Glad to hear she is home and doing better! I wanted to share with you we have had a foal in March here in Wisconsin and used two heat lamps in the stall which seems to help more than the one. I pray she continues to improve, she sure is a little sweety!!
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Keri
Well-Known Member
Glad to hear she's home. Maybe she just wears herself out so much racing around the stall, that she has to sleep to get her energy back.
I hope she has a full recovery for you! Such a gorgeous little filly!!!!
I hope she has a full recovery for you! Such a gorgeous little filly!!!!
Charlotte
Well-Known Member
Hi Parmela. I hope the little girl is doing ok this morning.
Like Becky and I have found, some of these babies just need a little help in the warmth department for a while. Think of....she probably weighs what? 12 pounds? 15 pounds? a bit more? But WAY less than you and I do! And we have on clothes! That thin baby hair doesn't amount to much insulation and they have virtually NO body mass!.
If I suspect a baby is having issues with maintaining their temperature I put a thermometer down on the stall bedding for a few minutes to see what it actually is there. I hate to tell you this, but I have had foals with cold issues if the temp on the floor was below 70!
In the past we have set up a temp stall in the groom room and heated it to 75 degrees! The baby did great! Mom got a bit warm in her winter fur, but she can take it LOL Usually just a few days of that then they can go back in a heated stall with blankets.
I have had vets tell me 'oh, shivering is natural. Don't worry about it'. But I can tell you. It takes a lot of energy to shiver and those babies don't have a big store of that. They just need a couple of fleece blankies for a while besides heat etc.
I bet your little one comes along just fine. You are doing all the right things and staying on top of it.
Charlotte
p.s. We got an infrared heater (a shop heater) from on online catalog a few years ago. That radient heat is great. Like a Kalglo, only smaller and can be moved around.
Like Becky and I have found, some of these babies just need a little help in the warmth department for a while. Think of....she probably weighs what? 12 pounds? 15 pounds? a bit more? But WAY less than you and I do! And we have on clothes! That thin baby hair doesn't amount to much insulation and they have virtually NO body mass!.
If I suspect a baby is having issues with maintaining their temperature I put a thermometer down on the stall bedding for a few minutes to see what it actually is there. I hate to tell you this, but I have had foals with cold issues if the temp on the floor was below 70!
In the past we have set up a temp stall in the groom room and heated it to 75 degrees! The baby did great! Mom got a bit warm in her winter fur, but she can take it LOL Usually just a few days of that then they can go back in a heated stall with blankets.
I have had vets tell me 'oh, shivering is natural. Don't worry about it'. But I can tell you. It takes a lot of energy to shiver and those babies don't have a big store of that. They just need a couple of fleece blankies for a while besides heat etc.
I bet your little one comes along just fine. You are doing all the right things and staying on top of it.
Charlotte
p.s. We got an infrared heater (a shop heater) from on online catalog a few years ago. That radient heat is great. Like a Kalglo, only smaller and can be moved around.
S
StarRidgeAcres
Guest
I've been without an internet connection since Saturday morning! :arg!
I think you guys were right about the temp. We changed things around, added another heat lamp and another heater and FINALLY got it up to 70 degrees in there! And she's been much better ever since. THat was Saturday afternoon. I'm not saying that was the only thing wrong because I don't believe that, but I do think she was having difficulty regulating her temp and was probably expending a lot of energy just trying to stay warm enough. Now she's out of her blankets and for at least the last 24 hours hasn't been lathargic at all. Just normal nursing, running, sleeping, etc. She's also been much easier to wake up!
Her weight is up to 29lbs. Does that even sound possible??? I'm wondering if we're having a scale problem. I do know she's gotten taller, longer and heavier since she was born, but pushing 30lbs???!!! I don't know about that! She is a little tank though!! She isn't missing many meals!
Thanks for everyones words of support. It meant the WORLD to me!
Her hospital bill (including the farm call the morning she was born) was $3,331.28. Less than half what Mira's was last year, but still WAY more than I'd hoped to have already spent on the just the first foal of the season!
