dwarf baby

[D W 2]

Hi, I have a friend in Alberta that has a little dwarf filly baby born last night. I told her that I would post about it and get some information for her. So we are pretty new to this and want to do what is right, we do not have the facilities to keep her but dont want her going to a uneducated home. so lets get started

1)Is there anybody in alberta or close to alberta that can take this baby?

2) Is it both parents that have to carry the gene?

3) is there anything that needs to be done with her during the next four months?

We are both in the dark about this and any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[lildrummer]

go to Lil Beginnings discussion gp and there is a section on Dwaf minis

Lildrummer

 

[REO]

Can you post a photo?

If the baby is the healthy type and is nursing, I hope they will let her be with her mom until she can be weaned before a new home is found for her.

If she is the type of dwarf that can't stand or nurse, she should be helped to not suffer.

YES it takes genes from both parents to make a dwarf.

Good luck with her!

 

[Miniv]

Ditto to what Robin posted.

If the little one is struggling, it may be a kindness to cross her over.

Yes, it takes a dwarf gene from each parent to create a dwarf. If the foal has crooked legs, the owner is going to have to be proactive with corrective farrier work. Some little ones need what are called "magic shoes". All of this has been discussed here on Lil Beginnings and you may find the articles either by doing a google search or in the archives.

 

[D W 2]

Yes I will post pictures she sent me right away and yes of course they will let her be with mom until weaning. The vet came and looked at her and said with stall rest she may straighten up more than she is now. It would be nice to let you see some pictures so that I can help her the best I can from where I am and to let her know what the best course for her would be. thank you for your time and knowledge

 

[supaspot]

are you sure this foal is a dwarf ? doesnt it just have lax tendons which will probably improve in the next couple of weeks - yes i know the head looks big but thats because of the camera angle , Id like to see a pic taken from side view to be sure

 

[weerunner]

I just wanted to say that looking at the bottom of her hooves in the picture where she is laying down, it looks to me that there is a lot of extra hoof there. I'd trim her up close right away and I bet you'll see radical improvment in the tendons. Dont count her out because of the tendons. How is her bite, even though she probably does not have teeth yet, you can tell if her jaw alignment is off. What does your gut tell you about her. I'd go with what feels right. I've always said if I had a severe dwarf I'd put it down right away, but that little girl does not look like a severe case (if she is a dwarf).

 

[Eagle]

well spotted Amanda and I agree those little hooves need a trim. There isn't anything about her that screams dwarf to me she is just small. To help her tendons improve I think your friend should put down some soft straw or hay. I also think that whether she is a dwarf or not your friend has 6 months before she can think about getting rid of her as she will need her mums milk and company.

best wishes Renee

 

[mizbeth]

This litte one does appear to be a dwarf, bless her heart! The extra feet are her foal feet and should wear off as she walks, but can also be removed by you. It appears her legs are not strong yet but they should straighten up within the next few days. Please let her walk, run with momma and do not keep her stalled so she cannot move around. Should her legs NOT improve within a week, I would recommend you get some REJUVENATE. This stuff is miraculous! And will help her a lot. I am assuming she is nursing okay? Pooping? Has she had tetnus antitoxin?

I would also recommend she stay on her momma as long as she can 4-6 months before finding her a home. It does not look like her bite is off by much if at all - not yet anyway.

Good luck with her.........I guess you could give baby and momma away or momma until baby is weaned and have her returned to you if you did not want to get attached to the baby.

Good luck in any case...................send photos in a few days to see the improvement on her legs.

****I see where the Vet said stall rest, PLEASE do not do that, also do not use soft ground for her either. She needs to build and strengthen her legs. I live in sandy soil and believe me there is no difference between soft sand and soft stall in regards to strengthening legs etc. it takes a lot longer, a lot longer......on soft ground to help them, in fact could cause her not to straighten.

 

[shelia]

How precious! I will have to agree with the vet on stall rest. If she is premature (which she appears to be) Her knee bones are not formed completly yet. Exrays can show that. That can easily be damaged at this stage. Too much pressure can crush those tiny bones as they are forming. She will straighten up with time. Make sure she gets up to nurse often. She may lay right back down and sleep a lot. make sure she keeps passing manure and it doesn't get too firm. When her legs are stronger she will be up more and get more exercise on her own. Don't make her have to walk far to get to mom. Her little legs are just too weak right now. It may only take a week or it may take a month or more. i have seen worse so i think you will see a big change rather quickly.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

What a sweet little thing!

