Concerning Aurora.....

[ChrystalPaths]

This is wonderful news and I was sure Bob would take you up on your offer. This whole horse thing got away from him and I, for one, will applaud his letting her go to be looked after during this critical time. Bless you both. If I can help in any way please ask. As for hay...I'm positive your wonderful Canadian grass hay is perfect for her. Feed wise...teeth will play into that. If she has foundered that too. See what the vet says then a good mare & foal or senior pelleted feed is super. Please keep us updated when you can.

:

 

[lovinarabs]

:aktion033: Good for you Bob!!!!!!

: Kudos to you for not letting pride stand in the way of whats good for the animal!

BEET PULP BEET PULP BEET PULP!!!!!!

If she has had founder you can get the no molasses kind but.you can feed a lot of this and do no harm and it gets water in their system.

Thank you for doing this

:

: And contact me if you want a reading on her, it'll be my part in this!

Hugs

Bonnie

I'm with Bonnie on this one. Beet Pulp!!!! It worked great for my old guy and since his teeth are a little worn down it has made a world of difference. The rescue I adopted him from had me adding corn oil to his feed also, but he actually started getting overweight, so I cut that back.

 

[Relic]

Good news..l hope she has a beautiful healthy foal... :bgrin

 

[Scoopiedoo]

I haven't said anything one way or the other about this, but I knew that above all, Bob DOES love his horses, and would NOT intentionally bring harm to either of them, ever.

Lori, Good luck and Bless your sweet heart.

Jodi

 

[Devon]

: Bob I hope aurora has a beautiful baby. see you at the Social . :bgrin

 

[MiLo Minis]

:aktion033: Good for you Bob!!!!!!

: Kudos to you for not letting pride stand in the way of whats good for the animal!

BEET PULP BEET PULP BEET PULP!!!!!!

If she has had founder you can get the no molasses kind but.you can feed a lot of this and do no harm and it gets water in their system.

Thank you for doing this

:

: And contact me if you want a reading on her, it'll be my part in this!

Hugs

Bonnie

I'm with Bonnie on this one. Beet Pulp!!!! It worked great for my old guy and since his teeth are a little worn down it has made a world of difference. The rescue I adopted him from had me adding corn oil to his feed also, but he actually started getting overweight, so I cut that back.

I am wondering though if beet pulp would have the amount of nutrition in it that she is needing right now. It provides a fair bit of bulk without the concentration of nutrients. Would it fill her up but not nourish her in the amount she needs?

What I am considering so far is the second cut grass hay in sufficient quantity fed consistantly throughout the day until she is past wanting to gorge and then just free choice. Roughage cubes, Mare 'n' Foal which is a complete pelleted feed for pregnant and lactating mares, oil or rice bran (does anyone know which would be the best for her?) fed in several small meals throughout the day, free choice mineral, electrolytes and fresh water (it was suggested to me one pail of each in her stall which I think is a marvelous idea). Does this sound about right or is there anything I should add or delete?

 

[Becky]

If alfalfa isn't readily available, then your hay will be fine. The main concern is that this mare get enough calories to put weight on her as well as her growing foal both now and after delivery. Alfalfa is a good source of calories and beet pulp is even better. I would definitely consider beet pulp. It's higher in calories than alfalfa!

I also like alfalfa and beet pulp as they are higher in calcium than grass hays. If you feed rice bran, it is very high in phosphorus and will need to be balanced with a calcium source.

I'm feeding my starvation gelding here alfalfa pellets twice a day, alfalfa hay twice a day and a protein/vitamin/mineral supplement twice a day. He's actually getting alfalfa 3 X day. Plus I've just started adding beet pulp after a week and a half. I didn't start it initially just to be sure he didn't have an electrolyte imbalance that would send him into cardiac arrest.

There are many ways to feed undernourished animals. The main thing is that she get plenty of calories to put on weight and thrive!

I've also had good luck adding Red Cell to the diet of a horse in poor condition. She could be anemic as well. Good luck!

