Missy Day 358 Tovero Filly Updated Pics Page 27!

[rubyviewminis]

I thought I might as well try to start a thread for Missy who is at the 6 month mark today, day 180. She was bred only once on April 28th so that made the wait much easier than last time. I am thinking strongly about joining Marestare when we get closer to have help.

One question I hope to get some help with is her diet. We had 4 tons of wonderful mix grass hay and felt very lucky to get it and at a reasonable price in these times. Especially here where it is hard to find any kind of feed that I want. Since it had some fescue mixed in I slowly took Missy off of it and now she is on alfalfa fulltime. Alfalfa was the only other hay we could find and had to drive to Idaho to buy it. I don't like her eating only that but wondered what others think. She also gets Safechoice Special Care and Omegashine. I would just prefer to have her on feeds other than those, but it is hard to find much else here. I CAN get Nutrena mare and foal on a steady basis, but she did well on the original Safechoice before. Then as foaling gets close what can I use for bedding? Right now its shavings and I can't use the grass hay, I can't find any other either. I can get chopped straw, and pelleted bedding but that is about it unless someone has other ideas. I will continue to look.

Missy is in good weight and at 33"she has never been a problem feeding. When she is full, she quits and I wish the others were like that! Last foaling we had to let her hooves go for the last 4 months because she would get lame if trimmed, even light trims. So far I have her trims up to date and she isn't sensitive. She is 7 and this is her 3rd foal. First was an easy textbook birthing, the next one on my watch was a white knuckled event. We are hoping for an easy foaling this time.

Thank you for any help!

 

[JAX]

I have not used the feeds you mention so will not address that question. Alfalfa hay should be fine as long as she is not becoming obese on it. It will also help with the added calcium requirements of a pregnant/lactating mare. I know some people dont like to use shavings to foal in but I have had no problems YET with it. I use pine shavings and I try to find the larger flakes so less chance for the foal to inhale them or get them in the eyes. My vet said no to the pelleted bedding because it becomes so fine and they can inhale or get in in their eyes when laying down. Last year I used the pelleted underneath a good thick layer of pine shavings, it worked pretty good but was always worried about the fine particles flying around. If I ever have another mare foaling out i will probably try the shredded paper bedding as I have heard good things about it from knowledgable owners. Good Luck to you and Missy both!

 

[AnnaC]

As I'm in the UK I cant really offer an opinion on those feeds either Becky. My girls are all out at grass 24/7 until a month before foaling, when they come in at night and get fed a balancer and ad lib hay. As long as Missy is looking well and has her full ration of vitamins and minerals, then I would think any 'maintaining' feed would be fine until the last month of her pregnancy.

Here we are straw users for foaling - loads of straw well stamped down to form a thick base and then lots more on top to give a nice 'soft' layer for Momma's tummy to sink into when she lays down (think big deep Mattress plus a comforter on your bed!) and for baby to snuggle into once born. Works well for us.

 

[rubyviewminis]

Thank you, I guess straw will be best then unless I find another source of soft grass where I can get a bale or two for bedding later. I was using ration balancers, but now I can't even get those in. Thank you and I will keep reading here.

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

we currently have our mare in SC Special Care, Its formulated for pregnant and lactating mares. We're leaving her on it as it fits her needs as well as everyone else. Ive also had wonders with the mare and foal feel by Nutrena. This is the first time I've tried the Special Care so we will see. So far so good!

 

[rubyviewminis]

For some reason, my email is once again not getting new postings. But my email has been weird lately anyway.

I just opened another bale of the alfalfa and they had told me it had Timothy mixed in most of the bales, and boy this one is about 50/50 which just thrills me! Thanks for the SC post, they really like it and I do too.

About your camera question, we got a hard wired black and white camera from Wal Mart and it worked great for about $28. But then I got another color, low light, wireless system at Wal Mart for about $70 and they both still work great. I have been thinking hard on getting Marestare too as time gets closer. I will have to check into it.

