Lady and Dyna update

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Reignmaker Miniatures

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Lady is not improving. She isn't worse but no better either. We sent blood out to a larger lab to get better readings and the da** courier company didn't deliver it. So we are stuck going on what we see. Lady is still picking at hay and has a whole array of various feed types to choose from (vet swiped a bunch from a client with a bunch of big horses lol Good Vet! )so if anything appeals to her be it sweet feed or senior feed or.... its there. Everything except the grass which is frozen in this nasty cold we are experiencing. She did put a ns tube in and feed her that way this afternoon but until she eats on her own she isn't going to recover.

I told the vet on Thursday that I thought Dyna was dropping weight and yesterday the scales confirmed it. So Dyna is officially weaned. Poor baby does not like milk replacer nor the nipple nor my being her mommy. I have tried several nipples and so far she likes the NUK brand best (if you can call tolerating having it in her mouth liking) The vet tube fed her this morning and she nursed off and on until about 1:30 today and I offered her the bottle at 4:00. What a struggle. I managed to get 25ml (about 1/8 cup) into her but I know thats no where near enough. I did pour some into a bowl (which I left available to her) in case that is going to be her preference but I'd be surprised if she takes it that way. She is so hungry the poor little thing is licking the crumbs from the hay that have fallen on the floor (alfalfa bits) Maybe when I try again at 6:00 she'll decide to take more. Meanwhile does anyone know if the hole in a human baby nipple should be made bigger? Maybe she's not getting it fast enough? This is my first orphan anything so any if you have some experience in feeding babies I could sure use some tips.
 
Yes, the hole does need to be enlarged. I have always just cut it with a pair of scissors (just a little). A bowl would be your best bet, there is less chance of her aspirating the milk that way.
 
I did leave her some in a bowl but she promptly stuck her foot in it and dumped it all over the floor. (Oh did I mention she is in the house, Bathroom in my basement has become a nursery.)

I will continue to try with the bottle with a slightly enlarged hole and also try to find a flat bottomed dish to offer it since the metal bowl just tips to easy.
 
Can you put the milk in a small bucket and hang it up so she can't tip it over? I'm so sorry, I wish I could be of more help, all I can do is offer prayers and best wishes for Lady to recover and little Dyna too. {{{hugs}}}}
 
Thinking of you and praying your mare and foal improve.

Peggy
 
I'm not experienced with Minis yet or bottle feeding animals...but I can make one suggestion. My son was always gassy (colicy) when he was a baby and I switched his bottle to the playtex ones that have vents in the bottom so that when they suck they don't suck as much air and don't seem to have to suck as hard. I know he wasn't as gassy after I made the switch. Also the nipples are cut in an "X" hole and you can get different size holes(goes by kids age) and they would also be easier to cut larger if need be. Not sure if this applies here. Maybe an experienced owner could offer an opinion on this.
 
I don't have any experience in this to know any good advice, but I am praying for your mare to turn around and for everything to be okay with both Lady and Dyna!
 
When we had to bowl feed our premee foal we milked his Mom into a tupperware dish and literally stuck it up to his muzzle, slightly dipping his muzzle in the milk. We held the bowl so he couldn't tip or dump it. As he got the idea he would get so excited about eating that all he had to do was see the bowl and he bounced. Manna Pro also has a pelleted milk supplement that she may be willing to eat. Is there any reason why she couldn't have soaked chopped alfalfa? Does she have teeth yet?

In terms of your mare, is she not on an IV nutritional feed or glucose? Has her white blood count been checked? We now wish that we had realized how extensive Tinker's bacterial infection was underlying the hyperlipidemia. I think I gave you the contact info for the vet at UF. Please give the info to your vet in case he/she wants to consult. They were absolutley amazing there.

I will be keeping your girls in my thoughts and prayers. Wish I could send you some nice green grass from here in Florida.

Ruth Owen

Stardust Acres
 
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I am so sorry about your girls...

I hope now Mama will come around without the babys nursing bringing her down.

I hope the baby gets the drinking from a dish too to make it easier on you all...

Good Luck and (((HUGS))) are coming your way...
 
I would suggest buying some goats milk & trying Dyna with that. Goat's milk with bit of corn syrup. I've always found that foals much prefer that over commercial milk replacer.

It sounds silly, but the only sort of bottle that I've EVER been able to get a foal to nurse on is a little kitten bottle! For some reason, foals like the tiny little nipple on the kitten bottles. It would be worthwhile for you to try, anyway. Get her drinking goats milk from a kitten bottle and she will discover that it is good, and from there it will be easy to switch her over to a bowl.
 
