Darla's official foaling thread.

[jessj]

I want to start her slowly...how much would you reccomend to start?

 

[jessj]

does anyone have any idea about the stringy looking stuff in her milk?

 

[jessj]

This is her today too..just less stretched out than the other pic (she was stretching up trying to rub her head)

 

[jessj]

and another one from today with her head down.

 

[Eagle]

jessy she is definitely loosing wait, you need to start her on grain immediately. I would start her off with a small amount and build it up, 3- 4 times a day would be good, omolene, beet pulp, and alfalfa pellets sound perfect.

 

[bannerminis]

I agree she is looking less and less pregnant as the pics progress and it could be she is not getting enough to maintain herself and baby. The foal will take everything right now.

When my mare was so sick the first yr I had her she went to skin and bone as she was slow to eat and she was in the last couple of months of her pregnancy and for a finish she didnt even look pregnant and looked like an abuse case. The vet had handled her and thats the only way we knew she was in foal. Rosie had developed Hyperlypemia and it took a lot of care to get her back to healthy but between myself and the vet working together we got her there.

But you would never have believed she was in foal and that she was so close. She had a perfectly healthy normal sized colt.

What you could do is give her small feeds a few times a day - maybe break it into breakfast, lunch and dinner and as she gets used to it you could up the quantity.

As for the strings in her milk I have never seen anything like that.

 

[jessj]

I was just getting ready to run by the house and check on her anyway. I will go ahead and feed her now. how much of each to start with ....maybe a cup each?

 

[jessj]

and what do you think about adding some boss to it ???

 

[jessj]

I have a kitchen scale I can weigh it if I need to

 

[chandab]

and what do you think about adding some boss to it ???

If you are going to feed her the other things mentioned, I don't know that she'd need the BOSS, but if you have it on hand and want to try it, see if she likes it. When I was feeding BOSS to the minis, mine are mostly B-size, I gave them 1/4 cup daily (any more and they gained weight, I was just using it for shining coats - and if you feed very much of it you need to balance the minerals in it).

 

[jessj]

I fed her 2cups of omolene mare & foal, 1 cup of beet pulp shreds, 1 cup of alfalfa pellets, and 1/4 cup of boss. She didnt eat all of it. I put her in her stall to feed her (so the chickens wouldnt try to steal it!) She ate most of it then went and stood in the corner for a while then came back and nibbled some more. I had to get back to work so I opened the gate after that. She went out in to the pasture. Maybe she will go back and finish it!

 

[jessj]

My office is about 10 minutes...but I am the supervisor of animal control and the animal cruelty investigator for our county...so pretty much i am the boss and can arrange it so that I am always either at my desk or in her area

. I try to go by and check on her at least every 2 hours...more often if im not too busy. I'm thinking about getting a barn cam...but it wouldnt do much good since she is out to pasture all day. And my house got hit by lightening a couple of weeks ago and killed my internet. They are still trying to get it fixed... so it REALLY wouldnt do any good right now! I have seen some of those "nanny cam" baby monitors that you can check in on from your cell phone. I wonder if that would work...i could at least use it at night so that I dont have to actually get up and go outside when I check on her every 1-2 hours. I could just look at the monitor and go back to sleep!

 

[jessj]

oh! i almost forgot to add! when i fed her I noticed a fresh poop in her stall. I cleaned it this morning and there was an extra poop then (she ALWAYS has 4 poops a night, but last night had 5). It wasnt runny or cow pie, but it did seem to be a slightly different color. And how crazy is it that she would come all the way back to her stall from the pasture to poop? Her pasture is about an acre and is about twice as long as it is wide, and she usually hangs out on the far end in the morning. Silly girl. I wish that someone had an idea about the stringy stuff in her milk. Her udder wasnt hot or hard. It has got me worried! Thanks everyone for all of your help! I have had quarter horses my whole life, but this little mini girl has me on egg shells! You guys are awesome...it really does help calm my nerves knowing that you all are here too help if I need it!

 

[Eagle]

Well done for being so attentive, it means so much to us on here to see people willing to learn. These little girls are nothing like big horses and it takes a while to adjust to their need.

Why don't you try giving your vet a ring and ask about the stringy milk? I would help if I could but I have no idea.

Pooing in the stall makes it quicker to clean

at least you don't have to walk the whole pasture hunting for it

 

[jessj]

I was just thinking a few minutes ago that I may try to call my vet. I work with a small animal vet all the time for my job. (i am in his office at least 3 xs a week). He has helped me with horses a few times, and is very knowledgeable. I may call him first...he will drop by and see her for free!

ps... i never clean up poo in the pasture...the chickens have it all broken up and scattered before it hits the ground good

 

[Sixstardanes]

From surfing around under "udder milk clog stringy milk" looks like it could be pointing possibly to the starting of mastitis.

 

[bannerminis]

Might be a good idea to have her looked at by the vet - it might put your mind at rest.

I cant remember if you said anything about her worming. Might be worth giving her an ivermectin wormer just in case she has a worm burden drawing off her too.

 

[jessj]

I wormed her the day she got here!

 

[bannerminis]

If you dont know the worming history of a horse then my vet always tells me to worm and worm again in 2 wks. Its just to cover any new horse that you get.

I have bought from reputable breeders so I trust what they tell me so worm when they are due and then work towards getting them on the same schedule as my own.

But I got a colt one yr from a farmer that was about a yr old (although he wasnt sure) and he was so weak and such a pot belly that I knew he had a worm burden so he was wormed as per my vets suggestion (that and a lot of antibiotics and feed and iron supplements) he bounced back.

 

[LittleRibbie]

I would have to agree w/Karina that 1 dose isnt always enough but you dont want to do if too much to fast or you end up w/another can of worms ...no pun intended.

Also knowing what types of worms for your region and the season or when you are administering them also makes a diffence. No single wormers cover all worms. And some of the gentle wormers..Safe guard for example I've been known to give several dosages over a period of time. JMO and Im not saying your horse even has worm but they do have tests that you can send out and will tell you just what your horses have or dont have...of course your vet can also do the test. Good luck w/her...love her dark color BTW