 

[Wings]

I use hay for bedding if I have to bring them in but that's because I'm lucky enough to grow my own! Before that I used straw though, straw and hay are the only things I would use in a foal stall.

Like Anna my girls are out on good grass for most of their pregnancy, they come in a month out and get a small feed of oats, lucerne chaff and a broodmare feed. I top that with a vitamin supplement. You really want to keep the feeds small as they don't have a lot of space for it with the foal in the way. Also you shouldn't increase suddenly after the birth as it can hit their system hard. I have a small feed, minus the oats, with mollasses ready for post birth which I add warm water to. The mares can't resist that treat

 

[rubyviewminis]

Mmm. I was debating if I should switch Missy to Mare & Foal for the higher protein, but it also has higher starch and sugar. Now I have never had problems wiht her and at 33" she has more 'body' to feed than tiny ones. She and foal did very well on regular Safechoice last pregnancy.

I have been wondering tho how soon after foaling it would be safe for her to go back on grass with fescue. I am not going to put her on it, she need sthe alfalfa, but it is tiresome keeping her seperate from her friends who can eat it. Just curious if anyone can relate. thanks!

 

[rubyviewminis]

Thank you Dianne! I don't have pasture unfortunately, it's mixed grass hay bales with a little fescue in the mix. I appreciate the advice. My second batch of alfalfa has almost a 50% soft orchard grass in it which made me happy! We have lots of dry lot here lol. I wondered if it would effect her milk production after foaling.

Today is day 200! I hadn't felt any foal movement for awhile, but today even with Missy not eating that baby was kicking up a storm! Can you see the big smile on my face! I'm still giggling about my vet doubting pregnancy with only one sneaky mare breeding.

 

[rubyviewminis]

Touch and go with Missy's laminitis episode. I started another thread for help earlier. My vet gave me a lot of information and a diet until we get back results on the hay tests. I have the grass with fescue in another building so none is near the other hay, per my vet. She is on soaked and rinsed beet pulp, 24 hour soaked and rinsed Timothy hay that I was able to trade for three bales for the time being, and her Omegashine, soaked and rinsed Timothy pellets and probiotics. She is on camera in her deeply bedded stall 24 hours until my vet feels she can go out into her sand pen. I ice her hooves twice a day with her little soaking boots and sponges I cut to fit in them. She loves the soaks. We caught her early, but I hadn't gotten word to take her off the Safechoice Special Care or to soak the Timothy yet (she hadn't eaten much and needed to eat) and one of those put more heat right back into her hooves again. So I am bagging and soaking Timothy in nets for her and beet pulp in the house and its cold out and raining daily, but at least it isn't snowing and subzero! With heated buckets and chicken waterers it's tough running extension cords to all this and I have to keep Jewel in the pen so she has company or she gets really upset. If the weather turns worse I guess Jewel gets to wear her blankie early, she does have two sides of that area that blocks all the storms tho, and could really loose some weight there. I am putting her on ;the same diet only she and I are getting exercise more intensely with it. Have to look for the fun somewhere. After our hay analysis we will discuss other vitamin/mineral supplements she can have. I found a very good one at Smartpak - Smartcontol IR or the vet might just want to keep her on Omegashine. I learned that I have to avoid any supplement that contains alfalfa meal or other common grain bases. Beet pulp base for pelleted supplements are okay, the protein, and NSC which you have to learn what that includes in total have to be eliminated. I have always fed mixed grass hay and Safechoice then added Omegashine and physillium, no treats and they get exercise. Missy has a pastern injury that doesn't bother her with her normal self running around, but I can't take her for walks or ever drive her as it would put too much stress on her. I have only added alfalfa when she was in foal, or to foals, weanlings, and yearlings mixed with grass. So this is a lesson in that IR and Laminitis can still happen, tho we believe hers is pregnancy induced. Lesson learned for me, just hope it helps someone else too!

