Having a bad year

[iowa]

I seem to be having strange things happening here. Friday a mare started to foal two months early. It was backwards, so I called the vet and she came out and got the foal, but the mare had prolapsed about 4 feet of her bowel through her rectum from straining so hard. I have never seen or heard about this in 30 years of horses and probably over a hundred foals. The bowel was torn besides so I knew there was no use trying to push it back in and had the mare euthanized. Very sad to see her go through this. I'm about to give up on having foals and have read several others on the forum are discouraged as well. Has anyone ever had this happen to a mare?

 

[Tab]

I just wanted to say that I am so sorry for your traumatic loss. This year has been a tough one for losing foals/mares. Every year has its share of losses, but this year seems worse some how. Prayerfully that experience is so isolated that it never happens to you again!

 

[targetsmom]

So sorry to hear about this. I did not have this exact outcome, but our first "foaling" experience was a mare that aborted at about 9 month with a breech presentation (backwards). I doubt very much that she would have survived, but the vet that came urged us to get her to the hospital. So we rushed her to the large animal hospital at Tufts where several vets worked on her for about 3 hours. Of course the foal could not be saved, but they were able to save the mare, Mira. She was in the hospital for 5 days and the bill ran about $2,500 - but I am so thankful they were able to save her!!

Then we almost gave up again last year after an even worse experience (but again the mare was OK, and we are overjoyed at that!!). But then 5 days later Mira had Max (our first live foal, see my new avatar photo) and we decided we had to keep trying. We felt that was a message.... So I certainly understand you feeling about wanting to give up, but you can take some time to decide.

 

[Genie]

Sorry to hear of this terrible event. It has been a very bad year for a lot of people.

THis is the worst year we have ever had in 20 years of owning miniature horses.

 

[Charley]

I am so sorry for the loss of your mare and foal.

 

[Make A Wish Miniatures]

I am so sorry that you lost both mare and foal. That is a terrible thing to deal with. I just had my worse nightmare happen. Two mares went down at the exact same time. One was a terrible dystocia. The colt was coming with all four legs and the head,and in the other stall my mare who has had red bags was foaling. I called my husband to come home from work and my friend Kimberle who was on the phone as the mares went down called the vet. I have a beautiful perlino filly from the one mare and a dead colt. from the other. The mare with the dystocia is going to be in a lot of pain but thank God is alive. I just feel for you losing both mare and foal. it does seem like a much worse year than usual. I am watching four more mares right now and praying they will be ok.

 

[disneyhorse]

Oh no, I am so sorry for your loss.

There was a mare here, a Percheron draft horse, that had a stuck foal and prolapsed quite a bit of rectum (it is a draft horse, so it was substantial looking!)... the foal was of course lost. The mare had everything put back in, but after a week stay in the hospital, still did not make it due to massive infection. I am sure you did the right thing, no matter how hard it was/is.

I am so sorry... I wish no one had to go through anything like that.

Andrea

 

[TuffyLynn]

I too am sorry for your loss..... and yes i agree it seems to be alot of "bad" outcomes this year especially... to be honest, it has me abit nervous this year expecting a late in season foal(our only one).

 

[Allure Ranch]

OMG I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. That's awful.

 

[BeckyG]

I am so very sorry for your loss.

 

[Reble]

Thinking of you in your time of need..

That must of been terrible for you and the mare.

So sorry to hear this has happen to you.

 

[Allure Ranch]

I am so sorry that you lost both mare and foal. That is a terrible thing to deal with. I just had my worse nightmare happen. Two mares went down at the exact same time. One was a terrible dystocia. The colt was coming with all four legs and the head,and in the other stall my mare who has had red bags was foaling. I called my husband to come home from work and my friend Kimberle who was on the phone as the mares went down called the vet. I have a beautiful perlino filly from the one mare and a dead colt. from the other. The mare with the dystocia is going to be in a lot of pain but thank God is alive. I just feel for you losing both mare and foal. it does seem like a much worse year than usual. I am watching four more mares right now and praying they will be ok.

Bronagh I'm so sorry that Jana wasn't able to save your foal.....

 

[vickie gee]

I am so sorry you have gone throught all of this. It does seem like

a bad year from all the posting we have all been reading. I did

experience the bowel coming out two years ago when I first got into

this. My tiny 29" mare was purchased pg and had a severe case of

dyostocia. My husband was home when her water broke and as instructed

he called the vet first. It was the vet (now ex-vet) day off and

he tried to play it off as "sounds like things will progress normally

and just let nature take it's course." I rushed home and sadly it

was a couple of traumatic hours before we could get another vet over

and he said it was critical to get her to a birthing center due to

the fact that there was no room to manipulate the foal. At the time

I was still "shopping" for a trailer. She was a fighter and the fact

that the night air was cool for May and she was in the open in our

front yard helped her stay a bit cooler during 4 hours of hard labor.

She rode in the back of a Ford escort hatchback for 2 hours and twice

during that time I had to re-insert her bowel. The "pro" vet performed

a c-section exactly 6 hours from the time her water broke. He saved her.

I just had her bred to a 26" stallion and if she foals next year I will take her to the birthing center before the onset of labor just to be sure. That was my introduction to the world of minis and it put me into depression seeing how she suffered. The only way I would ever sell her would be knowing that she can foal or absolutely should not be bred. There is no way I would let another person gamble with her ability to breed and foal. Having my first healthy born textbook delivery this year encourages me, but still when I read of other's misfortune and pain like yours it takes me back...and I cry, I can't help it.

 

[little lady]

You have my deepest sympathy.

 

[Connie P]

So very sorry for your loss. :-(

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm so sorry for the great loss. I'm not familiar with this happening but I appreciate you telling us about it so we can learn from your horrible loss.

Sorry again.

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

I am so sorry for your loss

I could not imagine losing BOTH mare and foal...we've had to put down two foals (one premature and one disformed), but luckily the mare was perfectly fine both times. We're hopeing for our first healthy foal this year. I'll be praying for you.

 

[Minimor]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I've only personally known one mare that had that same thing happen. Several years ago a neighbor lost a QH mare. She went a full month overdue and by the time she foaled the foal was very large. It wasn't dystocia, just a very big foal and a very difficult birth; the foal was dead and the mare pushed out several feet of intestine. The vet came out but said there was so much contamination there was no hope that the mare would survive and she was euthanized.

 

[Katiean]

I am so sorry for your loss. I delivered afoal that was aborted about 2 months early. I don't think they are ever in the right possition when this is happening. The one I delivered was on it's back. Two feet and a nose but on it's back. The foal was so tiny the mare didn't have any trouble. Again I am so sorry for your loss and I hope something like that never happens again.

 

[Mona]

I am so very sorry for your loss.