Early Placental Seperation

[bluerogue]

Good thing is the mare has been given a clean bill of health, and will be fine.

Maiden mare, showed no signs of being ready, had a smallish bag, no milk, tons of muscle/tail resistance. Foaled early Thursday morning, on first due date, colt was found already gone, very shortly after birth. He had not moved, and sac was not broken. Mare had a hard time delivering, and did retain the placenta (got it out that afternoon with vet assitance). Mare did not realize she had foaled. She is now spending time sniffing the area where she had him.

Here's the weird thing... the cord was WHITE. The part that was on his belly, and the part in the placenta itself. The vet had never seen it before. Colt was PERFECT... exactly what we wanted. A buttermilk buckskin with gorgeous conformation. He did not smell funny, or look funny in any way. He did have meconium on his butt when I found him. He was still in the sac, but the meconium was only on his butt, and not spread anywhere else.

The vet, an experienced mini breeder friend, and I all agree he probably passed while in utero due to premature placental seperation. I have been assured there was nothing I could have done to save him. It doesn't stop me from thinking of all the what if's, though. I was really looking forward to showing this baby.

Has anyone else had anything like this happen? This is devastating to us, and I want to know if there is anything I can do to prevent it from happening again. Please don't bash me, I have been doing a good enough job of it myself.

 

[minie812]

I am sorry for your loss. We to just lost a colt Easter morning. He was very healthy looking but unfortunately froze as the mare was three weeks early but had started to bag up. Anyway I am sorry to hear this sad news.

 

[crponies]

I'm so sorry you lost your baby.

It hurts no matter what the cause is. I'm glad your mare is ok.

 

[Maxi'sMinis]

I know how you feel about the what if's. These thinks happen to the best of us. Time will only heal the pain and sadness of your loss. Try not to beat yourself up to bad. I know that is a hard one too. Even after a year I still cry over losing a mare and her foal, but finally I am able to think of my sweet little mare and remember how sweet she was. I am so glad your girl is Ok.

 

[CheyAut]

I'm so sorry. THat is pretty much what happened to us last year. Not only our only foal, but our first. Like yours, Ruby's colt died before birth... but her placenta came out right after the colt, never broke from him but he wasn't in it, it followed him out her (did that make sense?) She had an infection in there which likely caused it to separate? Anyhow, like yours, she showed no signs prior to this, so I went to bed during the day (I work nights) and not long after that it happened

After the infection was cleared up, vet gave her a clean bill of health and said she's ok to breed again, so I waited a couple months. She's now at 274 days. I also have a mare at 307 and one at 317, both of them maidens, and I"m scared to death

Not much help for you, but wanted to say I'm sorry, I know how devastating it is

*hugs*

Jessi

 

[WLS]

I can so relate to your feelings. We just lost a perfect little black appy filly last week, born six weeks too early to an experienced broodmare. I keep asking myself "why"? I take such good care of my horses. I had the vet examine the deceased filly, and he commented she had recently passed, but no apparent reason, but said the cord might have been twisted.

It seems too many of my mini friends are losing foals this year, just born too early. This is very upsetting, but like you, my mare is fine which is a blessing. But what causes perfect little foals to abort early?? Has any research been done on this? I have two more mares to foal and I am just paranoid something will go wrong. So lets hope we all have better luck with our next baby. Wendy

 

[Becky]

I'm so sorry for your loss!

It very likely could have been caused by placentitis. One of the early signs (if not the only) sign that a mare might have this problem, is bagging up early. Any early udder development is a cause for alarm! Here, we start the mare on Regumate and give them 10 days of SMZ's. Regumate until they foal.

Also, any mare that aborts here is flushed and infused by my veterinarian and I give them 10 days of SMZ's as well just in case the abortion is caused by an infection.

Good luck with your mare and hopefully she will give you many beautiful foals in the future!

 

[Sixstardanes]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Sue S]

I am so sorry for your loss and everyone elses that have had aborted babies, I know how heart breaking it is, I have never lost a mini foal but have lost a foal from one of are big horses and it was heartbreaking, I have a mini now that is close and I worry about her. Sending prayers to everyone that have lost their babies.

 

[Basketmiss]

So sad for your loss

Give your mare BIG (((HUGS)))

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[wc minis]

So sorry for your loss. This last Friday morning this also happend to us, and the filly was already gone when the mare delivered. I do know that 12 hours before the foal was alive and moving, I could see her. It was our first foal that we have lost, and we have been beating ourselves up wondering what we could have done. And the saddest part was having my mare stand behind me and lay her head on my shoulder watching over me while I was trying to revive her foal. That was the most heartbreaking part for me. And than to watch her after we took the foal away.

 

[sedeh]

That is so heartbreaking when they get soooo close and then have an angel foal. I'm so sorry for your loss as well as the loss of others that have lost their foals.

 

[Mona]

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[hairicane]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Riverdance]

I am so sorry for your loss

. I know how bad you must be feeling, but it is true,there was probably nothing that you could have done.

I had a mare last year that I had on camera and alarms. She was just standing there in the stall doing nothing all night. I got up, turned off the alarm, went to my computer. as it was still a bit early to go out to feed. I was on my computer for maybe 10 to 15 minutes at most, then I got up to check the monitor. There in the stall was a foal not moving. I flew out to the barn and saw a beautiful buckskin filly laying there, out of her sack but her umbilical cord was still attached to the placenta that was also lying there on the ground. I did everything to the filly, mouth to mouth, heart rubs, etc. But to no avail.

My vet too feels like there was nothing that I could have done, that the placenta had released too early. This is a mare that has two AMHA World Grand Champion full siblings. I have been waiting for years for a foal from her. When she was first old enough to breed, I did not have a stallion to breed her to as all I had was her 1/2 brother. So I really, really wanted this foal, plus the father was my new L & D Scout son.

I have repeated that breeding and she is due in a few weks, so I am really keeping my fingers crossed!!

 

[albahurst]

I am sorry for your loss. Be comforted in knowing you are not alone and we understand.

Last year our foal came early- like yours, not much bag, no milk, etc. Baby was born in bag. It was an infection- maybe you might want to have your mare flushed now.

I am glad your mare is ok.

Peggy

 

[HGFarm]

I also, on any mare who loses a foal, the mare is flushed and infused and goes on SMZ's for 10 days...

So sorry for your loss and other folk's too.. have been there a couple of times and it is never easy! My very first Mini foal was lost- she foaled during the day and it didnt get out of the sac, so know what you are going through!

 

[REO]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

{{{hug}}}

 

[Magic]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

We lost a black appaloosa colt to a twisted umbilical cord just last week, the mare was at 305 days gestation. It was difficult to get the foal out since he died in utero and wasn't positioned right. As heartbreaking as it is, I just have to give thanks that the mare is ok.

Again, my condolences.