RIP Little Remington....you were loved

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Yay!!!! You've done such a great job. And I would bring mine inside too. Can't wait to see more pics. My baby is due in a few months so I'm baby hungry.
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Fantastic news
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You really have done such an amazing job, congratulations
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Kepp us posted with his progress and Pictures of course
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Sooo.... a few ?s and a lot of my own experience? (another of my books???)

1st - GLAD they are both home. AND yes, at only 28* here last night and 32* the night before, It's been cold! What a surprise after 90* day/70* nite last week.

2nd - There doesn't seem to be any "new" research out there on drugs/bringing in milk/mares. Most of the info I found was last printed clear back in early to mid 2000s. BUT - there were several interesting articles that I did read.

CSU Equine Repro lab - Domperidone (not dated?)

OK Maybe mid - late 2000s - Drug protocol turns rescued mares to nurse mares (nov 200 2008)

This one thought was after the one above but there must be another article I haven't found yet... Owner Blog - Making a New Mom...

There is a bit more - actually still reading! But... The only thing that seems to have changed since we had our experience with ONE Shetland mare is that Domperidone seems to be in Gel format, not liquid as it was when we used it in 1998. I used this as a search term - "drug to bring in equine milk".

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In 1997, we had our first shetland foal. She wasn't on the ground when I was ready to go into work (at that time, I went in well before daylight to download the safe and account for previous days' $$ at a truck stop in MT. Bookkeeper, cashier), but just a few hours later, my step dad showed up w/ my 3 daughters and pictures of our new baby "Chicka Boom" (after the popular toddler ABC book/song - "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - will there be enough room..."). Patty, mom, had laid down and "squirted" foal into sire's paddock (found one spot she could have fit under the fence?). Dad/girls found him standing 3 legged, squealing and cleaning off a still very wet baby who was trying to nurse on him! The vet had been down the road checking cattle for another rancher so stopped in and checked the "crazy pony lady's" pony baby. Don't know if IgG was checked at the time...

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Dad, the girls and I shared a quick lunch in the restaurant, then they left for errands and I finished out my day. It was about 2 in the afternoon when I arrived home to problems... The mare (a 3 y old maiden) would not leave the foal alone (who was down when I first looked). They weren't up in their shelter, protected from the wind, but down at the gate where the dry and not warm wind blew dust, straw and such around. Every time the foal got up, mama would knock her down. When I got into the pen, the foal stayed down - mare was just upset. Baby's eyes were crusted shut, her tongue tip sticking out of her mouth and dryer than I'd have liked. Pinching her neck - skin stayed ridged/standing (
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). I was a "little" panic-y! I was alone, the errands must not have been done yet as no-one else around. The paddocks where our ponies were, were quite a ways away from the house/phone etc. No such thing as cell phones, then (according to Sierra, who just got back from a round trip drive to MT, there is still no signal for phones & no internet up there at Mom's place). I tried getting the filly to Patty's udder and Patty "turned mean"... So I let the foal lay back down, milked the mare into my hands (not a problem- offered her relief as though her bag not as large some I get now, it was tight, hot & obviously painful) and then drizzled that into the filly's mouth. Then again (I think several times, don't know/remember for sure). Since they were close to the water bucket, I dipped water out of the bucket and cleaned up the filly's eyes. They showed "fire" once they opened! Determined little girl, she stood on her own then. I'm pretty sure I milked the mare one last time, then drove past parents' main drive down to neighbor's house. Used their phone, called vet & neighbor took me, mare & foal to vet hospital. At that point the vet didn't give me too much hope - percentage of life - LOW @ 25% (or so). Shook my head, stated baby already named by kids and have to try. He shook his head and gave me a list of things to do, and a list of pricing... Hmmm - payments? Yes. So we both went to work. While he gave the foal blood plasma, IV, I milked the mare again. He then tubed that milk directly into the foal. Think I was there for couple hours - long enough to milk the mare at least 2x more. The vet then showed me to the door -he had others he had to check on. Not sure if he had another tech/vet there at the time (I only remember him there the 2 yrs I was a client up there) or if he spent the nite w/ my mare/foal. Next morning, before I went to work, the area where mare/foal were was open and I milked the mare and stored the milk. He'd left directions for bottle feeding the foal and she took some...

Baby MADE IT! Mom came home w/i 24 hours as she was again chasing the foal around the stall, no longer had much milk (no Domperidone?) and vet felt better to bottle raise the foal (little did I know the work ahead!). The foal stayed another 24 hours.

We fed her the rest of the mare's milk we could milk out of Patty, her dam. By the time she came home she wasn't taking the bottle very well - may have been "dummy foal" mild, but we got her to suckle out of a bowl. Foal-Lac became a regular purchase for a long time! The 1st 20 days - she slept on a crib mattress in our kitchen at night getting bowl fed every 2 hours.

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She went to Mom/Dad's place every morning and when she'd no longer stay laying down in the front floor board while I was driving, she went back into the pen where she was born, permanently. A bucket was kept fresh and full of "milk" every day/night. She had her sire next to her in his pen and Patty was then running out on pasture.

