This morning sucked

[midnight star stables]

I am very sorry for your loss! That is so sad

-Desiree

 

[luckymeacres]

So sorry for you loss.......

 

[mcharr36]

{{HUGS}} I sort of know what you are feeling. I have not lost any foals this year, but all of mine have been sick since early fall. My vet finally pinpointed it down to a bacterial infection called Lawsonia Intercellularis. It's found in almost all mammals. It's passed in contaminated poop. I think my foals got it from eating the hay under my rabbit cages. I had lost a doe and litter just a few weeks earlier and attributed their deaths to mastitis and the heat. I think my rabbits got it from the barn cats who may have gotten from eating rodents. It does not affect adult horses. But it sometimes shows up in deer.

The symptoms my foals exibited was lethargy and sometimes a low fever along with weight loss, but no appetite loss. The lethargy I had at first attributed to weaning stress and the heat. It started with one foal and progressed through each foal until all seven were infected. I've got three on antibiotics right now. I have a vet bill from H***. Your vet can do a blood test to see if any of your other foals have it. My vet says it's self limiting, meaning it goes away on it's own eventually. But I didn't feel like taking the chance on the three. The other four seem to have fully recovered since the weather turned cold.

I hope this doesn't send you into a panic. I just about turned inside out when my vet told me the test results.

More {{HUGS}}

 

[MyBarakah]

Hi,

I am terribley sorry to hear about such a heart breaking loss! I deffinately know what it feels like to have lost something so precious like that! I've lost one in a trailer wreck (hit black ice). And had my "best friend", who was my 12th birthday present (a yearling quarter colt) stolen my first semester at college! I was set up... I won the state 4-H with him in english equitation (way back when)... He was black, big and beautiful! I could of NEVER imagined life with out him! Let's just say it ruined my grades that semester and would NEVER live in the state of OK if you paid me!! lol!

But reading these post about these babies dieing... all about this time of year, with the weather changeing.... This scares me to death..... because (hopefully) next year this time... I will have babies this age! But after reading threw the post...... the most logical thing it sounds like is the walking pneomonia. HOW the heck are you suppose to catch that in time! Holly Cow! If there are NO signs.... nothing to vaccinate that for!? Is there any supplements with like immunity boosters to give these babies to help protect them from this?

Also..... wish someone could do a study on the babies that 'have' died... to see where they were located, what the weather conditions were and had been, what they were fed, what are thier bloodlines..... any thing and everything to try to figure out how to watch for this deal!? Very scarey!!!

I think "possibly" we're seeing more deaths this year, maybe (my guess) because of the earlier winter than last year?

 

[capall beag]

That is so terrible.

Sorry I have no advice or words of wisdom.

How devastating to loose her and not know why.

My thoughts are with you.

 

[REO]

I'm so sorry you lost her! What a horrible, devastating loss.

{{{{Hugs}}}}

 

[qualabear]

Thanks again everyone. Its been hard for sure but it helps to have this forum and other horse people to talk to. Thank you for your responses.

Someone said to me I should check into my hay as they read something a long while ago about dairy hays such as my orchard grass being unsafe for foals depending on what they were fertilized with. Its just yet another thing to think about but has anyone heard of that? Some farmers use cow manure to fertilize but I am pretty sure mine uses a chemical one. The other baby isn't sick but the filly that died looked healthy so I have to worry about everything at this point.

 

[sedeh]

That's so terrible. I hate hearing about these "healthy one minute, dead the next" foals. Too many in the past few weeks have happened that way. My heart goes out to all the owners. I have 3 weanlings and have been watching them like a hawk. I used to look out and see the babies stretched out enjoying the sunshine and say (kiddingly) "oh, look at all my dead babies".......I don't do that anymore.....now I look to make sure they're still breathing. I am so sorry for your loss. Don't give up! Sometimes these things go in spurts and the next filly you get will be just fine.

