Need prayers for new foal.

[wendyluvsminis]

We had a very nice, healthy foal at 1:30 this morning. By 10 am, it was clear that something was very wrong, and he was no longer putting weight on his back, left leg. The vet said it is either a broken stifle or patella bone. She said minis do much better with this fracture, than big horses. A big horse foal would be put down, but a mini could survive and be a happy, if not totally sound, pet. She said we are a long ways away from talking about putting him down. We have very bad luck, as we lost a colt last year, when his Mum stepped on him and he broke his leg! We will know in the morning what is fractured. Neither of these bones can be set. He is pretty active, scooting around after his Mom and wanting to nurse constantly! We lost a foal on the 28 of Feb, two months premature, so this is not turning into a good start at all to our foaling season. This foal is really nice, out of a beautiful Buck Echo son, but I will be happy at this point if he survives.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

O NO!!!! I am soo sorry, I understand how horrible this must be for you. We had a filly that had a dislocated hip at only a few days old and it was the same sort of situation where if she were a big horse she would have had to be put to sleep but due to her small size she ended up healing and is 100% sound now! I will be praying for your new lil man to be ok and heal just as effectively as she did! Keep us updated as you learn more.

 

[Joanne]

I am sorry this is happening to you. Breeding is not for the faint of heart, it can be heartbreaking going through these things.

Hopefully the foal will be able to heal as he is still so young.

I am curious how large the stall is you have the mare and newborn in.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

I think the stall is 10 x 11. It looks big for them.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

O NO!!!! I am soo sorry, I understand how horrible this must be for you. We had a filly that had a dislocated hip at only a few days old and it was the same sort of situation where if she were a big horse she would have had to be put to sleep but due to her small size she ended up healing and is 100% sound now! I will be praying for your new lil man to be ok and heal just as effectively as she did! Keep us updated as you learn more.

Thanks, Melinda. I am not going to name foals anymore, until they are a month or two old. I feel like I am jinxing them.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I just wanted to say too that she never stepped on either colt she had for me and we foaled in a 8x8 stall and never had any problems, Im sure it was just an accident that could have happened to any foal. I just hope that this will be the last of the bad for your year and that it will turn out ok.

 

[RockRiverTiff]

Oh Wendy, I'm so sorry to hear that your little guy is injured. One of my grandparents' very first foals back in the 1980s was stepped on and injured in a similar way by his dam, and while I know the recovery was long and intensive and he always had a bit of a limp he lived a very full and happy life (into his 20s). So it is possible! I will be praying hard for your new foal! Please keep us updated.

 

[HGFarm]

Ok, had this happen one year and it was JOINT ILL, so make SURE that that is not it!!! It can be fixed if attended to right away. Mine was several years ago but I think the foal was a couple of days old when it showed up- I can't remember but started with a slight lameness and got worse fast!!

 

[Eagle]

I had this problem 2 years ago with a colt. We took both mare and foal the the clinic for x rays and he had a fracture. He rested loads but didn't seem to bother much and he is now a perfectly sound youngster

 

[Matt73]

She had a vet out, Laurie. It's not joint ill. Can joint ill present that quickly (8 hours after birth)?

So sorry, Wendy

Hope he recovers...

 

[supaspot]

oh dear I am sorry , breeding minis can be so heartbreaking and stressful

makes me wonder sometimes why we do it

 

[Genie]

Sorry for the trouble. I am with Supaspot, sometimes wondering why we do this

Hoping for good news on your little guy.

 

[Jill]

I'm so sorry and am saying prayers!!! I know how emotional it is when a newborn is having a problem... It takes just minutes to become attached and we are praying everything will be okay.

We have one mare who mores extremely exaggerated around newborn foals. Very high steps and very slow steps. Before she was mine, I know she lost a foal and I have always wondered if she stepped on him, or just something else that has made her more aware of how fragile babies are.

She had a vet out, Laurie. It's not joint ill. Can joint ill present that quickly (8 hours after birth)?

I don't know for sure, but I doubt it... however, any time a foal is limping, it should be the first issue to suspect. But I don't think they can have an infection that early (but I would defer to more experienced breeders / vets for sure).

 

[Barbie]

I just sent you a message! Don't give up on this little one. Dawn (in my avatar) was born with a fractured femur and dislocated hip. She had surgery which didn't hold, but with lots of care, she is a healthy mare today.

Good luck with your little one!

Barbie

 

[HGFarm]

Having only had experience with the joint ill once, I dont know how fast is shows up, but thought it should be mentioned just in case. Hopefully the baby will recover quickly with nothing seriously going on. Keep us posted on how your little one is doing.

 

[midnight star stables]

So sorry for your colt... Sending prayers!

 

[RockRiverTiff]

Wendy asked me to post an UPDATE tonight as her computer has been hit with some nasty spyware. She said that the vet took x-rays of the colt's leg but ended up having to have an emergency surgery of her own before she could process them. In the meantime, they let the colt out for some supervised exercise today and Wendy said all the little guy wanted to do was run and buck! Needless to say, they are feeling very optimistic right now. She was really touched by all the well wishes - please keep her and Mike and their precious colt in your prayers. I am sure when she is back on we'll get the full scoop (and more pictures!).

 

[wildoak]

Glad to hear optomistic news, and hope he mends quickly.

Joint ill is often mistaken for the foal having been stepped on....we had a couple of joint ill foals which we initially thought had been trampled, but it sounds like she has a good diagnosis from her vet. Hope he continues to improve.

Jan

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

Wendy asked me to post an UPDATE tonight as her computer has been hit with some nasty spyware. She said that the vet took x-rays of the colt's leg but ended up having to have an emergency surgery of her own before she could process them. In the meantime, they let the colt out for some supervised exercise today and Wendy said all the little guy wanted to do was run and buck! Needless to say, they are feeling very optimistic right now. She was really touched by all the well wishes - please keep her and Mike and their precious colt in your prayers. I am sure when she is back on we'll get the full scoop (and more pictures!).

Sooooo glad to hear that he seems to be doing well. I hope everything keeps improving and cant wait to get another update and of course pics LOL!

 

[Carolyn R]

Keeping my finders crossed for a possitive outcome.