OH! Mira used to be our "most expensive" foal, I got her dam (already carrying Mira) for free, but the hospital bills were over $8k. But this little one is going to push it! If I ad up the stud fee, 18 months of mare care, all the vet bills to get her dam in foal to begin with, the 3 round trips from MO to LA and now this hospital bill....well, it's going to be close!! And I'm not made of money, but it's been worth it. These little beggers just steal your heart, don't they?
I think you guys were right about the temp. We changed things around, added another heat lamp and another heater and FINALLY got it up to 70 degrees in there! And she's been much better ever since. THat was Saturday afternoon. I'm not saying that was the only thing wrong because I don't believe that, but I do think she was having difficulty regulating her temp and was probably expending a lot of energy just trying to stay warm enough. Now she's out of her blankets and for at least the last 24 hours hasn't been lathargic at all. Just normal nursing, running, sleeping, etc. She's also been much easier to wake up!
Her weight is up to 29lbs. Does that even sound possible??? I'm wondering if we're having a scale problem. I do know she's gotten taller, longer and heavier since she was born, but pushing 30lbs???!!! I don't know about that! She is a little tank though!! She isn't missing many meals!
Thanks for everyones words of support. It meant the WORLD to me!
Her hospital bill (including the farm call the morning she was born) was $3,331.28. Less than half what Mira's was last year, but still WAY more than I'd hoped to have already spent on the just the first foal of the season!
OH! Mira used to be our "most expensive" foal, I got her dam (already carrying Mira) for free, but the hospital bills were over $8k. But this little one is going to push it! If I ad up the stud fee, 18 months of mare care, all the vet bills to get her dam in foal to begin with, the 3 round trips from MO to LA and now this hospital bill....well, it's going to be close!! And I'm not made of money, but it's been worth it. These little beggers just steal your heart, don't they?
Riverdance
Well-Known Member
Parmala,
I am glad to hear she is doing so much better with more heat.
But, I would caution on using too much Banamine or Naxcel. These little ones can get ulcers quickly. Does the vet have you on any Ulcer medication? Banamine is known to cause ulcers if used too often. Just a word of caution. I would hate to hear she is having trouble in that department.
Good luck with her, as I said before, she is a cutie!!
I am glad to hear she is doing so much better with more heat.
But, I would caution on using too much Banamine or Naxcel. These little ones can get ulcers quickly. Does the vet have you on any Ulcer medication? Banamine is known to cause ulcers if used too often. Just a word of caution. I would hate to hear she is having trouble in that department.
Good luck with her, as I said before, she is a cutie!!
palsminihorses
Well-Known Member
Parmela,
I'm so happy to hear that your little filly is doing so much better now! You'll have to keep up updated with pictures!
Pam C.
I'm so happy to hear that your little filly is doing so much better now! You'll have to keep up updated with pictures!
Pam C.
Sarah's Little Blessings
Well-Known Member
YEA!! I have just been able to get online!!!! CONGRATS PARMELA!! I am so happy she is doing better!!!
faithfarm
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Pamela,
What is the purpose of the banamine and Naxel, did she have a fever or respiratory problem? I personally think your vet was a little overaggressive in treatment. I agree that your foal was probably chilled and needed a little more heat. Other than that, nature probably would have handled everything else. Is your barn enclosed? My barn gets down to about 50 degrees on the coldest nights but I've never had to blanket or add extra heat, with the exception of my last foal born at 284 days (we put a heat lamp over the stall because she had very little hair). My foals spend their nights in the barn for the first couple of weeks but I always try to get them out of the stall during the day if the weather allows, including the day after birth. Excercise and sunlight are the best things for these babies. I know you want to be very cautious, but sometimes we overtreat and do more harm than good. Anyway, please don't take this as a slam, consider your ordeal as education and education costs money. I'm glad your baby is doing great, she's been throught a lot.