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This is way, way too long. Long story VERY SHORT - foal was Stuffy - name changed later when a neighbor who drove on the road that split Mom/Dad's property asked about the "stuffed animal" out in the paddock. She will be 20 yrs old on May 20th and has raised 4 of her own foals w/o problems.

1998 - Patty is back in foal (not foal heat, but following heat cycle) and we are moving - from up near the Canadian border, MT to middle of NC. About 3,500 miles... Trip - is another long, convoluted and crazy story! But they bounced together (yearling Stuffy and Patty) in the back of a "custom built" stock trailer made out of a Ford Courier truck bed.

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10 days after arriving in NC and getting somewhat set up - Patty showed signs and then next morning had another filly - earlier than expected. Again - very little milk, small but tight, painful udder. New vet now knows story and gives me Domperidone. W/I 12 hours - Patty is a "milk cow" and Shado, raised by Patty, did fine! In 1998, a late summer colt and again problems. This colt is given both a blood transfusion and tubed w/ colostrum from one of our other mares. Patty got her dose(s) of Domperidone & he also made it - was raised by Patty after he was set straight and her milk in good. I determined to try breeding Patty one last time, then retire her if there were more probs, but we lost her during the week she was being bred (perforated bowel)...

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So I'm wondering - 3 - about Domperidone for your mare to try to bring her milk in, 4- more "roping" for the Remington for dummy syndrome OR 5 - just "bottle" raising him... And buckets that he can drink out of work great!! and allow him to be a horse while you get some much needed sleep in between still checking on him...
 
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I am heart broken to share that Remington passed away today. He had been doing wonderfully since we brought him home, running, playing, jumping, following us around. He looked like a normal happy foal.

I set my alarm and fed him every 3 hours. At 130am my husband got up to feed him for me to give me a break and some sleep. We had him in the house again as the temp outside was still cold. He was fine, had energy, sucked his bottle down.

I went in at 430 and he was still doing well just seemed tired. I didn't think much of it till later, who wouldn't be tired at 430 in the morning. He was drinking, but was slow at it. He didn't finish his bottle. I got him to lay down and went back to bed.

My husband got up for his next feeding. He called to me and said that Remi wouldn't stand up. We both were trying to help him balance. He had no strength, he was pretty much limp again.

I called the vet clinic and they said bring him in. So I rushed him back in, by the time I got there he couldn't even hold his head up.

He had a seizure during the drive there. It took them a couple of hours but they got him stable. They were going to keep him overnight again, just not sure what was going on with him.

I went back to see him before I went home, my vet was sitting with him, she had been crying. I know she had gotten attached to him as she had been the one sleeping in the clinic with him feeding him at night, and was happy he was well enough to go home, but sad to see him go.

We talked about all that had happened since we got him home, how well he was doing.

About 30 minutes after I got home she called me. She let me know that he had had another seizure and they did everything they could but they couldn't get him back.

I honestly don't think that today was his first times having seizures. The very first time I saw him was through my barn window. I saw Lizzy standing over what I first thought was one of my goats, I saw legs flailing and I thought she had kicked or hurt one of my goats and it was down. I went running in the barn and on my way saw all my goats were there and accounted for. That was when I saw Remington up close and realized what he was and I wasn't seeing things. He was very weak and not able to stand. That is where it all started.

My vet is thinking he may have had something else going on neurologically. I am not sure if it was due to the dummy foal syndrome or something seperate.

We thought about a necropsy, but honestly with the vet bill we had already, and the fact that what it told us won't change the fact that he is gone, we just brought him home to bury him.

I do not have a single doubt that my vet did all she could for him. This was her first case of dummy foal syndrome, but I know that she truly cared for him and is as heart broken as I am that he is gone.

She made me a hoof print from him with his name on it. I have my photo's, videos and memories of the week that my dream came true and I had a beautiful foal.

I am burying him in my back yard and will plant my favorite flowers with him. I may have only had him for a week but he stole my heart and this is going to take me a long time to get over him. I still can't believe it. I want him back. I want to go back and change everything. I have been questioning what I could have missed, what I could have done differently. I wish I had more pictures, more videos and spent more time cuddling him.

I love him, I miss him, I am physically sick from a broken heart and regrets. I kissed his head before I left him at the vet, and told him I loved him. I hope he felt it, I hope in his short life he knew how special he was and how hard I was trying to make sure he would be ok.
 
I am so sorry for your loss. Please know you did all you could for him. You are an amazing mother and Im sure that he knew that. Your vet sounds wonderful and that they have done everything that they possibly could for him.

I dont often get tears in my eyes , but reading your last paragraph.............
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I am sending you the biggest cyber hug

Take Care Ryan
 
I'm very sad reading this, but hold your head up proud....you did an awesome job saving this boy multiple times, and giving him so much love. For the short life he had, I know he felt loved.

Your vet did an incredible job -- few vets would have taken as much time and care as she did, in trying to save him. I'm sending lots of cyber hugs your way, and thank you for loving him the way you did.

Again, you tried so hard, I was hoping for a better outcome for you, but hope you have good memories of the times you spent with him.
 
