Dummy Foal? Foal rejecting mare!

[Mike Creel]

I have a mare who was pasture bred last year and I bought her at auction in November. So I was not sure when she was due to foal. Four days ago I went to feed in the late afternoon and found a foal in her stall. The foal was standing in the corner trying to nurse on a pole. The foal was dry and could have been up to 3 hours old at that point. I got the foal over near the mare and the foal refused to go anywhere near the mare. She would start fighting if the mare touched her. We milked the mare and started feeding it to the foal every 1 1/2 to 2 hours through out the next 24 hours. Foal acted completely normal with good suck reflex and took milk with no problems. But she hated her mom! Would fight like crazy if the mare touched her. Poor mare is 5 years old and this is her first foal. She is such a good mother watching the foal. Well on day 2, the foal calmed down and will let her mom touch her and groom her. But still refuses to nurse. We tried extending the feedings and the foal would go back to the corner and try to nurse off the pole when she got hungry. So here we are day 4 still feeding the foal. She takes about 4 ounces of milk ever 2 hours and acts like any other foal. BUT she will not nurse from her mom. We have tried the bottle between the moms nipples and such, and nothing works. I have held her face down there and squirted milk on her lips and brushed then against the nipples with no progress. The mare looks over the foal and follows the foal everywhere. The foal takes off and goes where ever she wants and doesn't care where her mom is at. The mare is protective, keeping herself between the foal and other horses. So the mare is doing her part.

So I have read everything I can find on dummy foals and I am not sure this is the problem. She has no other symptoms of being a dummy foal. She has lots of energy, runs and bucks when turned out and acts like a foal. She got all the mares first milk and IG levels are fine.

So what do you think? Has anyone ever had a foal that would never nurse from the mare?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Matt73]

Wierd! I've never heard of a foal "rejecting" its mother. She's actually hostile towards her? I'm interested to see what the more experienced breeders have to say. And good luck

 

[Genie]

Try dabbing some molasses on the nipple of the bottle and also the mare's faucets.

Direct the bottle under the mare's tail and thru between the mare's back legs and position the bottle nipple between the mare's faucets.

The foal will look there for the nipple of the bottle and may make a mistake and grab the real faucet.

That was how we finally had our foal get on the right nipple...and if the foal could have talked, it looked like she was saying "oh my God, has this always been here?"

She closed her eyes and had a great nurse. We had to do the trick three or four more times. We were going everfy 1/2 hour.

It took 24 hours, but sounds like you have been trying longer.

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Can you cover the foals eyes so she doesn't see mom and see if you can get her to latch on that way? I have never had this problem. Just throwing ideas out there. I hope you get it figured out. Good luck!!

 

[kaykay]

Due to the last time i posted on here about Dummy foals I do not feel comfortable posting but if you need more help please just email me or call me.

Have you had a vet out?

Kay

 

[Mike Creel]

UPDATE: Everything was the same when I went out to feed this morning at 2am. I went back out at 4am and when I started to milk the mare, she had very little milk. While trying to milk her, I felt something touch my hands from the other side of the mare. It was the foal and she was nursing from her mom! Just as everything I read, it was like turning on a light switch, she has been nursing by herself all morning like nothing ever happened! I am so looking forward to a full nights sleep tonight!

Thanks, for all your suggestions!

--Mike

 

[Matt73]

Good to hear.

 

[Mona]

GREAT NEWS!! So glad to hear she caught on!!

 

[sedeh]

Congratulations on your filly!

:yeah Glad she finally found the milk bar!

 

[nnadams]

Yes! Very glad to hear!

Congratulations!!

 

[HGFarm]

Mike, so glad to hear your foal figured it out!

I had the same problem this spring, with the foal trying to nurse from the fence. It was the dam's first foal also, and her bag was so small and tight, there were really no nipples for the foal to get hold of at all, so she latched on to the next thing she could find- the fence.

I had to bottle feed her too, but what I did was to hold the bottle up under the mares back legs when I did it, so she would learn that that area was where to look for food. It worked by the end of the day, and I found out the same way you did- couldnt get much milk from the mare and found the baby nursing on the other side! LOL! YEAH! By milking the mare, it also made her nipples a little easier to get hold of and made her bag not quite so tight where the foal could get hold.

Glad to hear all is well- that is a fretful thing to have happen and I have never had this before with any other maiden mare or any foal.... so I was worried.

 

[Genie]

Wonderful news!

 

[Songcatcher]

Glad all has worked out well. I know that must have been very frustrating.

 

[Allure Ranch]

[SIZE=12pt]Congratulations.... I know you have to be so relieved that the foal has finally caught on.[/SIZE]

 

[Jill]

UPDATE: Everything was the same when I went out to feed this morning at 2am. I went back out at 4am and when I started to milk the mare, she had very little milk. While trying to milk her, I felt something touch my hands from the other side of the mare. It was the foal and she was nursing from her mom! Just as everything I read, it was like turning on a light switch, she has been nursing by herself all morning like nothing ever happened! I am so looking forward to a full nights sleep tonight!
Thanks, for all your suggestions!

--Mike

That is great news!!!!

:wub

You know what this all means though? You need to show off pictures of her!!!

:yes