 

[rubyviewminis]

Thanks Dianne. We took Missy off the Fescue mix a little earlier to integrate her to the other hay, and that along with too much pain from a severe laminits episode can sometimes cause a release of progesterone I think she said, which could lead to abortion. *sigh* She has been doing very well, but does not care for her cardboard Timothy hay. We are still waiting for hay test results to formulate a diet. She did want me to start easing up and gradually lessen the soak time, or use warm water and see how she does.

So even though she is a picky, slow eater, very, very active, and never overweight, this can happen. Got some pictures of her today, she finally grew some winter coat in and after taking this picture I noticed her left eye. So got some warm water, she had hair stuck in it *sigh*



WIDE LOAD

 

[Bonny]

Missy is so cute! Hope all goes well for you

 

[AnnaC]

Hope all continues to go well for you and Missy - you really are doing all you can for her! It's great that you are getting so much help from your vet too.

Fingers crossed for you both, please keep us updated on her progress.

 

[rubyviewminis]

Hi all, day 222 update! Hay tests were done and in, and my vet developed a diet. So, my alfalfa/orchard mix turned out to be way high in sugars but the straight alfalfa was below 10% so we are slowly with probiotics starting her on that. As she is changed she also gets soaked and rinsed beet pulp, soaked timothy cubes and pellets, Omegashine (which the experts said was one of the best supplements for horse that are IR or Cushings) and LMF Super Supplement Grass formula until she is up to 3# of alfalfa if she can tolerate it, then the Super Supplement for Alfalfa. She did loose some weight since she does not like Timothy hay with all of the taste soaked out of it, but since it was through MUCH EFFORT that I finally got a feed store to get in Timothy cubes, she like them very much. Even tho it isn't real cold here I am going to blanket her at night to try and help get her weight up. And we have progressed to not having to soak her hay!! That was quite a chore with the rain and 40 degree weather.I am checking her all the time and she is doing well and seems much happier! I am too when not on a restrictive diet lol. Baby is still quite active.

forgot to add that surprisingly the Safechoice Special Care DID cause flair ups in her. Still scratching my head on that, but the LMF feed is a better quality anyway.

 

[rubyviewminis]

I have been trying to paste an article from TheHorse.com but with the updated site I can't and gave up experimenting. It is very informative and interesting describing metabolic syndrome as an effect of equine pregnancy.

Today is 289 days and we just keep getting lots of snow. This was taken a couple of weeks ago.

 

[rubyviewminis]

Lol, its so fuzzy and warm too. Uhm, how do I put an article in pdf formatting?

 

[rubyviewminis]

*slaps head* of course

 

[rubyviewminis]

Now we are *officially* on public cam. It quit streaming yesterday I guess but is back on, don't know why. I update on the marestare foaling and updates forum and will try to here as well. It is FINALLY sunny and warm out and Missy is out during the day with her buddies cavorting and sunbathing. Her water balloon all shaved and bouncy lol. Starting tonight I will lock her in, and put a buddy next to her so she won't get upset like last night. Husband has been versed in "turn on the light if I am not home for the barn cam". 3/24 is day 330 but she tends to go to 340 days. She has a habit of absolutely nothing, not even a V shape (except first baby) then 8 hours before foaling had a huge swollen bag and tested ready to foal. She just stood staring at the sky all night then the minute I quit watching to get pants on she dropped and started pushing. She shows absolutely no other signs. I have little experience and hope this foaling has no problems like last time, and need lots of help. Please do not hesitate to call me if you think she needs to be looked at. As she gets closer if I have to go somewhere for very long, I will post it and put her inside on cam and have my phone. I will try to only leave if my hubby is home. I hope we have no further issues with the streaming view. Once again I want to thank Heather for her patience, and taking care of everything even with a foal due any moment. You are the best!

 

[AnnaC]

Have I missed where you posted your cam connection for us? Please could you post it again here - will save me going on a long search!!

 

[rubyviewminis]

Lol, thank you Diane! I am still new to this and trying to find time to learn all the marestare site stuff also, and the new phone.