She made me a hoof print from him with his name on it. I have my photo's, videos and memories of the week that my dream came true and I had a beautiful foal.

I am burying him in my back yard and will plant my favorite flowers with him. I may have only had him for a week but he stole my heart and this is going to take me a long time to get over him. I still can't believe it. I want him back. I want to go back and change everything. I have been questioning what I could have missed, what I could have done differently. I wish I had more pictures, more videos and spent more time cuddling him.

I love him, I miss him, I am physically sick from a broken heart and regrets. I kissed his head before I left him at the vet, and told him I loved him. I hope he felt it, I hope in his short life he knew how special he was and how hard I was trying to make sure he would be ok.
You did everything you could (quite a lot) and it sounds like he was only meant to be with you that short time. I'm soooo sorry for your loss.
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YES, he knew that you loved him and supported him before he went on his next journey.

I think that that Memorial you plan for him, will be awesome and a nice place for your to spend time when you need to - even if for only a moment.

A tear is shared and cyber hugs on the way.
 
I am so sad and sorry to read this. I feel your heartbreak and wiping the tears. You did an amazing job. Big (((hugs))) I make horse hair jewelry and mementos. If you have any hair I can make something for you for free. You can look at my FB page "koda's Korner"
 
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I am so sorry that you lost him, you surely did all possible to help him. I would think he knew how he was loved from all those devoting such over the top effort and love to give him a chance. Rest in peace little guy.
 
Thank you everyone. I am having a really hard time with his death.

Lizzy has been fine. When we got her home from the vet she was herself again. You could tell she was happy to be home, she was running around bucking, tossing her head, rolling and playing. It has been beautiful to see.

For me it seems too early to think of having her bred again, but at the same time I am thinking about it. There will never be another Remington. He has left a big hole in my heart. This is something I have wanted for as long as I can remember. He was a dream come true.

I am scared of this happening again. I am worried about putting all that time into having another foal and losing it. I wasn't expecting Remington, but the minute I saw him he was mine and I loved him. How would it be waiting for nearly a year for a foal and that much more time in planning.

I don't even know if I am making any sense.

We buried him yesterday. I am going to get my favorite flowers to plant with him. My heart still aches. My kids of course are heart broken too, my oldest took it the hardest.

I am going to take some time. I need time to let this hurting heal. I don't want to rush into anything, I am just so full of questions.

Lizzy herself was a dream come true. When we met her and they told me her name was Elizabeth, I knew she was meant to be. My middle name is Elizabeth. She has become such a wonderful girl. For a little while I was questioning what I was thinking when we brought her home.

She went through a time period of kicking whenever we touched her belly, walked near her while she was eating, lifting her feet to clean them. I was worried she would never trust us.

But she has come around so much. I believe she is happy here. I believe she has learned to trust us and knows we love her.

Sorry for my rambling. I have a few friends that understand my loss. Remington was loved by everyone that met him he was a special little guy. I also have some family/friends that think he was "just a horse", that I was crazy for having him in the house, and I am weird for how I am about my animals. Don't get me wrong I know they feel bad that I am hurting, I just don't think they really get how much he was loved and wanted.
 
Breeding can be a hard experience for us sometimes. I'm sure everyone here feels your loss, as we have all lost a special baby at least once, some of us many times. You will hear the phrase..."breeding isn't for the faint of heart". It can be hard sometimes, but it can also be a joyous occasion, full of fun and the wonder of birth.

We are here for you, whatever you decide in the future. We KNOW and understand! Remington was loved by all of us, too, but sometimes no matter how hard we pray, they pass, leaving an empty spot in our hearts.

You did everything you could, and Remington was loved by all here and received many prayers and wishes to pull through for you and your family.

We're all happy Lizzy is back to her "old self" and doing well.

Sending more {{{{HUGS}}}} to you.

~~Diane
 
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It will take time for you to heal. I lost my old mare a month ago and I am still in the disbelief stage even though she was older and it was to be expected at some point. It must be so much more difficult with à foal, I just can't imagine. Sometimes horses have a way of breaking our hearts, but they are worth it and make up for it in a hundred other ways.

I'm glad that Lizzy is home with her family and doing fine. Sending a big bunch of hugs to you and your family and Lizzy,too.
 
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Ugh..... I just lost it again. Cleaning my kitchen, I grabbed Remington's eye medicine ( he got a scratch on his eye from flailing around on the dirt trying to stand) my first thought was that I needed to keep it for him, and then it hit me again that I don't because he is gone.

We bought our flowers for his grave. I picked a lot of my favorites, one being bleeding hearts.

I know it hasn't been long, it just really hurts.
 
Any death is very hard, esp one you invested so much in. I lost a little injured bunny once, i found him in the road. I spent looots at the vets for anti-bs and pain meds and this or that. Up for milk feeds and water bottles and wound flushes etc... I kept the little thing alive for a couple weeks but it just was not to be. I loved looking after him/her so i did sort of feel lost after it and it took a while to get back to normal. But it will happen.

As for re-breeding, some people breed back to back esp if a foals lost, but personally i would not want a mare to breed every year. I would want to give them a year off to heal. Pregnancy and Birth is hard.
 

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