Pinkie update

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Field-of-Dreams

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But she's hanging on. Dr Voellinger doesn't want to give up yet. She is drinking but just picking at food. Part of that I think is that she just doesn't feel confortable away from home. Her bloodwork isn't quite where Dr wants it. BUT... baby still has a heartbeat. They ultrasounded her and saw the heart beating. Dr Voellinger doesn't want us to get our hopes up yet, though, and doesn't think baby will make it. Please keep both in your prayers.

UPDATE THURS AM: Dr called, she's still with us. Picking at the alfalfa, drinking well. Kidneys are starting to function better, but now colitis seems to have reared it's ugly face- she's got diarrhea. We think all of this was caused by eating acorns... she's never been bothered before, if she even ate any. Dr doesn't want to give up yet. But we are getting close to that magical $$ amount... I just don't know.

This is my Pinkie: Field of Dreams Pretty In Pink:

 
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Thanks for the update on your girl. Send some good thoughts and prayers your way.
 
I am so glad to hear even the smallest of improvements. When you mentioned you felt she was not comfotable being away from home it made me remember something similar with one of my horses.

I don't know how close your bond with Pinkie is but I will share my experience. My stallion and I have a very close bond and several years ago he had to be in the vet hospital. Ended up being 3 days. The first day I went to see him I found him standing in a corner with his head down. When he heard my voice he perked right up. I stayed for about an hour but had other things planned and had to leave. As I was leaving a vet tech told me they were concerned for he just stood around with his head down and not eating or drinking, as he should. She said while I was there he was a changed horse. He ate all the hay they had out for him and drank. In fact I asked that more hay be put in his stall when I was leaving, as he was used to hay 24/7. The next day I spent several hours just sitting in his stall with him. The vet commented on how he seemed to improve over night and he came home the next day.

I see where you said it was a 45 mile drive, so you may not be able to. This in no way deters from the excellent care my boy received but was just that he was and is a big moma's baby. Ha!
 
I'm thinking good thoughts for Pinkie!

Why do they feel the foal won't survive? Just because of the hypocalcemia, or because Pinkie was so ill from it?

We had a mare sick with the same thing 2 weeks prior to foaling. We didn't know what it was at first, she just seemed 'off' and we thought it was a virus making her ill. So, she wasn't treated the first afternoon. That night she appeared to go into labor, but never progressed & I realized it was just muscle spasms, not labor. Called the vet & described her symptoms and he said to keep an eye on her & call in the morning if she was no better. I called early in the morning because she was worse--by then she had thumps. Vet came out and made a guess that it was hypocalcemia--she didn't do blood tests, and I don't think that at that time they could process any blood here, it had to go to a lab so that would take some time--just gave IV calcium. She gave 40 cc in all, and after 30 had been pushed in the thumps and muscle spasms stopped, just like that. The mare seemed very tired afterward but as I recall she did start eating again once she had the IV. She delivered a healthy filly two weeks later.

I would think that as long as Pinkie pulls through okay there's a chance her foal will too.

When our mare was off her feed that first day I did give her some syringes of corn syrup--partly in hopes of whetting her appetite and partly in hopes that it would be something to ward off hyperlipemia if she wasn't going to eat for awhile. That late in her pregnancy I didn't want to take any chances on that.
 
I'm sending prayers for Pinky and her baby!

{{{Lucy}}}
 
Sending prayers. She really has to eat or she might go into hyperolipemia. I would bring hay from home or soaked grain whatever it takes to get her eating. If you have grass, take her out and walk her on the grass to get her to eat. Grass stimulates their appetite.
 
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Praying hard for Pinkie and her foal
 
Hoping that Pinkie is doing a lot better today. I hope the vet's are IV'ing some electrolites & sucrose into her - pretty important that this doesn't slip into hyperlipemia as another poster mentioned. Sucrose can help stimulate her appetite, as well as walks on green grass.

I would also ask the vets to put Pinkie on a double dose of Regumate as an extra insurance to help maintain her pregnancy -- stress releases oxytocin which can cause your mare to go into premature labor -- the Regumate will help offset the oxytocin release and hopefully keep your baby where it belongs until it is due (I would keep her on the double dose until she foals). Remember also, that a lot of minis can have healthy foals as early as 300 days, so don't give up on the foal just yet -- 3 weeks early from the normal 340 is right in the ballpark of where most of my mares foal and I call it full term.

Good luck and keep us all posted!
 
Adding my prayers for Pinkie and her foal.
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:pray and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for you!
 

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