Help please! Foalac

[Sunrise Valley]

I have a rejected foal. While we are able to milk the mare, I am not getting enough from her. Where do you buy Foalac powder? TSC doesn't have it. Or, is a calf milk replacer OK? Our vet said we could use grocery store milk, has anyone done that? If so, what have you used 2%, whole?

 

[Jill]

Does your TSC have "Ultra 24"? Ours carries it and it is a "universal" milk replacer. I used this this past year to raise a filly from 5wks on and it is good. It comes in a bag that is black with red. I think I read not to use cows milk from the grocery in the past (I had to raise another foal from the start) but that GOATS milk is a good replacer. I hope your store has that Ultra 24, as that could be the ticket.

 

[Jill]

 

[Minimor]

Don't use regular cow's milk--buy goats milk from the grocery store--your baby will do great on goat milk.

Mix just a little bit of karo syrup in with the goats milk and the foal will love it--I have found the goats milk to be much better--more palatable--than any actual formula mix I've tried.

edited to add--you can make formula using cow's milk, but you must add other stuff to it; lime water for one, I can't remember offhand what else; my vet book has the recipe in it.

 

[Sunrise Valley]

Thank you both so much for your quick replies. Just fed the baby, and am on my way to TSC for Ultra24 and the supermarket for goat's milk.

 

[Sunrise Valley]

He likes the Ultra24! Nice full tummy now. Thank you again!

 

[Riverrose28]

Land O lakes also makes a foal milk replacer that you can buy at Southern States, it comes in a 50 pound tub. If you use goats milk it is 50% milk, 50% water and a tablespoon of kayro per bottle. I would only use that as a last resort. I would keep trying to milk the mare, we had one that wouldn't let hers nurse the first 24 hours, and I kept at it, milking her, feeding the foal and had someone stand at her head while I guided the little one to the milk bar, she finally got the idea, but still was not a good Mom, just tolerent of him nursing to relieve her udder.

 

[Eagle]

I am so glad that you have him feeding, now we can say congratulations for your new baby

May I ask why did the mare reject him, was it a difficult birth or a maiden mare? I am praying that all will go smoothly for you from now on

Pics of your new little guy when you have time pretty pleasseeeeeeeeeeee

 

[Jill]

That is good news

 

[Minimor]

Riverrose--there is no need to mix water with goats milk. Some people get a nanny goat & let the foal nurse directly off the goat. When I had to feed a baby (mare had almost no milk for him) it was easier for me to buy the goats milk & feed him myself than it was to get & keep a nanny goat that he could nurse on.

Sunrise valley--good to hear that your baby is now filled up & happy!

 

[Riverrose28]

Riverrose--there is no need to mix water with goats milk. Some people get a nanny goat & let the foal nurse directly off the goat. When I had to feed a baby (mare had almost no milk for him) it was easier for me to buy the goats milk & feed him myself than it was to get & keep a nanny goat that he could nurse on.

Sunrise valley--good to hear that your baby is now filled up & happy!

sorry I didn't mean to post inproper info, just what my vet said until I could get the mare to accept the foal, thank goodness we finally got the mare to come around, and we never got to use goat milk. We did buy foal replacer and didn't use it either, but donated it to another farm. Thanks for letting me know for the future that I don't need to add the water.

I'm so happy this foal is finally coming around and has a full belly.

 

[Sunrise Valley]

Thanks everyone!

This mare is a Martins Boozers After Dark daughter- very beautiful but high-strung. She wants to watch over the foal, but from a distance, and gets very agitated when he even gets in the area of trying to nurse. She gets very violent when we restrain her, and we don't want the foal to get hurt. We are not new to breeding, but this is the first time we have experienced rejection.

We had alot of colostrum, and she was quite tolerant of our milking her at 1st, but is getting less tolerant as time goes on. I was milking out 3-4 ounces at first, but now am only getting 1 1/2 ounces. So he gets that first, then fills up on his Ultra24.

The colt was very early, (287 days!), but is very strong, and his IGg snap test was excellent. He is a vigorous feeder, and I hope with some loss of sleep on our part, and a lot of commitment to his well being, he will grow to be the beautiful boy he is bred to be.

I will post pictures when I am able. The mare is now in my avatar.

Lisa

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I am presuming you have tried sedating the mare??

 

[Sunrise Valley]

Jane,

That was the 1st thing I asked the vet about. She said she didn't want to sedate the mare because it would also sedate the foal. I know others have done it successfully. Now that the foal is stronger, do you think it is an option?

 

[mini horse mania]

I am so glad you got ultra 24 instead of foalac...I lost a foal on foalac. ...ultra 24 has actual "milk" in it. I have "made a mare take the foal....I ended up tying her...and hobbling her..sh was a ah and a first time mama....it took 2 days...but she did end up taking the foal herself...I have also used mother up....

 

[lil hoofbeats]

Jane,

That was the 1st thing I asked the vet about. She said she didn't want to sedate the mare because it would also sedate the foal. I know others have done it successfully. Now that the foal is stronger, do you think it is an option?

LISA tell her to sedate the mare!!!!!! the more she lets the foal nurse the more hormones that her body will produce, and she may eventually take the foal!!!!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Your Vet is wrong (gasp of horror!!)

The sedation does NOT affect the foal.

My Vet deals routinely with over stressed TB mares worth tens of thousands and he drugs them t the point of nearly falling over, routinely.

He's a bit fed up with TBs but they pay the bills!!!

 

[lil hoofbeats]

Your Vet is wrong (gasp of horror!!)

The sedation does NOT affect the foal.

My Vet deals routinely with over stressed TB mares worth tens of thousands and he drugs them t the point of nearly falling over, routinely.

He's a bit fed up with TBs but they pay the bills!!!

This is correct, i have mares ultrasounded all the time by my vet. They are sedated to the point of almost falling down with a foal at foot, and the foals nurse off the sedated mare, and they do not get sedated by drinking the milk.

keep restraining that mare(use a twitch, sedation, what ever it takes) do not give up for at least a week Lisa! your life will be much easier, and the foal will be much better off if the mare will take it!

 

[Jill]

I do hope the mare will accept her baby, BUT sedating for several days did not help us in our situation in the past. We hand raised the foal and he is now a coming 3yo pocket pet of a horse. I posted on your other thread and hope that will be of assistance. The main challange is going to be feeding the foal frequently enough, if the mare will not accept him (our mare had also started charging). We worked it out to be pretty easy through the night and while it is draining, the foals rapidly get to the point where you can go longer between feedings and get some much needed sleep.