Rick
What is the purpose of the banamine and Naxel, did she have a fever or respiratory problem? I personally think your vet was a little overaggressive in treatment. I agree that your foal was probably chilled and needed a little more heat. Other than that, nature probably would have handled everything else. Is your barn enclosed? My barn gets down to about 50 degrees on the coldest nights but I've never had to blanket or add extra heat, with the exception of my last foal born at 284 days (we put a heat lamp over the stall because she had very little hair). My foals spend their nights in the barn for the first couple of weeks but I always try to get them out of the stall during the day if the weather allows, including the day after birth. Excercise and sunlight are the best things for these babies. I know you want to be very cautious, but sometimes we overtreat and do more harm than good. Anyway, please don't take this as a slam, consider your ordeal as education and education costs money. I'm glad your baby is doing great, she's been throught a lot.
Rick
Miniequine
Well-Known Member
I'm so happy to read that she is doing better!
~Sandy
S
StarRidgeAcres
Guest
Hi Rick,
I'll try to answer your questions. She did not have a fever or any respiratory problems that I'm aware of. I believe the Naxcel (which is an antibiotic) was a preventative measure since her IGg number was just at 400. The banamine is because they felt she was having some pain in her gut (can't remember exactly why they thought that right now), then the ADR paste was to help prevent ulcers I think. My head is still swimming with all the numbers, medical terms, ect that I heard over the last week!
Our barn is enclosed in that if we close all the windows and the garage style doors on each end, then it's totally closed up. But the temps have been in the teens here for several days now and the wind is just howling. We have the foaling stall insulated overhead and on all four walls above the concrete, but the concrete part of the walls stays pretty darn cold to the touch. The stall door is oak. We also covered the window with insulation. We have one heat lamp hanging over them middle and one electric and one oil heater going. The room is now staying between 65 and 70 even at night so mom and baby are toasty warm finally.
Jane,
If she had been born at your place, what would you have done and what would you have thought the diagnosis to be?
faithfarm
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Pamela,
It sounds like your foaling stall is pretty insulated from the cold, the magic number as far as minimum temps goes is supposed to be 50 degrees, from what I've read . So I don't worry about additional heating as long as I can keep the temps above 50. If it is closed up tight and too warm it can cause respiratory problems. That said, if I thought a foal might be chilled I would add heat and I do have a heat lamp over our lastest foal. It sounds like you did everything right, I just think the vet has been watching too many episodes of "House".
The heavy sleeping is normal and sometimes they are hard to wake up if they are in a deep sleep. I can't speak for Jane, but I would have monitored the foal to ensure it nurses (on hands and knees in the stall), pees and poops, and is not shivering. I think it would have recoverd on it's own without vet intervention.
Years ago, my wife thought she killed a newborn because it passed out while she was drying it, then she tried to shake it awake but that didn't work, it only woke up when she put her finger in it's mouth. I've been breeding minis for 15 years and am still learning; but in that time only 2 newborns have been taken to the vet and only for fluids since they were being bottle fed. So far we've never lost one that was born alive, so that tells you how tough they are. Get an oxygen tank to give supplement oxygen if you have a tough delivery and you think there may be oxygen deprevation and you'll never have a dummy foal. Anyway, good luck with your new girl.
Rick
It sounds like your foaling stall is pretty insulated from the cold, the magic number as far as minimum temps goes is supposed to be 50 degrees, from what I've read . So I don't worry about additional heating as long as I can keep the temps above 50. If it is closed up tight and too warm it can cause respiratory problems. That said, if I thought a foal might be chilled I would add heat and I do have a heat lamp over our lastest foal. It sounds like you did everything right, I just think the vet has been watching too many episodes of "House".
The heavy sleeping is normal and sometimes they are hard to wake up if they are in a deep sleep. I can't speak for Jane, but I would have monitored the foal to ensure it nurses (on hands and knees in the stall), pees and poops, and is not shivering. I think it would have recoverd on it's own without vet intervention.
Years ago, my wife thought she killed a newborn because it passed out while she was drying it, then she tried to shake it awake but that didn't work, it only woke up when she put her finger in it's mouth. I've been breeding minis for 15 years and am still learning; but in that time only 2 newborns have been taken to the vet and only for fluids since they were being bottle fed. So far we've never lost one that was born alive, so that tells you how tough they are. Get an oxygen tank to give supplement oxygen if you have a tough delivery and you think there may be oxygen deprevation and you'll never have a dummy foal. Anyway, good luck with your new girl.
Rick
