Precious is foaling!!!

[Kippy]

I am so very sorry for your loss. My heart hurts for you.

Cheryl

 

[Joanne]

Hi. My mind is back after a nights sleep.

I have made it through this post from start to finish.

Thank you all for your kind words.

I knew when she went into labor that something was wrong. I was watching her in the house on the monitor at 10:20 pm PDT.

I saw her lay down that way they do before they are going to foal. I put on my clothes and headed out to the barn, my husband followed a few minutes later. We stood quietly outside the stall. At 10:50 the water broke, but no foal for another 10 minutes. I knew this was going way too slow to be good.

I reached around the amnionic sac and found one hoof, but could not feel a muzzle or another hoof.

I broke the sac and found what I thought was the second front hoof and the crown of the head (one ear) head was tilted sideways.

I also had a hock next to the head.. The second front foot turned out to be a back hoof. The foal was not moving and I knew it was dead. At that point we were just trying to free it to save the mare.

The local vet was on a colic case and unavailable. After an hour of trying (in some cases successfully; freed the muzzle, etc) we packed her into a trailer and moved her to the next vet 3 hours away. She was unsuccessful and we went down the road another 30 minutes to a terrific vet hospital where the vet on call was able to free the foal relatively quickly. It was clear that this vet who it turns out is the local God for correcting dystocias in large animals; horses, llamas, goats, cattle knew exactly what to do. He was great with us and I know he did not expect that we would have to euthanize Precious until the very end. He walked us through this very painful process explaining what would happen and what she would feel. He was truly great and I appreciated his tenderness and explainations. If there were any silver lining to all this it was meeting him.

I stayed with her while she was put to sleep and he also stayed at my side until I was ready to leave her and comforted me. I also had Jessica at my side. She worked for me for many years while she was in high school and college. She is now a in her third year of vet school and wants to be a large animal vet. She was in the truck with me as we traveled all night long. Jessica had shown Precious for us when she was in high school and in a large Santa Barbara show took her all the way to Reserve mare as a yearling!

We brought her home and buried her here.

We have one more mare to foal in the next couple of weeks. We are hoping Desire's birth is much less eventful. And hope this time we are all treated to a lively newborn. I would hate to end the year with a loss.

Thank you all for watching and caring and loving Precious.

It means a lot to me as I say my goodbys.

I started with miniatures in 1993 and this is my first older horse we have had to euthanize. We have lost a couple of foals along the way, but never an adult. You always know this could happen, but you are really never ready when it does.

 

[Bess Kelly]

I started with miniatures in 1993 and this is my first older horse we have had to euthanize. We have lost a couple of foals along the way, but never an adult. You always know this could happen, but you are really never ready when it does.

Joanne, I started a couple yrs before you and know this statement to be so very, very true. I had a similar loss with a mare I had raised from a yearling and had several foals successfully, then one that could not resolve and she had an anal prolapse that could not be resolved. Sadly she had to be put to rest humanely and quickly. I have retained her last filly who is now 8 years old and I still miss Candy!

My heart breaks for you with the loss of Precious. As with many things we experience, the pain lessens but never leaves. We all suffer with each foaling now. I am so very sorry for your loss and will think of Precious, as you will, often.

 

[Sterling]

Oh my goodness, I m so very sorry for your losses. My heart is breaking for you, your mare and her foal.

 

[Magic]

Joanne, I am so very sorry for your losses.

It's absolutely heartbreaking. My thoughts will be with you.

 

[Dairygirl]

I'm so very very sorry you lost your mare and baby.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Joanne, saying I'm sorry just doesnt seem like enough. Thank you for sharing Precious's story. Please also send hugs to Jessica. How wonderful that you met a great and caring vet. Rest in Peace Little Ones.

 

[Reble]

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain the situation.

I wish you the best on your last mare foaling

 

[twister]

No that is not what I wanted to hear, so sorry for your losses, to lose the foal is bad enough but to lose your mare as well, my heart bleeds for you. Thank you for explaining what happened. Sending hugs and prayers.

Yvonne

 

[Joanne]

Thank you all for your very kind comments, personal messages to me, and the phone calls sharing your own experiences.

It is a great comfort to know all of you.

My live horses seem to be great at easing my pain as well. They are making me get "back in the saddle" and get on taking care of the living.

Thank goodness for the other foals! They sure bring life into perspective!

We have one more foal due in the next few weeks. Please wish me luck. I just hate the thought of ending the foaling year badly.

Joanne

 

[Riverdance]

Joanne,

I started the foaling season off badly, loosing a loud palomino pinto colt out of a maiden mare. Still not sure if the mare will ever be able to foal again, a beautiful Windchaser daughter. It took 3 hours to get the foal out, but I had learned from a friends experience to make sure the vet gave the mare a spinal tap to help keep her from pushing and perhaps rupturing her uterus. Now, everytime we have a foaling problem, our vet does that first, then works on getting the foal out.

This mare also went down and broke her water, then got up and did nothing for a while. I just knew then that something was wrong. The foal had been alive two days before and she had waxed two days before, but had done nothing for over 48 hours. The foal had died sometime in those 48 hours.

I went on to have 11 beautiful, healthy foals uneventfull after that. Though I have to say with the next foal, my heart was in my throat till it had foaled alive.

I am sure your last foal this year will be just fine.

Hugs going your way.

Sue

 

[Tucker]

Im so sorry to here you lost your mare and foal .I also lost mare and her foal this year hugs and prayers to you.

 

[miniblessingsfarm]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to you. I hope you find comfort in the support, thoughts and prayers of the "mini" community...God Bless.

 

[lilfolks]

I am so sorry to read that you lost both mare and foal. That is so hard and I was in your position once, losing both mare and foal with Vet in attendance at 2 a.m. so I can understand your thoughts and the loss you feel. Foaling out these miniatures can sometimes be a heart breaker for sure. I know when I lost my mare and foal, I told the Vet I won't breed again. But of course I went on to breeding and foaling again, and you will too.

So sorry,

Joyce

Little Folks Farm, CT

 

[TuffyLynn]

My heartfelt condolences to you and your family....

with respect Lynn

 

[ponderosaminiatures]

Oh my , I just read thread, Im so sorry for your loss, there is nothing anyone can

to take the pain away....Im sorry, how sad....prayers and good thoughts for you at this

difficult time.

 

[RockinSMiniature]

Hi Joanne,

I was out of town and haven't be online lately.

When I read this post and I am so sorry for your loss.

Our prayer with you all.

 

[ErikaS.]

Just wanted to add my heartfelt condolences

. I stayed up late many a night hoping to catch the foaling only to find they both had passed. Breaks my heart. So sorry. I hope your last foal of the season is quick, uneventful and healthy.