Our experience with tonight's foaling
- Thread starter albahurst
- Start date
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Well, if anything good can come out of this sad ordeal, I expressed some colostrum and am saving it for your Colostrum Bank. Let me know if someone is in need.Peggy, I'm so very sorry that the colt was lost.Some times nothing on earth can save them
{{{{Hugs}}}} to you and your mare
I guess I am at a loss as to when to take the foal away from her. She is so protective and wants him close. It hasn't yet been 12 hrs since she foaled, so I don't know what to do- any suggestions?
Charlotte
Well-Known Member
Oh Peggy. I am so sorry my friend.
Frank came in and told me you had called. We are just sick for you and feeling your pain. What was it Rose said? .... These little horses steal our hearts and sometimes break them too.
You did a really good job in a difficult situation. I hope you can take some comfort in that.
I don't know about the timing on leaving a foal with the mare. Our experience has mostly been with mares sedated and they wake up not realizing they have foaled except for Honey this year and we had already taken the baby away. I don't know what to suggest. I can tell you that we quickly move the mare to a different stall or area and dispose of any bedding so there aren't any smells for her to associate with her missing baby.
Hugs to you and that little mare.
Charlotte
Frank came in and told me you had called. We are just sick for you and feeling your pain. What was it Rose said? .... These little horses steal our hearts and sometimes break them too.
You did a really good job in a difficult situation. I hope you can take some comfort in that.
I don't know about the timing on leaving a foal with the mare. Our experience has mostly been with mares sedated and they wake up not realizing they have foaled except for Honey this year and we had already taken the baby away. I don't know what to suggest. I can tell you that we quickly move the mare to a different stall or area and dispose of any bedding so there aren't any smells for her to associate with her missing baby.
Hugs to you and that little mare.
Charlotte
So very sorry to hear about the loss of your last foal - do hope your mare will fully recover.
Regarding the foal - please think seriously about leaving it with your mare. Animals need to grieve too and simply removing a dead foal can leave a mare extremely upset and confused. She needs to accept that her foal has died, she will still have a strong need to protect her new child and if you just take it away, it is natural that she will get herself into quite a state (I do know that some mares will accept the removal of a foal with no problem, but IMO they are in a minority)
We carry the dead foal to the field with the mare each morning and bring it back with her at night. If you can put her in the same field as your other mares and foals - just as you would if the foal was living - it will help her. The other mares wont interfere - she will keep them away and they will soon realise the foal is dead. It may only take a day or it might take a week or longer, but soon your mare will move further and further away from her foal to graze, and eventually she will join the other mares to graze - this would be the day that I would return her to her stable without the foal and watch her. If she seems quite happy, then remove the foal from the field (out of her sight of course) and then see what she does when let out the next day. If she wanders off happily with the other mares, you can safely get rid of/bury the foal.
I know this will all take some time and effort and perhaps you do not have the facilities to do things as I have suggested above, but as long as you can give your sweet mare the time to grieve properly and naturally, then I think she will thank you for it.
I stress this is just my personal way of dealing with a dead foal and a grieving mare. I well remember the one time I did not do this - an older experienced mare had a dead foal that had to be extracted from her, she was well sedated and I thought completely out of it, so I removed the foal and got my g/son to bury it. Within an hour I had a still partially sedated mare going frantic for her baby, so stressed she was careering round her stable and getting in a muck sweat. G/son was sent to dig up the foal and having cleaned it off I gave it back to the mare. Peace!! She flopped down beside it and slept the rest of the day. But as she was an experienced lady it only took her just over 24 hours to accept that her foal was dead and she left him in the stable and went happily off into the field with her companions. I never made that mistake again!!
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Anna
Regarding the foal - please think seriously about leaving it with your mare. Animals need to grieve too and simply removing a dead foal can leave a mare extremely upset and confused. She needs to accept that her foal has died, she will still have a strong need to protect her new child and if you just take it away, it is natural that she will get herself into quite a state (I do know that some mares will accept the removal of a foal with no problem, but IMO they are in a minority)
We carry the dead foal to the field with the mare each morning and bring it back with her at night. If you can put her in the same field as your other mares and foals - just as you would if the foal was living - it will help her. The other mares wont interfere - she will keep them away and they will soon realise the foal is dead. It may only take a day or it might take a week or longer, but soon your mare will move further and further away from her foal to graze, and eventually she will join the other mares to graze - this would be the day that I would return her to her stable without the foal and watch her. If she seems quite happy, then remove the foal from the field (out of her sight of course) and then see what she does when let out the next day. If she wanders off happily with the other mares, you can safely get rid of/bury the foal.
I know this will all take some time and effort and perhaps you do not have the facilities to do things as I have suggested above, but as long as you can give your sweet mare the time to grieve properly and naturally, then I think she will thank you for it.
I stress this is just my personal way of dealing with a dead foal and a grieving mare. I well remember the one time I did not do this - an older experienced mare had a dead foal that had to be extracted from her, she was well sedated and I thought completely out of it, so I removed the foal and got my g/son to bury it. Within an hour I had a still partially sedated mare going frantic for her baby, so stressed she was careering round her stable and getting in a muck sweat. G/son was sent to dig up the foal and having cleaned it off I gave it back to the mare. Peace!! She flopped down beside it and slept the rest of the day. But as she was an experienced lady it only took her just over 24 hours to accept that her foal was dead and she left him in the stable and went happily off into the field with her companions. I never made that mistake again!!
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Anna
Field-of-Dreams
Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry. It's tough losing them....
Lucy
Lucy
sedeh
Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry you lost the foal.
I'm glad to hear the mare is okay though. Give her lots of hugs...it will help you both. {{{{HUGS}}}}
joylee123
Well-Known Member
[SIZE=12pt]Oh Peggy I'm so sorry for your loss
Hope all is well with your mare.[/SIZE]
Warm thoughts and hugs,
Joy
Warm thoughts and hugs,
Joy
Thank you all so very much. Reading and rereading your nice comments has helped me alot. My mare feels your love, too. She has reintegrated into the herd now and seems content. So, I guess we are doing better. My heart just ached for her esp yesterday, as she was so sad.
I was able to express 235 cc colostrum and have frozen it. If anyone is in need, please contact me! I have also contacted Kansas State University Large Animal Center and they know about the colostrum.. Hopefully, my mare's gift of colostrum will save another foal or several foals
Thank you again.
I was able to express 235 cc colostrum and have frozen it. If anyone is in need, please contact me! I have also contacted Kansas State University Large Animal Center and they know about the colostrum.. Hopefully, my mare's gift of colostrum will save another foal or several foals
Thank you again.