 

[journey]

I am so sorry for your loss! It makes me so sad to hear about these foals. My prayers are with you.

 

[qualabear]

[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

523104[/snapback]

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[qualabear]

Lyn, just wondering you think should be right for amount of grain? ...and would you think if I up the amount to give it twice a day?

The filly that died was a good weight, but the other little one has tended to be ribbier under his thick coat. He is about 20" high though...a very tiny baby so I don't want to give him too much.

 

[Miniv]

I'm not Lyn, but I thought I'd just tell you what we feed our weanlings......

Depending on their needs, such as how big they are or what their metabolisms are, we feed at least 2 cups grain -- up to 4 cups if necessary.

With the cold weather, we are feeding them extra hay -- approximately 2 lbs, 2x a day.

MA

 

[hhpminis]

MaryAnn, I second that. I feed 2 cups grain twice a day with about 2 cups soaked beet pulp and about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds hay.

Qualabear, your baby is quite small so she might not need quite as much but I think you should up the feed too, especially if she is ribby. Maybe 2 cups grain and 1 pound hay twice a day. Try that and watch where she goes with it and adjust from there.

Hope things are getting easier for you.

 

[qualabear]

Okay, I will up the grain a bit. Thanks everyone. The hay he has unlimited access to, but I will do 3/4 am and 3/4 pm to start with. He is depressed about his stall mate being gone.

Agh this has been so awful...again I thank you all a million for being there and responding to me. It is good to talk here. In person I would likely cry like a baby talking about my filly (and have) - its just been easier to talk here and thank you for your kindness, advice and support. It really has been a help to read your posts.

 

[hhpminis]

You are welcom and there is nothing wrong with unlimited hay this time of year either, just up the grain.

Hugs to you

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]My little weaners get between 3 and 4 cups twice a day of concentrates. They eat less hay then so they dont get gut fill and then lowering their appetite.... a vicious circle. young minis in my opinion need lots more than many on this board feed...... Mine are not fat but they have good muscle and fat coverage. You should not be able to feel ribs on a baby unless you press into their sides. If you feel a ridge back bone, he isnt getting enough to eat. Even if you have to divide his grain into 3 or 4 feedings do that..... sounds like not enough feed to me. Sorry, but if they are undernourished their bodies cant fight off infection like they should.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[rockin r]

There has been sooooooo much loss here lately. I am soooo very sorry for you and your beloved little one.

I am sorry I have not replied to your post sooner, but I have not been on much in past weeks. I am also one of the ones who lost a baby with no apparent reason. She (Donte`) was a healthy, happy baby. I was loving on her one minute and literally 5 mins later she was gone. Her diet was about the same as everyone has posted... You and your baby are in my thoughts and prayers. As someone posted to my thread.. God must have had a great need for angel babies lately. I hope you have a wonderful support system at home as you do on this extrodinary forum..... Godspeed to your little one.. Theresa

 

[HGFarm]

I do not think it is colic related. My neighbors had a yearling filly that died instantly while playing. They were running in circles and she was watching the others BEHIND her for just a moment- just long enough to run headlong into the fence and broke her neck instantly.

Could this possibly be what happened, or something like it? Could she have reared up or slipped and fell and hit her head?

 

[SunQuest]

I am so sorry about your loss. It has been a tough year for so many.

I would also be inclinded to think that it may have been an accident while playing. Last year my sister lost a hanovarian weanling that reared and went over backward and broke it's neck. He was in the pasture with just his mom and there was really no signs of struggling, but the vet could feel the broken neck bone high up so they figured he had to have flipped over backwards to do what he did in the middle of the pasture. Also, I have seen and heard of horses that are playing that run into something like a fence or fencepost with their head and if they hit the head just right will instantly die with no signs of struggling.

There are no easy answers in your case, but a necropsy on the foal would be about the only way to help figure out what happened and put your mind at rest.

Hugs and prayers for you and your horses.