Need suggestions please!

[Janis]

Hi everyone.

Sorry to be so graphic. Our little mare delivered her foal 2 months early this morning about 11:00. He lived about 10 minutes. He was upside down & backwards. My mom got him out & tried to revive him. She was just devasted. I keep trying to tell her that there was nothing that she could do, his lungs were just not developed enough. He had hair on his head & little tail, but none on his body yet. Anyway, we have left him in the stall with her. We have left the gate open & the barn door open & was hoping that she would finally leave him. She won't! She is always just a good mother & she just won't give up on him. We don't know what to do.

Please, if anyone has any suggestions. We need to get the baby buried & let her begin to heal.

Thanks,

Janis

 

[CountryHaven]

Basically you are just going to have to take the foal away, and bury it. The mare will grieve, and it will not be easy for her. There's just not much else to do about it. It's very hard on them. They don't understand. Maidens have a much easier time it seems, because they don't seem to realize that what just came out of them should be moving, nursing, and loving them. The mares that have had babies before do know, and they grieve just like humans would over a lost child. She will get better. Just love on her lots, and it will pass.

 

[Sunraye Miniatures]

Yep unfortunatly you will just have to take the baby away. Sound cruel but it might be better for the mare in a long run. She might go into a nervous breakdown if she doesn't realize that baby is dead and won't get up. Just be with her, and love on her, thats the best medicine. Sorry for both of your losses.

 

[Reble]

Sorry for your loss.

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I agree with taking the foal away.

I have also heard to allow them to stay with the foal, for awhile.

I would do what is best for all.

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[Candleliteranch]

Oh no! I'm so sorry you have to go through this. When I hear people saying that breeding is not for the faint of heart, thay are so right. The things we have to deal with are sometimes heartbreaking.

 

[midnight star stables]

I am so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Don't forget to talk to her about what is happening. Tell her what happened, what you're going to do about it, and what you want her to do. Tell her you will be with her. Grieve with her. Then lovingly remove that poor foal and spend lots of time with mama. I don't know if it is better to take it away from her in the stall or to get her out of the stall and then remove the baby while she's gone. Either one may be traumatic, but then again this whole thing is. If you lead her out don't lie to her- tell her the baby won't be there when she comes back but that you will take care of him and love him.

I'm so sorry for both of you.

Leia

 

[bevann]

I really agree about talking to the mare.I think they understand more than we give them credit for.Hug her and tell her that her baby has crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and is now healthy and running free and that someday when the time is right she will be reunited with her beloved baby.Let her greive for a while and then put her back in with her friends for company.Talk to the other mares also and tell them what has happened so they can also comfort her.I really believe that the communicate with each other.When I had an old mare who was dying from a really bad colic,I walked her around the pastures to say goodbye to all her friends.These mares are usually squealing when another mare comes near their pasture, but all were very quiet and just softly nicked to her as if to say" goodbye old friend." I think they know what goes on.

 

[Janis]

Thanks for the suggestions. We have taken him away. She acted like she knew that's what we were there to do & she backed up & let me take him. I layed him down & went back to her & it was like it really hit her that he was not coming back. She's very upset, but it had to be done. We buried hiim, cried like babies & now we're watching her on the camera. She won't get out of the corner where he was. She keeps pawing where he was laying.

Thanks again for the suggestions & your input.

Janis

 

[backwoodsnanny]

4 years ago we lost our very first filly to a colic mom and filly had to go to the vets as baby was only 40 days old. Baby died while coming out of surgery vet left baby with mom for the rest of the day but even the next morning mom wasnt willing to give up on baby Vet said that mom needed to grieve so we brought mom and baby back here and mom spent the night with baby in her stall. The next morning when we took mom out we told her baby was gone and that when she got back baby wouldnt be there and while she was out with her other friends we removed the foal and buried her. Somehow the mare understood and by the time she returned to her stall things were better. She did look for her but didnt put up the fuss she had before. They do know and their friends know too. No one can ever tell me they dont. I wish you luck and a good outcome. My vet believes in leaving the baby for up to 3 days if necessary. Then explaining to the mare before just taking her baby. It all worked out well but was very sad.

 

[minih]

My vet told me the same as above, we had a mare that lost a little one and we left him all day. Our vet told us to leave him in there until she was finished with the heavy greiving. Give her time to push on him and smell, and then when she walks away we could bury him. That is what we have done when confronted with this. Acceptance.

 

[sedeh]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your filly. I had one abort at 9 months last year. I felt so sorry for the mare...she stood and sniffed and pawed at the filly. Good luck with you mare. Give her kisses for me!

 

[thegrandzapper]

:no: :no:

: velma

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

Take the baby away after a few hours but leave the towels you used to dry him off. They smell like the baby.

One time I had a mare freak out so bad when I took the dead foal away I thought she would break down the fence! I brought her over to the already dug grave, with the foal. I let her watch me put the foal in and bury her. The mare seemed to know then . She stopped screaming and was better after that.

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

I see you have now removed the foal. I would suggest as the post above says, that if you have any towels or cloth that was used for the foal, leave it with mom until she leaves it. ALtho we been fortunate enough not to have lost many foals, this has proved a help in some cases.

You're right about the lungs. Before a certain gestation time, the lungs lack a surfactant that allows the lung sac to expand & hold air. There is nothing that could have been done. My deepest sympathy.

 

[AppyLover2]

Awww Dang It - some of these posts have me all teary eyed.

I'm so sorry for the loss....both for you and mama.

 

[Miniv]

I too am so sorry for the loss both for you and your mare.

I'm glad you solved the problem. We also use the Towel method.

MA

 

[FFFoxyGal]

so very sorry for your loss as well :no: ,......How heartbreaking :no: ,...give your little mare a hug for me.

 

[RJRMINIS]

So sorry about the foal...

On the few foals that I have lost, I leave the mare with them so they have time to accept it and time to grieve. It seems they come to accept it, some take longer than others....But then I remove the foal and bury it, and although they may keep going back to where the foal was, they eventually carry on.

I also have sat and cried with them.....I lost a donkey foal once, and the mother kept braying(exceptionally loud) for her foal, everytime she brayed I busted out in tears....it was so hard.

Nothing is worse on owner and mother than having to say goodbye....

 

[Janis]

Thanks so much for all your thoughts & prayers. They are so much appreciated.

I checked on her this morning before I left for work. Talked to her, gave her hugs & kisses. She is still looking for him & calling for him, but she seems to know that he's not coming.

I've talked to Mom & they let her out this morning & she ran to the pasture. Dad said that our stallion greeted her & stood & loved on her for about 10 minutes. Mom said everyone was being real sweet to her. It's amazing how everyone knows, but they do. All of the horses were acting funny yesterday, they just knew.

I'm at work now & have to go. I'm sitting here crying & everyone's gonna start asking questions.

Thanks again from the bottom of my heart.

Janis