lvponies
Well-Known Member
It's been absolutely awful!!! Have always had really good luck with the minis, but this year.....
One of the maiden mares had next to no belly. Didn't get wide at all. I would have expected her to foal in a couple months maybe. If I hadn't seen the baby move, I would have thought she was just a little pudgy. No signs of imminent birth, no bag, no nothing. Wasn't watching her at all.
Sunday morning I went down to feed the horses. It was about 23 degrees and there was a hard frost. Fed the horses, put out hay. Everything normal. Looked at one of my maiden mares and noticed she was looking a little thinner. Looked closer and saw blood on her legs. No baby anywhere. Started looking around and finally found the bag. No baby! Kept looking and saw a baby lying across the fence line way down from where I found the bag. Thought it was dead and then saw it's mouth moving. Jumped over and picked her up. Yep....a filly and buckskin to boot!! Totally frozen, but still alive. Brought her up to the house and my daughters and I spent about 2.5-3 hours warming her up with a hair dryer in a hot room. Started to see some response as she was moving her legs some. Never was able to hold her head up, never tried to stand. She then stopped responding at all, just laid there. We also tried giving her warm sugar water and some pancake syrup (didn't have any karo), still no response, not really swallowing. Called my vet who said he didn't have the facilities to care for her and told me to call the equine animal hospital. Spoke to a vet there and her first words were......it's going to be very expensive and the prognosis is poor. She felt the baby was probably in a coma which is what I had thought too. Also, the baby's bottom lip was totally hanging down, never came back up at all. She never was able to get control of her head and she just flopped around. Only made a few feeble attempts at moving her legs. I made the painful decision to let her go without further treatment. The filly looked full term......had all her hair, mane & tail. Beautiful little girl!! She actually was a big girl for as small as her mom was. I feel awful, but the mare never showed any signs of impending birth at all. Nothing!! Never got a bag.
Lost another baby yesterday. Mare tried really hard to reposition and deliver the baby. Colt presented butt first. I tried to do what I could, but only felt one leg. Vet came and one leg was hooked, got that straightened out and then was hip locked. Finally got colt out. He was badly deformed. Back feet bent the wrong way (backwards), front feet no tendon, very floppy. Bottom jaw jutted out further then the top. He never could have been able to walk if he had survived. Vet said he probably would have had to be put down if he had survived. Tiny little thing!! Vet said this was one of the hardest deliveries she has had. Mare was very small. She's had 2 or 3 babies before. One for me....a beautiful little filly. Waiting on the mare to pass the placenta. Vet gave her a shot of oxytocin yesterday, so far nothing. Vet will be out again this morning to give another shot.
Terrible, terrible couple of days!! I know breeding is not for the faint hearted, but OMG!!
Still waiting on 3 maidens who are alot bigger then the one who lost her baby. I have all 3 in stalls in the barn because.....you just never know. They may not look ready or show any signs at all and then something awful happens.
One of the maiden mares had next to no belly. Didn't get wide at all. I would have expected her to foal in a couple months maybe. If I hadn't seen the baby move, I would have thought she was just a little pudgy. No signs of imminent birth, no bag, no nothing. Wasn't watching her at all.
Sunday morning I went down to feed the horses. It was about 23 degrees and there was a hard frost. Fed the horses, put out hay. Everything normal. Looked at one of my maiden mares and noticed she was looking a little thinner. Looked closer and saw blood on her legs. No baby anywhere. Started looking around and finally found the bag. No baby! Kept looking and saw a baby lying across the fence line way down from where I found the bag. Thought it was dead and then saw it's mouth moving. Jumped over and picked her up. Yep....a filly and buckskin to boot!! Totally frozen, but still alive. Brought her up to the house and my daughters and I spent about 2.5-3 hours warming her up with a hair dryer in a hot room. Started to see some response as she was moving her legs some. Never was able to hold her head up, never tried to stand. She then stopped responding at all, just laid there. We also tried giving her warm sugar water and some pancake syrup (didn't have any karo), still no response, not really swallowing. Called my vet who said he didn't have the facilities to care for her and told me to call the equine animal hospital. Spoke to a vet there and her first words were......it's going to be very expensive and the prognosis is poor. She felt the baby was probably in a coma which is what I had thought too. Also, the baby's bottom lip was totally hanging down, never came back up at all. She never was able to get control of her head and she just flopped around. Only made a few feeble attempts at moving her legs. I made the painful decision to let her go without further treatment. The filly looked full term......had all her hair, mane & tail. Beautiful little girl!! She actually was a big girl for as small as her mom was. I feel awful, but the mare never showed any signs of impending birth at all. Nothing!! Never got a bag.
Lost another baby yesterday. Mare tried really hard to reposition and deliver the baby. Colt presented butt first. I tried to do what I could, but only felt one leg. Vet came and one leg was hooked, got that straightened out and then was hip locked. Finally got colt out. He was badly deformed. Back feet bent the wrong way (backwards), front feet no tendon, very floppy. Bottom jaw jutted out further then the top. He never could have been able to walk if he had survived. Vet said he probably would have had to be put down if he had survived. Tiny little thing!! Vet said this was one of the hardest deliveries she has had. Mare was very small. She's had 2 or 3 babies before. One for me....a beautiful little filly. Waiting on the mare to pass the placenta. Vet gave her a shot of oxytocin yesterday, so far nothing. Vet will be out again this morning to give another shot.
Terrible, terrible couple of days!! I know breeding is not for the faint hearted, but OMG!!
Still waiting on 3 maidens who are alot bigger then the one who lost her baby. I have all 3 in stalls in the barn because.....you just never know. They may not look ready or show any signs at all and then something awful happens.