She is most certainly a dwarf, but that doesn't mean a death sentence necessarily. I disagree with the vet's recommendation of stall rest. She needs to be up and about as much as her legs will tolerate. The problem will be her body and head are obviously large compared to the weight her legs are prepared to support. She will either build up enough strength to support herself or not, but stall test isn't going to promote strength. Now the problem you may encounter is that she just doesn't have enough strength to get herself up and down very often. Many dwarf babies spend most of their time laying down as their joints hurt and holding up their bodies is difficult.

How is her nursing? How is her breathing?

She is dwarf, but she may not have as many severe ailments as some and may live a good life with proper attention to her nutrition, feet and teeth.

Hopefully, the owner of the sire and dam will not breed either again...period, not just not to each other as suggested. And hopefully if either has had previous foals, the owners of those foals will be notified so they can make informed decisions about the breeding of those horses in the future.

Having a dwarf born can seem so benign, until the one that is a type 3 comes along or the one that is so hard for the momma to deliver she ends up dying in the process. This is not 50 or even 20 years ago. We now know our breed can and will survive without continuing to keep known carriers in the breeding population.

Good luck to all involved, especially this poor little sweetheart.

 

[Marty]

For those tendons: square of the toe with a rasp. Then go sideways across the hoof with a rasp. Do this once a week for a few times. Put a 50 lb salt block where she can get at it easily. Put out free choice minerals. She will get up on those feet if you do this. Start right away. I also would not recommend stall rest in relation to the feet. But I don't know much about the rest of it all. Best wishes.

 

[D W 2]

Ok, I will let her know about the stall rest and she can decide that, She would definatley stay with momma until ready, that is no problem and she will not be using the stallion ever again and probably not the mare. This little girl is doing well, nursing on her own, passing feces, laying down lots but still moving constantly if that makes sense, nickering when people enter the barn. She told me that she milked out the mare and gave the foal colostrum even though she was nursing to make sure that she had enough. She definatly has a bad "bull dog" mouth but gets up easily, pretty well throwing herself up actually, breathes with a little bit of a snore I guess but not all the time and nickers. sorry it takes me a while to relay messages but I thank all of you so much for this. I will also talk to her again about the feet. She is very cute, but as for facilities she is worried about sticking her with the rest of the herd for picking reasons as well and to leave her with the foals may be worse as they are sometimes so relentless. I will try and get her to send more pictures. As I am sure not only are the 2 of us learning.

 

[Sandy B]

I would give her some nice shavings to lay down on to cushion those lax legs. Her legs will come around in about two weeks. I agree with the other in regards to trimming and especially squaring the toe to help with break over. Having worked with many vets, I would keep her confined to a stall and small paddock. You do not want her to get tired on her legs from running too much. It will just make the problem more aggravated. ALl the up and down she does to nurse and exploring that will increase as the days go by will be plenty of exercise until her legs straighten out.

Regardless of her being a dwarf, she is adorable and I am sure you will find the proper home for her after she is weaned.

 

[HGFarm]

My vet also recommends excercise and plenty of room to build those muscles and tendons. Keeping them in a stall does not help with this. You would be surprized of the difference in a week or two.

Dwarfs are noted to have joint/leg problems so I am not surprized that she is weak, but as everyone else said- with good farrier work as she grows- you might be really surprized. What a little cutie and do keep us updated on her progress!

I also agree I would never breed the same stallion and mare together again.

 

[Tremor]

I would suggest your friend to join the Little Bits Forum. There's lots of educated dwarf owners. (NOT breeders!) They have helped me with my little filly as well.

 

[Miniv]

My vet also recommends excercise and plenty of room to build those muscles and tendons. Keeping them in a stall does not help with this. You would be surprized of the difference in a week or two.

Dwarfs are noted to have joint/leg problems so I am not surprized that she is weak, but as everyone else said- with good farrier work as she grows- you might be really surprized. What a little cutie and do keep us updated on her progress!

I also agree I would never breed the same stallion and mare together again.

DITTO.......We would never force exercise but giving your foal the option is best. In 20 years we've had several with lax tendons and followed our vet's advice (who happened to be a specialist with performance horses - ie, legs).... He always told us to NOT splint and NOT contain our babies with lax tendons.

So far, he's been right.

 

[D W 2]

updated pictures

from 12 hours after birth

to 36 hours after birth

 

[REO]

I can see she has already come up quite a bit in her rear fetlocks and front legs!

 

[Sandy B]

Get those toes squared off on all four legs. That will help with breakover.