This morning sucked

[qualabear]

This morning I let my horses out into paddocks for their hay.

I have 2 foals 7 and 5 months sharing a stall who seemed fine. The younger of the two maybe seeming too quiet some days.

Anyhow the older appaloosa filly came outside as usual eating her hay as normal and I went into the house.

One of my boarders showed up at noon and they were watching the two foals horse around a bit b4 doing their thing. I came out of the house at 12:30 and the filly is on her side dead as though she dropped in her tracks...no thrashing marks on the ground. She looked perfectly healthy minutes before.

I feed the babies mostly an orchard grass and a bit of local hay. They 1/2 get 14% foal growth pellet and extra minerals.

Another thing that comes to mind to mention is that two days before there was a young dead deer on the property (no where near where the foals are) Has anyone had a sudden unexpected death like this in a 7 month old? What should I be thinking of, should I worry about the other foal?

 

[qualabear]

Meant to say they get 1/2 cup.

They 1/2 get 14% foal growth pellet and extra minerals.

 

[Jill]

I am so sorry! I don't have a clue what might have happened to her but it doesn't sound like what you feed her could be at fault. I'm very sorry for your loss!

 

[Tammie]

I'm so very sorry to hear about the loss of your baby! That is so awful. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this very sad time.

Tammie~

 

[Minimor]

I'm so sorry!

Just in the past little while there have been at least 2 people on here that lost foals very similar--one person had two foals die suddenly about a month apart. I know one posted shortly afterward to say her vet suspected her baby had an aneurysm that had burst, but that was just a theory.

I don't know of any link between the presence of deer & sudden foal death, nor does your feeding program sound to blame. If your baby died of colic you would surely have seen her being sick/in pain for a certain amount of time before death?

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Your feed isnt the problem other than that doesnt sound like enough feed for a baby as far as grain/concentrates. Were they recently weaned? Somethimes babies get bleeding ulcers from stress. There have been 3 other foals that age suddenly dead on the forum in the past couple of weeks. Thoughts then were of Ulcers or Aneyrisms..... So very sorry for the loss of the baby! I dont know if the dead dear has anything to do with it...... Maybe Dr Pam or Cheryl (4mymirage) she is also a vet, would have an idea for you.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[justaboutgeese]

I can nothing but my sympathy for your loss.

 

[Dorrie & Frank]

I'm sorry you've lost this little filly. It sounds as though you are doing everything right - Do you have blister beetles there? It can lead to sudden death if our hay is contaminated with blister beetles and their little bug body parts.

Some times the foals play hard and smack into something or each other, or just rear up over backwards and hit on their pole and die instantly. We had one little guy rear up and fall over and at first we thought he was dead but he kept breathing - then we thought he was paralyzed - by the time we got to the vet's (a 45 min. drive plus hitching the trailer and loading his momma for another 15min.) he was awake and able to move around. The vet gave him a medication that reduces brain swelling and we had to watch him all night and he was all right eventually - but it could have gone the other way in an instant. Somethimes you just want to wrap them in bubble wrap and keep them in a see through stall so can watch them - but they've got to be little horses and tragic things can happen by accident. It's heart breaking when it does.

 

[Miniv]

I've mentioned this in regard to one of the earlier foals this season that just dropped dead with no warning......

We had this happen several years ago. A perfectly healthy colt one day and at the morning feeding, he was laying in the paddock with no signs of WHY......

We had a necropsy done and he had the horse version of "walking pneumonia"!!!

Our vet told us that even the foal probably didn't even know he was sick!

MA

PS: Please know how sorry I am. I meant to tell you that before. I know how much of a shock and a heartbreak that is.....

 

[Marion]

I am so sorry for your lost. I don't have any ideas just lots of I am sorry for you.

 

[Chamomile]

I'm so sorry for your loss! It's so heartbreaking to lose the babies...

 

[Magic]

Oh no, I am so sorry! I had to read through your post twice to really have it sink in that your foal was dead, what a terrible shock for you.

I don't have any ideas for you, but it sure is odd... so many foals dying so suddenly, it's scary.

Do keep a close eye on your other filly; maybe take her temperature twice daily and just watch her intensely, just in case there is possibly something....

 

[marion 59]

Oh noooo. Not another one. This is terrible. I'm so, so sorry .>>>>hughs<<<<

marion.

 

[Southern_Heart]

Oh my! That is so sad, I am so sorry, so heart breaking.

Joyce

 

[qualabear]

Thank you all. I did some reading on Blister Beetles and it doesn't sound like a possibility as I do not feed alfalfa and we are in BC. It sounds like the beetles get into the plant stocks and being that the orchard is a flatgrass and in the local hay I have never heard of it around here.

Walking pneumonia...just last night this filly was straining over the stall door as always"Gimme gimmmee carrots!" She had no breathing signs or looking unwell in any way but wouldn't she have felt down with a fever or seemed quiet?

Her paddock mate is only 1/2 her size and younger so doubtful there was an injury in play.

I am glad to hear the feeding plan sounds okay to everyone and thank you all for the replies and support during such a bad day for me.

I am just so sick and numbly depressed about it all. We seem fated not to have a foal. These two were bought from seperate farms after losing our only expected foal in a bad birthing experience this spring and another foal I tried to buy the woman changed her mind since I could not get her a the money "bank wired" in 3 days time..even tho we paid the vet exam and photocopied the money order I bought as proof to send email. I cannot imagine what people go through with trying to adopt a child if this is anything near the heartache of loss and disappointment..ups and downs, its just been such an ordeal all around to have only had her a month and a half for this to happen.

The other little colt was bought to keep her company. He is a cutie but it just took so long to find this filly, and she turned out to be such a lovely little personality to boot aside from being a pretty appaloosa- everyone loved her character - there will be such sadness when they all get home soon and find out the news. Its just unreal still. Thanks for the input for possibilities and for this forum to have a place to come to.

 

[hhpminis]

I am very sorry, these type of deaths are always so shocking and the fact that we seem to have a rash of weanlings passing lately is quite disturbing.

I dont think your feed had anything to do with this. I was thinking along the lines of they were playing and got to rough housing and perhaps she did rear and fallover backwards and hit her poll. That would be my first thought.

Again, I am so very sorry.

 

[Relic]

Sorry for your loss that is sad.

 

[Miniv]

Walking pneumonia...just last night this filly was straining over the stall door as always"Gimme gimmmee carrots!" She had no breathing signs or looking unwell in any way but wouldn't she have felt down with a fever or seemed quiet?

I'm sorry for even bringing our situation up..... Our colt was completely normal when he passed. We had no warning either. That's why I suggested it.

Looking back, if we had had any kind of symptom we would have taken a temperature at least. I suggest you take temps on your other babies because our vet said it was a bacterial pneumonia. You vet may be able to tell you more about that if you question him or her.

Wish I could give you more suggestions.....You are right, the whole thing just stinks -- losing a wonderfully healthy and beautiful foal like that.

MA

 

[SILVER]

So sorry, what a heart wrenching experience. The not knowing is very hard to put closure on. ((((HUGS))))

 

[RENMACMINIS]

I am the one that lost 2 weanlings. They were both fine the night before and dead the next morning. The first filly was foaled on May 10,2005 and died on November 27, 2005 she was only 6 and a half months old. The second filly was born June 8, 2005 and she died December 3, 2005 she was 5 days shy of being 6 months old. They were both up to date on everything except WNV, but when they died we hadnt had any mosquitos for several months. They were half sisters, they had the same sire, both had heavy appy breeding. My vet seems to think they died of something genetic.