**UPDATE**Help- Mare will not accept foal

[msbjmassey]

We had a beautiful black and white homozygous filly born on Saturday. We thought everything was going well until we saw the mare try to trample her. This mare we have is a maiden mare and we had her with a group of older mares. Apparently while we had ran to the feed store the mare had her baby. When we got back one of the older mares had taken the baby and was trying to get the baby to nurse her ( with no milk I might add). Since bringing the foal out and placing her with her dam we thought everything was going to be okay but now the mare will not accept the foal at all. She will let her nurse if she is tied. She will let the baby nurse as long as she would like but as soon as we take the lead line off of her she gets aggressive again. Does anyone mind sharing any ideas or tricks that have worked for you to get a mare to accept her foal? We are to say the least exhausted as we are having to get up and go place the dam with the foal every 2 to 3 hours. Right now we have the mare in a stall in front of the foal so she can see her and watch her all the time. We do not feel comfortable leaving them in the stall together cause the mare does get aggressive.

I did call the vet yesterday and he said to keep doing what we are doing until the mare takes the foal. He said that the mares milk was better than any supplement and it was best to keep feeding the baby this way if possible. Today would make day 3 and I just didn't want to get our hopes up if this mare would probably never take the foal completely. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have attached a picture of our new Princess! Also, we have not named her get so any name suggestions would be great as well.

*******UPDATE*******

Just wanted to update everyone on her progress. Her dam has begun to be more aggressive to us and the baby. The baby was getting sort of weak and we felt like she was not getting enough milk. So we called the vet and he suggested we go ahead and start her on Foal Lac milk supplement. We went and purchased some today and we are PRAYING that she takes to it and does well. She did drink about 4 ounces out of a bottle this afternoon for me so I think she likes the milk. We are going to start her on a bowl of milk tonight to get her used to that and not to the bottle.

With a mini this small ( I would say that she weighs about 10-15 pounds) how much milk ( in form of ounces) should she be eating every feeding?

We also have her with our older mare ( the one that took her from her mama) and she is giving her all the attention that she wants. She chases her in the pasture and loves to lick her. So at least she is getting some motherly love from that mare. The baby loves the mare too so I pray that this situation works out. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and thank you so much to everyone for their advice. I will post new pictures of her soon.

 

[Marty]

I had that nearly happen to me once with a maiden mare. Then it clicked inside my brain that she was not only nervous, but she could be hurting. So I cleaned her utters really well and gave her a dose of banamine. I did tie her up and monitered her every time while the foal nursed for the first day and that did the trick. I just got on my stool and sat in there and stroked them both and loved on them and kept reassuring mama it was ok as she trusts me. I really think the mare was in pain because she turned out to be a wonderful mother. I kept them in a large stall where they could bond and be alone together. I also made sure she was not running with anyone else, just her and the baby together in their own paddock. I hope this helps.

 

[Jill]

I am very sorry you are going through this situation.

Two years ago, we had to hand raise a rejected foal, Trooper. We tried for several days and could not get the mare to accept him after a hard delivery and she had required a long vet visit. I think the situation kept her from bonding to him at the start.

Below is a link about how we got Trooper to drink from a bowl after trying really everything to get his mom to help him out.

My thoughts are with you. I won't ever forget how stressful and draining the experience was... We tried for days of restraining the mare so he could nurse every hour - two hours and it got to the point that I couldn't leave her w/ him alone or she'd charge at him.

Best of luck,

Jill

http://www.miniature...howtopic=107542

 

[Carolyn R]

I had that nearly happen to me once with a maiden mare. Then it clicked inside my brain that she was not only nervous, but she could be hurting. So I cleaned her utters really well and gave her a dose of banamine. I did tie her up and monitered her every time while the foal nursed for the first day and that did the trick. I really think the mare was in pain because she turned out to be a wonderful mother. I kept them in a large stall where they could bond and be alone together. I also made sure she was not running with anyone else, just her and the baby together in their own paddock. I hope this helps.

Excellant reminder Marty! Sometimes they are engorged and the thought of nursing is painful. I have had mares like this and banamine did the trick. After a day or two, the mare's body got acclimated to the amount of milk produced in ratio to the amount the foal would nurse off of her.

