Outside Pics of PIPER @ 1wk Old Having Fun

[jrae]

Jill,

She is just beautiful....I love her!

 

[nootka]

Haha I love the "dirty look" best of all. She is going to be funnnn to show. Lark was kind of like that. More like a little colt than a filly for attitude. Hard to believe little Lark is expecting her first baby this year...kind makes me feel old!

Thanks for sharing more pics. Hopefully I will have some of my own in the next month or so...?

Liz

 

[Marty]

She's just too much Jill. What a little baby doll. Good luck with her.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

She is such a cutie, that video made me smile. Love the name too .

 

[Jill]

Thanks, everyone

I can't even put into words how much fine Piper has been. She's been cooped up for a few days because of the weather, but I think she'll get to be out tomorrow for awhile and can't wait to let her out to play

:yes

Awww Jill, she's precious!!

I can see why you are so smitten!!

Silly question from someone who has not yet bred before....what is a IgG and what were the precautions? Are they a certain age when this happens where they have to have plasma?

We had some sick horses here from another farm late last year so as a precaution, we're giving our foals plasma transfusions. This will protect them from what the colts had and also from nearly anything else under the sun that could make a foal sick -- so they should be "super foals"

It's a pita but it has real benefits so that's what we're doing (transfusing foals -- it's actually done routinely for high dollar TB foals, so it's good enough for our runts, too)

The IgG is something many breeders do routinely. It is a quick stall side test that you can do on a foal after about 12hrs or so of life and it lets you know whether or not the new foal got enough immunity from their dam's colostrum (first milk). In horses, the only way foals really get an immune system is the colostrum or a plasma transfusion. If the foal didn't get enough immunity from the colostrum and you don't check it with the IgG test, then a few weeks-months down the road, you may deal with a very sick foal or one with joint ill not knowing until then you could have spared the hassle and likely loss by insuring the IgG was good, and if not, performing a transfusion to protect the baby.

 

[midnight star stables]

She's beautiful Jill!

How costly is a plasma transfusions and IgG? It sounds as though every farm should do it!

 

[Jill]

Thanks, Desiree

The IgG probably every farm should do. It costs us $55 + the farm call. They also examine the baby and the mare, and check the placenta which is good if you're not confident of how to check it to be sure none was retained, etc.

The plasma is $290 a bag that does a full size horse foal. A mini only gets maybe 1/4-1/3 of it max. It's only good though for 24 hours so the rest of the bag is thrown away. I think it's another $50 or so for the vet administering it (IV and it takes about 45 minutes or so). The practice is looking into getting mini size bags of it which would be a nice savings if they can get it that way.

The IgG is a good routine measure. The plasma may honestly be above and beyond for the average person to feel they should worry about but given that we had sick horses and how much I love the babies, I just didn't want to take any chances and this was what my vet practice recommended as the silver bullet for all things that I worry over

With Piper, we had a snow storm looming the day after she was born so I actually opted to do the plasma earlier than 12hours old (as the roads were going to be getting bad). So we didn't do the IgG until the next day. It would likely have been too early at the time she got the plasma (may have gotten a weak result only because it hadn't been at least 12 hours from when she first nursed). So, this one ended up being more expensive with the two farm calls but given the weather, it seemed the best bet to be sure she got all she needed. With the two farm calls, horse exams, etc., I think it was like $600 for all including farm calls, IgG, plamsa...

Last year when Passion was born, she had a rocky start (was full term but looked dismature). She did NOT get enough colostrum from her dam, so we HAD to have her transfused. She actually got two transfusions and she's healthy as they come now as a yearling. But, had we not known to get the IgG which showed us she didn't get enough colustrom, then we could have lost her on down the road before weaning when she could have succumbed to illness she had no protection against (had she not been transfused).

Jill

 

[Sterling]

Thank you for that information Jill, these things are good to know. I hope you have a healthy foaling season. You're off to a good start with that precious baby.

 

[~Dan]

OHHHHH JILL!!!! Im in love feel free to send that beautiful ball of sunshine and mama up here and maybe bottle up some of the warmth and sunshine up to freezing New York

love her

 

[Jill]

Thanks, Cheyenne and Dan

:wub

As far as "warm" down here, oh man it's not been!!! But today should be warm. I'm looking forward to it because we haven't been able to let Piper out more than a few minutes at feed time but today she should be able to be out for a good while and play

:yes

 

[Charlene]

i don't know which is cuter, that frisky baby or momma rubbing her butt in time to the music! what a sweet video!!!

 

[Jill]

Thank you, Charlene

I got a couple cute ones of Piper today (12 days old). I just can't help it......................

 

[Gena]

I LOVE her Jill! What a gorgeous little filly! God sure blessed you big time with this one! I am looking forward to watching her grow!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Jill,

She's TOTALLY adorable!!!!

OMG! She's just a little sweetheart.

Love how mum is just having a grand ol' time scratching her backside!

 

[~Dan]

Ohh Jill, shes to darn cute, fell free to send her and mama up to New York anytime

 

[Jill]

Thanks again, folks! She's loved being able to be outside so much yesterday and today should be just as nice. She whinnies and nickers to us when she sees us coming

And she LOVES to show off for us, too -- don't know where she got that from (oh yeah -- maybe her daddy!)

:BigGrin

 

[GREENWOODMINIS]

Jill...I always love your posts...she is adorable...what a big soft eye...Congratulations again!!

lis