 

[MiLo Minis]

If alfalfa isn't readily available, then your hay will be fine. The main concern is that this mare get enough calories to put weight on her as well as her growing foal both now and after delivery. Alfalfa is a good source of calories and beet pulp is even better. I would definitely consider beet pulp. It's higher in calories than alfalfa!

I also like alfalfa and beet pulp as they are higher in calcium than grass hays. If you feed rice bran, it is very high in phosphorus and will need to be balanced with a calcium source.

I'm feeding my starvation gelding here alfalfa pellets twice a day, alfalfa hay twice a day and a protein/vitamin/mineral supplement twice a day. He's actually getting alfalfa 3 X day. Plus I've just started adding beet pulp after a week and a half. I didn't start it initially just to be sure he didn't have an electrolyte imbalance that would send him into cardiac arrest.

There are many ways to feed undernourished animals. The main thing is that she get plenty of calories to put on weight and thrive!

I've also had good luck adding Red Cell to the diet of a horse in poor condition. She could be anemic as well. Good luck!

Thanks Becky! I was considering the rice bran for its slightly laxative qualities as well as its high fat as I am a bit concerned about colic as well. Maybe I will go with the corn oil instead and add beet pulp which I can slush and get a bit more water into her too. I have Red Cell here and a friend suggested the possibility of anemia but I thought I would wait for the blood results from the vet before adding it. Do you think I should hold off on the beet pulp until I see how she does on the electrolytes? - I do suspect she is dehydrated.

 

[FoRebel]

:aktion033: :aktion033: Thank you Bob for doing what is in the best intrest of this mare and swallowing your pride. Thank you Lori for opening your home and helping Bob get this mare back into the best condition she can be and for foaling her out!

You're doing the right thing Bob!

:

 

[Becky]

You might initially try just a couple of things to get her to eat. I have no idea if she will eat willingly or not, so you don't want to overwhelm her. Then gradually add addtional products such as beet pulp. I'm just talking one to two weeks. It wouldn't hurt to have the blood work done before starting Red Cell.

 

[MiLo Minis]

You might initially try just a couple of things to get her to eat. I have no idea if she will eat willingly or not, so you don't want to overwhelm her. Then gradually add addtional products such as beet pulp. I'm just talking one to two weeks. It wouldn't hurt to have the blood work done before starting Red Cell.

Thanks Becky! I have high hopes for the Mare 'n' Foal because it is a really good feed and I have never had a mare or foal refuse it - they all seem to love it and flourish on it. Thanks again for your help. Lori

 

[ThreeCFarm]

GREAT NEWS!!! Bob, you made the right choice, and Lori, you are the greatest!! :aktion033:

We've done the alfalfa diet here too for a starved horse that now feels well enough to run and buck for the first time in who knows how long! :aktion033: It was quite a sight to see!!

 

[Charlotte]

Hooray for Bob & Lori! Wonderful people for putting the needs of this little harse above all else!

Lori, I had an arab mare come in a number of years ago who was 40 days from foaling and at least as bad as Bob's mare...perhaps worse. Per vet's advice she was put on alfalfa hay only for the first several weeks...That article Becky was trying to post a link for....it was a study done at a vet school? I think. A goroup of severely starved horses was rescued and divided into groups according to what feeds were used to try to save them. They all did well for about a week then the worst ones which were on grains crashed and died. Those on alfalfa only survived. I don't remember the techinical findings (perhaps someone here copied the artical and could share?)

The vets felt this arab mare would not have a live foal or the foal would be so compromised that it wouldn't live long. For the last several weeks before foaling she was getting almost free choice alfalfa hay and a mare supplement of some kind. (I sure don't remember now!)

I can't find the pictures I made when she came in ...for legal purposes, but here she is several weeks after foaling and as you can see she had a strong healthy filly. The mare was continuing to gain weight, but was still a bit too light and didn't really get to 'good condition' till after weaning.

It seems mares will rob their bodies untill there is nothing left while trying to support their baby. I hope Bob's little mare will come around quickly when you get her and deliver a healthy foal too.