I think the plate is your best bet or the igloo cooler trick. If you start with the igloo cooler your life will be much easier as they will self feed. Like said above dip the muzzle into the plate of milk and when they lick it off their muzzle they get the idea. Im so sorry your mare is not better. Sending prayers
 
I hope the both start eating for you soon!!

Initially, it might be easier to get milk into Dyna with a syringe, squirt some in her mouth (just a little!) and get her to swallow it, gives you a little more control over getting it into her initially, and might get her into the idea that you are now the source of the goodness!!

Lots of foals refuse to drink from a bottle, but will drink from a bowl, it's definitely worth a try!

Good luck!
 
I sure hope your babies will be OK! Sending prayers.
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(((((HUGS)))) to everyone for trying to help! Dyna has decided the bottle is a GOOD thing and all I need to do this morning is hold it out and she grabs that nipple and drains it. What I did was to first cut the hole bigger (I was concerned I'd made it too big) then I coated the end with corn syrup and slipped it into the side of her mouth and then pulled it around into the right spot. I don't really know which had the biggest effect but she liked the sweetness and once she had a bit of success we were away to the races. Kaykay I am (or rather my husband is) in the process of making that cooler/feeder so she can self feed. I had printed out the instructions when they were posted because I thought it was such a great idea and I might need it someday (or someone else might). Who could have guessed that I would need it so soon. My only concern is that my cooler is quit large and I would rather it was smaller. We are experiencing some really cold and windy weather so Dyna is in my basement (my special needs daughter is beside herself with excitement to have a horse in the house) until it warms up. When she learns how to nurse from the cooler and it warms a bit she can go back outside and maybe I can find an older horse to live with her and she will get to learn to be a horse.

I spoke to the vet today and she is thrilled that Dyna is doing so well. Lady has barely noticed that her baby is gone only calling once when she went outside today and then just moving on it seems. Poor poor momma, she must feel pretty bad to not care that her little one is gone. She is being started on a broad spectrum antibiotic today since the vet has some concerns there may be a infection at work here too altho she has no proof from the blood work ( she says some infections 'hide' until they are rampant) and the tube feeding and IV continues (thanks garyo).

On a side note I"M about done in already from one night. LOL I am past the days where I want to get up with a new born and the only advantage is I don't need to change a diaper. hahaha Hubby says "can't you just stay with her so you don't wake me when you come back to bed" lmao funny funny man (he really is joking and has offered to help but no point in both of us being exhausted....right?) As long as I can get her onto the cooler I'll be OK ....I think.
 
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[SIZE=10pt]Good luck with your bottle baby. Sounds like she is doing much better.[/SIZE]

Hope to hear of some improvement in her mom - poor girl.

Hang in there!!

Barbie
 
You are very welcome. I am so happy that your little one is doing well. When we had our premee I nearly had the Principal at the high school where I am a Guidance Counselor convinced that it would be OK for me to bring him to school and keep him in a large dog kennel in my office. I hope that you can bring baby to visit her Mom soon. Even though Tinker was terribly ill you could feel her depression lift when we came to visit. We will keep praying.

Ruth Owen

Stardust Acres
 
I've bottle fed calves and goats. When we were starting out, I would get the nipples that you could slip over the end of the bottle. They liked that and got the hang of it quick. They are pretty soft. When the calves got older, we switched to the white bottles with the red nipples. We had to cut the hole bigger or they wouldn't drink.

Good luck with your two! Has been a trial for you for sure!
 
No real news yet today. I'm waiting for the vet to call since I called to check on Lady and the receptionist said the vet was planning to call me. I made her confirm things hadn't gotten desperate and that it wasn't terrible news then said OK I'll wait for the call.
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I wanted to be able to brace myself if things were really bad especially since I can't get to the clinic today (my son has my car at work) Dyna is eating like she is trying to make up for lost time. The vet had said she would only take about 1/2cup per feeding but she was looking for more so I just kept increasing it a little bit and now she takes just over a cup on each feeding (every 3 hours) I did question the vet about over feeding her and was assured that she will self regulate and won't take more than what it takes to satisfy her so ... Now if it would warm up here I could put her outside during the day and maybe she could get a horse buddy (at least I could try to find one who would be kind to her), she is so lonely and I just can't be with her all the time.
 
Keeping Lady in my thoughts and hoping for some improvment.
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Glad to hear baby Dyna decided that a bottle is a good thing!!
 

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