendy

 

[Gracie]

yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Great News, Shes soo cute, In the LARGE Horse world she looks like a red dun, In mini world Who Knows. lol

 

[eagles ring farm]

congratulations

she is beautiful

I'm not good on colors

 

[Boinky]

I say a Red dun. m What color is dad? Is mom a red dun or just a chestnut?

 

[hrselady]

Her mom is a red dun and the sire was a sorrel/white paint. She's a little lighter than her mom but she definately has the stripe down her back. I am tickled she nursed and the fact she has the blue eyes like her mama.. I am such a sucker for baby blues!!!

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Oh my!

What a beautiful filly and I definitely say red dun!!

 

[sedeh]

Glad to hear she's doing better! She's a cutie.

Looks like a red dun to me also.

 

[Becky]

That's great news that she's nursing now!

I would be checking frequently to make sure she is and to make sure that the mare is letting her. With the time lapse from when she was born to when she started nursing, I would want to have an IgG done on the filly just to make sure she absorbed enough antibodies.

She's really cute!

 

[Mona]

CONGRATULATIONS!! I am so glad to hear she has nursed, and hope that now she will get the hang of it and continue with it on her own, but you are doing the right thing by keeping a close watch over things to make sure! And yes, she is definately a red dun, and she will darken as she matures.

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

She is a cutie! Congratulations and I hope she keeps nursing!

 

[Sue S]

What a little cutie, so glad she is nursing, Congrats!

 

[Hosscrazy]

She's adorable, and am so glad to hear she nursed on her own - yeah! Definitely keep a CLOSE eye on her and please keep up posted - she's a doll!

Liz R.

 

[C G Minis]

What a pretty dun baby!!!

 

[Jessica_06]

CONGRATS!!! She is very pretty! I wish I had seen this thread earlier, I've dealt with that a few times. I have a mare who's teets are inverted and the foals have such a hard time nursing I suringe feed every one for the first 18 - 20 hours every 2 hours until they got strong enough but they have all survived it is the hardest work and I am sore for a week afterwards for bending down the wrong way all of that time. The toughest thing about these little tikes is that for one they are born at 315 days so my mare has no milk I give her a shot of Oxytocin immediately it develops milk within minuites. Then since they are inverted like your mare they would grab on that ridge on the side of the teets when her bag filled up and they made all of the sucking sounds but they didnt grab on. I bet your glad its over, Foaling is fun but you always have to be prepared to work once in a while

Enjoy your pretty girl and please keep us updated on how she is doing.

~Jessica