SadDonkeyOwner
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- Jun 30, 2008
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I hope someone has some advice.
I have a jennet who delivered her first foal. I know first time moms can have adjustment issues - but this is extreme. The night the foal was born I have the vet come out to give the postpartum check and told her we were having difficulties getting the mom to let the new baby nurse. The vet, the assistant and myself had to hold the jennet with one foot up and a neck twitch to get her to stand without kicking or biting the foal. The vet felt at the time that this was new mom issues and that if I continued to work with her she would come around. To a point she did.. However - when the baby came up to nurse, she would let him drink for 30 seconds then turn and bite or kick and chase him away. It was heart breaking to watch.
After the first week - we came out to find more severe bites on the baby.
Speaking again with the vet - we elected to put a cribbing muzzle on the mom - just something to keep her from being able to bite - yet she can graze.
Now this solved the biting issue - but we have to go down several times a day to force her to stand and let the foal nurse.
It has been three weeks now and the baby is growing slowly - he is so sad from the constant beating he gets from mom - and the next advice the vet is giving is to tranquilize the mom.
Has anyone seen this kind of behavior from a jennet and what did you do?
I have a jennet who delivered her first foal. I know first time moms can have adjustment issues - but this is extreme. The night the foal was born I have the vet come out to give the postpartum check and told her we were having difficulties getting the mom to let the new baby nurse. The vet, the assistant and myself had to hold the jennet with one foot up and a neck twitch to get her to stand without kicking or biting the foal. The vet felt at the time that this was new mom issues and that if I continued to work with her she would come around. To a point she did.. However - when the baby came up to nurse, she would let him drink for 30 seconds then turn and bite or kick and chase him away. It was heart breaking to watch.
After the first week - we came out to find more severe bites on the baby.
Speaking again with the vet - we elected to put a cribbing muzzle on the mom - just something to keep her from being able to bite - yet she can graze.
Now this solved the biting issue - but we have to go down several times a day to force her to stand and let the foal nurse.
It has been three weeks now and the baby is growing slowly - he is so sad from the constant beating he gets from mom - and the next advice the vet is giving is to tranquilize the mom.
Has anyone seen this kind of behavior from a jennet and what did you do?