Bless you,

Charlotte

 

[bevann]

There is an excellent article in THE HORSE about feeding starved horses.It says to feed only alfalfa hay for the first few weeks.Grains&supplements if fed can cause other problems until the horse's systems adjusts to good nutrition.I think they have a web site.check it out at www.The Horse.com If not contact me via e mail&I will find the article.I'm on my way to bed.

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

I have rehabbed plenty of horses in my day from extreme starvation. The absolute best diet to start with is straight alfalfa. Over a period of two weeks please don't supplement with anything else or you could get a metabolic shutdown. Grass hay is not a good option when they are that far down at first.

We start by feeding small amounts multiple times a day. Over a two week period it is increased to as much as a horse can eat free choice. Then it's safe to add supplements, beet pulp, grains etc. with little likelyhood of causing metabolic problems.

I'm so glad to see this come to such a positive turn. Good luck to both of you and especially the little mare and the foal she's carrying. If she were mine I'd wait until after she foals before floating her. The risk of the anesthesia is greater than waiting until she's had time to stablize.

 

[RockRiverTiff]

I'm going to be a broken record and add another endorsement for BEET PULP. I would think it would be both easier for her to chew and to digest considering her teeth and condition. It's made a huge difference for one of our senior mares that previously foundered. Also, one of our favorite conditioners for our mares is Clovite, but my guess is Mare 'N Foal is already balanced.

 

[chandab]

I'm so glad to see this come to such a positive turn. Good luck to both of you and especially the little mare and the foal she's carrying. If she were mine I'd wait until after she foals before floating her. The risk of the anesthesia is greater than waiting until she's had time to stablize.

If the mare is calm enough and you have a good and patient equine dentist; you may be able to get the floating done without anethesia. Just depends on the situation.

I've only come across one vet/equine dentist that choses to try to float without meds to see how they react; before drugging them if necessary. [he was very good and patient.]

 

[MiLo Minis]

I'm so glad to see this come to such a positive turn. Good luck to both of you and especially the little mare and the foal she's carrying. If she were mine I'd wait until after she foals before floating her. The risk of the anesthesia is greater than waiting until she's had time to stablize.

If the mare is calm enough and you have a good and patient equine dentist; you may be able to get the floating done without anethesia. Just depends on the situation.

I've only come across one vet/equine dentist that choses to try to float without meds to see how they react; before drugging them if necessary. [he was very good and patient.]

I am very lucky to have an equine dentist near me who doesn't use anesthesia and does a wonderful job. He has already been called.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I am with the straight alafalfa crowd- I would not add Beet Pulp, not yet.

I had a mare brought to me as bad as this one and she had as much hay as she wanted but in tiny amounts- every time she ran out she was given more- now this was a Fjord mare, and you could do an anatomy lesson on her so she was on the brink- a little bit further on, I think than Aurora but not much.

She had also had the foal- a great hulking fat oaf of a foal!!!

Just alfalfa hay and a balancer for the calcium/phosphorous ration- I believe rice bran does this well but I cannot get it so use wheat bran.

Good Luck you are going to need it!!

 

[FairytailGlennMinis]

I just wanted to say how proud I am of Bob--for loving this little mare enough to swallow his pride and do what is best for her. We are ALL humans, have all made mistakes. I was one who was very angry hearing about that poor mare being bred...but I also know what it is to want a little foal so badly...I think we all do. A mistake was made...a very hard and painful lesson was learned. It takes a lot of uuum.....guts...to step up and admit we are wrong and take the steps to make ammends.

Lori, God bless you! For everyone involved and especially that sweet mare, I hope everything works well and there is a happy ending to this. No matter what happens, there is a man who is learning how to better care for his horses.

I am currently rehabbing two geldings that were in about the same shape as Aurora when Bob first got her. One of them is an almost 19 year old that I co-owned and has been out on lease. I have them both on senior feed and the Triple Crown grass forage at the direction of my vet. These are geldings now, not a bred mare. They have been here a month and are doing very well--coming back to life it seems. I hope and pray for the same for Aurora and her baby.

-Amy