 

[Reble]

Like to say CONGRATS, Lovely foal

If you can put some malases or something she likes on the baby's back so she can lick it off might help her to bond.

Also feed her grain in a bucket well the baby is nursing, she will have her mind off the foal than.

 

[msbjmassey]

Thank you so much for your replys. We are really at our wits end. We are so exhausted and I had to come back to work today so my daddy is trying to feed during the days for us. So we are trying to work during the days and feed at night. I am going to contact the vet and get some more banimine cause we used our last little bit a couple of months ago. I hope that this brings some relief for all of us.

On a side note, the baby seems to be adjusting well. She is nursing well and still acts like she love her mama! That is what the sad part really is. She tries to love on her mama and calls to her but her mama acts like she doesnt care. It just breaks my heart.

I am going to get her out tonight and wash her bag and spend some time with the mama. I hope it works.

 

[Riverrose28]

Last year we had a similar experience witha maiden mare. I attended the delivery, mare was alone in the stall, everything was normal, I always give banimine for third stage labor so she got that, but still wounldn't allow the foal to nurse and tried to kick him and throw him around. I had to get the colostrum in him so I milked her and used a syringe to get the precious gift of life into him. I milked her for the whole day trying to release the pressure in her udder and to feed the foal, but couldn't leave them alone as every time he approched her she lifted a leg or threw him against the wall. That evening I had my husband hold the mare and I put the foal in position to nurse, and we repeated this for several hours, finally she came to the conclusion the foal suckling was relieving the fullness in her udder and started letting him nurse, but she never did like him. When she was eating he had to stay well away or would be thrown or threatened. He also was born during a heat spell of 105 degrees so needed to be watched for dehydration and even once she allowed him to nurse I had to monitor them from the house to make sure she didn't hurt him. He got constapated on day three and I gave him an enema to relieve that but he started dribbling urine from his cord. Vet had me apply alcohol several times a day to dry that up or surgery would be needed. I was happy when this foal started eating on his own, I named him "Tyson" as he had to fight for everything in his first days. Sorry to hear about your mare rejecting her baby, but if you can keep up supportative care for the infant until they can eat on their own it will help. You may need to supplment his feed with some foal-lac or other mares milk replacer. Mares milk is best, but there is only so much you can do, the infant needs to be protected and you can't live in the barn forever. Good Luck

 

[Riverrose28]

I forgot to add to my last post. You can try this, wipe the mare down with a small rag, then wipe down the foal, it will transfer Moms smell to baby. Or you could try to put up some boards and have Mom stand in the corner with a hay bag, leave just enough room underneath for the foal to get to the udder but don't give Mom much room, keep it tight so she can't kick out. If she is food aggressive I wouldn't tempt her with grain, as I said before that was one time with my mare that the foal had better stay away.

 

[ohmt]

If she let's the foal nurse while tied that is a good sign! Keep doing that....it may take a while but she could eventually accept her. Definitely don't leave them together alone. I probably wouldn't for a while.

If she just won't accept the foal, don't feel bad if you decide to try milk replacer. Read through Jill's thread about her colt-it is VERY helpful! 2 years ago we had a colt orphaned at 2 days old. He stayed in the house with us for a few weeks (NEVER had an accident...better than the dogs

)and then he stayed in the yard for a while so we could keep an extra close eye on him. He was pan fed. I don't think we ever used a bottle. When he got hungry enough, he figured out how to drink milk from the pan pretty darn quick. We introduced milk pellets as soon as we could and he took to those right away. Eventually we added equine junior and free choice pasture along with alfalfa/grass hay during the cold months. He did GREAT and was never behind the other foals in growth except those first few weeks. It was hard work, but he was just the sweetest little horse you could ever wish for and we loved him to pieces. It took us a while to get him to accept other horses though

Oh and he never did learn how to use his ears. They were ALWAYS pinned back. He looked angry, but was a little love bug.

