indebtedfarms
Well-Known Member
I posted yesterday about my colt that we believe was a dummy foal. We had him put down this morning but I wanted to tell everyone what I learned from all of you and from him. This mare aborted her first 2 babies at 9 months. We didn't give up we tried one more time--this time we gave pneumabort and she carried to term but the cord was twisted and it took it's last breath as it was born. (we didn't know how to give mouth to mouth to a horse so I mistakenly blew into her mouth.) The forum told me the proper way to do it should I ever have to again. We were not going to breed again but felt so strongly she deserved a live baby. So we bred again. She didn't take right away and so we assumed she was not bred. 3 weeks ago she looked pregnant so we took her to the vet and sure enough she was.
She started labor last night around 4 in the afternoon. I was reaching in because if this baby was alive I wanted it to stay alive. I felt his little hoof pull back. After about 20 minutes of not much progress I decided it was time to look closer. I have never had a red bag delivery but I have read about them many times on the forum so when the water bag didn't look quite right I said, "I think this is a red bag and I need to get him out." So after some struggling I broke the bag and blood shot all over me and clear across the barn. I have never seen that much fluid come out of anything. It was water mixed with a lot of blood and I guess there was between 5 and 10 gallons of water. I have never seen anything like it. But I reached in and found his legs and thought his head too but after my husband started pulling he told me there was no head. I reached in and couldn't find the head and knew we had to hurry. So I told him to pull and we pulled him out completely breech. He was not breathing. So taking the forums advice this time I did mouth to nose recusetation-sp??. He started breathing after not too long and we thought we had saved him. At first he looked around and seemed like a normal foal just one that is tired from a hard birth. After an hour he still couldn't stand and was already going down hill from no milk. We milked momma and fed him. After 3 hours I took him to the vet and they tube fed him. After 30 minutes he really perked up and even tried to stand a little. The vet said it was hydrocephalus and that he was probably retarded. We took him home and fed him all through the night but after 16 hours he could no longer hold his head up and was in bad shape. I took him to the vet this morning and asked that he put down. The vet strongly agreed with my decision.
In the 16 hours he was alive he lived like a king. He was bottle fed every hour or so and for the first several hours I slept in the barn with him and we shared a sleeping bag. I got too cold so I brought him in to our bed. He curled up next to me all night and every now and then would raise his little head as if to give me a little kiss. He was a blessing to us because I have always wanted a baby horse that would curl up with me and none of mine will but he did. Also, his momma finally got to be a mommy even if only for a few hours. And she really seemed to love it. I hate it when things turn out this way but he gave us one of the best days of our lives. And we truly loved him with all our heart. Thank you for all of your prayers because in a way I feel they were answered. We got him for 16 hours longer than we were supposed to mostly because of the advice of this forum.
THANK YOU!!!!!!
also, she will never be bred again. She will just be our pet.
She started labor last night around 4 in the afternoon. I was reaching in because if this baby was alive I wanted it to stay alive. I felt his little hoof pull back. After about 20 minutes of not much progress I decided it was time to look closer. I have never had a red bag delivery but I have read about them many times on the forum so when the water bag didn't look quite right I said, "I think this is a red bag and I need to get him out." So after some struggling I broke the bag and blood shot all over me and clear across the barn. I have never seen that much fluid come out of anything. It was water mixed with a lot of blood and I guess there was between 5 and 10 gallons of water. I have never seen anything like it. But I reached in and found his legs and thought his head too but after my husband started pulling he told me there was no head. I reached in and couldn't find the head and knew we had to hurry. So I told him to pull and we pulled him out completely breech. He was not breathing. So taking the forums advice this time I did mouth to nose recusetation-sp??. He started breathing after not too long and we thought we had saved him. At first he looked around and seemed like a normal foal just one that is tired from a hard birth. After an hour he still couldn't stand and was already going down hill from no milk. We milked momma and fed him. After 3 hours I took him to the vet and they tube fed him. After 30 minutes he really perked up and even tried to stand a little. The vet said it was hydrocephalus and that he was probably retarded. We took him home and fed him all through the night but after 16 hours he could no longer hold his head up and was in bad shape. I took him to the vet this morning and asked that he put down. The vet strongly agreed with my decision.
In the 16 hours he was alive he lived like a king. He was bottle fed every hour or so and for the first several hours I slept in the barn with him and we shared a sleeping bag. I got too cold so I brought him in to our bed. He curled up next to me all night and every now and then would raise his little head as if to give me a little kiss. He was a blessing to us because I have always wanted a baby horse that would curl up with me and none of mine will but he did. Also, his momma finally got to be a mommy even if only for a few hours. And she really seemed to love it. I hate it when things turn out this way but he gave us one of the best days of our lives. And we truly loved him with all our heart. Thank you for all of your prayers because in a way I feel they were answered. We got him for 16 hours longer than we were supposed to mostly because of the advice of this forum.
THANK YOU!!!!!!
also, she will never be bred again. She will just be our pet.