Here are some pictures to show his growth:

and a yearling pic-it looks like he has a belly, but he doesn't at all. That's just the hair that got left at the bottom! Excuse his lack of muscle tone-he didn't like exercise...just cuddles

 

[stormy]

Two years ago an older mare of mine decided she wanted nothing to do with her foal. My vet used Ace with her, kept her calm for long periods of time without the risk of ulcers Banamine can have. It worked, had her just lightly tranqualized for 3 days, after that she was fine.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Leave her tied 24/7. I usually put a rope or board next to them so they can't swing, but high enough to not inhibit the foal from nursing. Just keep food and water in front of her, she'll stand to sleep. Banamine isn't a bad idea and some use Ace.

Although I think most will accept a foal within 3-5 days, I have seen HORRIBLE damage inflicted by a mare, so I keep them tied for longer.

Dr Taylor

 

[Irishroots]

When my maiden mare had her first foal, she was fine for a few hours and then every time the foal ran around she knocked him down. As long as he was still she was fine and would let him eat when we held her. After 52 hours of no sleep,afraid she was going to hurt him, we let them out in a field and he took off and she ran after him and then decided he was hers and she was fine after that.

 

[Lori W]

After reading these posts of maiden mares rejecting their foals, does this ever happen with proven broodmares?

Best of luck with your little one! And thank goodness for the knowledge and support on this forum!

 

[Miniv]

Do you still have the placenta? This is just one more thing you could do........make sure the mare smells the placenta and then rub it over the foal a bit. Some folks have had good luck with this trick when there's been an orphan foal and they want another mare to allow it to nurse.

I do agree with tying the mare up regularly, using banamine and/or ace. She needs to figure out that this little thing is HER'S and the nursing is actually releasing the pressure she's feeling.

If necessary you may have to remove the foal between feedings.......(every 2 hours).....I bet the mare will change her tune in a short period of time. You'll know that her attitude is changing when she begins to call for her foal.

To Lori W: We've NEVER had an experienced broodmare decline her baby. However, I've read of instances where a broodmare has left a foal because of a birth defect.

 

[msbjmassey]

Thank you all for your responses. My husband and I are going to try to tie the mare up tonight and leave her with the baby but have a divide between them. Then maybe she will finally come around that the baby is hers. I will keep everybody posted.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

If you get into a routine it will help- so often when we are tired and more than a bit (understandably) cranky we forget to keep religiously to the routine.

Tie the mare up (and sedate her)

Praise her all the time.

Let the foal nurse.

Turn her loose.

Next time tie the mare up but tie her looser.

Keep her sedated (very important)

Praise her

Let the foal nurse.

Next time put the halter on her (do not leave her tied she could hurt herself and/or the foal) but do not tie her just loop it over the rail.

Praise her

Let the foal nurse.

Mare is STILL sedated, do not cut back on the sedation.

Eventually (and I have to tell you it took ten days in all) I was just putting the halter on the mare without a leadrope, praising, standing there (asleep!!!) then taking the halter off and going back to bed.

The crunch came when I opened the window, shouted praise at the (unhaltered but still sedated) mare and she let him nurse, at which point you cry a bit and go back to sleep!

I had to watch her as I took her off the sedation- once I had to put her back on, but, at the end of ten days she was acting normally.

This was a first foal but no problems of being stolen, she just did not really want him all that much!

She is now an excellent mother.

 

[Jill]

My mare that did it had successfully raised one or two other foals. However, it was just an unusual circumstance w/ her having a prolapsed or nearly prolapsed uterus. She was in a lot of pain, then heavily sedated for hours while the vet worked on her. The bonding time was just borken, I'm afraid. It's for sure a situation where if I could go back and do it over, I would have done some things differently that night while the vet was there.

 

[Riverrose28]

You also asked about a name, It just came to me: Your farm name then: Adorable, you can call her Dora!

 

[Annabellarose]

If she doesn't "cow kick" at the foal while she is tied, I say tie her up and leave her tied! Tie her short and high (so that she can't get a leg over the rope) and within reach of a nice clean bucket of water and hay in a hay rack (that she won't get her rope tangled up in) and leave her be. Tying her, properly, will not harm her if she has been well-trained to tie and tying horses has been an acceptable practice in many countries for literally ages. The Poles STILL do it with their finest Arabian horses; the mares are often kept tied on both sides of a long, wide barn while all of their foals mingle freely.

 

[Annabellarose]

Mares tied at Janow Podlaski, the oldest state stud in Poland.