MelissaAH
Well-Known Member
I am so sorry. It saddens me so much. Poor little baby.
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StarRidgeAcres
Guest
I know for sure it wasn't a red bag. We put the foal and placenta on ice (sorry if that grosses some of you out) and had the vet out that morning. She examined the foal and examined and flushed the mare. She also looked closely at the placenta and she said it looked pefectly normal. She didn't think the foal was too early, but what was weird is the picture I have is from a few minutes after we found him which was within minutes of when he was born. All the blood was still bright in color. And in this picture he seems so premature looking, but I recall when the vet was out and we laid him out again for her to examine he looked so different. I wish now I had taken a picture. And he was BIG! The mom is about 32" and the dad is around 30" I think, but this little guy had almost 8" cannons!
Joanne
Well-Known Member
I agree with Getitia.
"Our experience is that typically when full term or close to a full term foal is found in the field and is no longer viable (such as your picture indicates) - from a pure statistical aspect - the following three situations account for about 80% of the deaths - in this order.
The greatest % of looses such as this are the result of the foal being born in the sack - the foal was alive and viable at the time of birth - Here is what occurs:
The mare lays down - gives birth to the foal - foal is born in the sack- mare continues to remain laying for a few minutes - the foal drowns in the sack (as the foal is completely in the sack- this only takes a few minutes) - the mare gets up and in the process of standing up the sack is immediately removed from the foal (sack is typically still attached to the placenta and is expelled later) - however the foal is no longer viable and thus the foal is found in the field with the sack completely removed from the foal. (On occassion, during an early placenta separation, you fill actually find the foal completely in the sack in the pasture/field/stall )
From the photos, I suspect that the foal was born in the sack as described in the first example.
Unfortunatly any one that has had a large number of foals has seen this. If you are there when the mare foals you can break open the sac and allow the foal to breathe. But if you are not there you loose them.
Reading your account reminds me of the ones that we have lost. Some mares, dispite all the modern technology, slip through your fingers. It is heartbreaking after waiting so many months. The foal looks normal and I agree with your vet that it was full term.
"Our experience is that typically when full term or close to a full term foal is found in the field and is no longer viable (such as your picture indicates) - from a pure statistical aspect - the following three situations account for about 80% of the deaths - in this order.
The greatest % of looses such as this are the result of the foal being born in the sack - the foal was alive and viable at the time of birth - Here is what occurs:
The mare lays down - gives birth to the foal - foal is born in the sack- mare continues to remain laying for a few minutes - the foal drowns in the sack (as the foal is completely in the sack- this only takes a few minutes) - the mare gets up and in the process of standing up the sack is immediately removed from the foal (sack is typically still attached to the placenta and is expelled later) - however the foal is no longer viable and thus the foal is found in the field with the sack completely removed from the foal. (On occassion, during an early placenta separation, you fill actually find the foal completely in the sack in the pasture/field/stall )
From the photos, I suspect that the foal was born in the sack as described in the first example.
Unfortunatly any one that has had a large number of foals has seen this. If you are there when the mare foals you can break open the sac and allow the foal to breathe. But if you are not there you loose them.
Reading your account reminds me of the ones that we have lost. Some mares, dispite all the modern technology, slip through your fingers. It is heartbreaking after waiting so many months. The foal looks normal and I agree with your vet that it was full term.
[SIZE=10pt][/SIZE]I think also that it was a little eary... and of course one way to see if it was born alive and took a "breath" was to have the autopsy done, but I also know of another way that is NOT for the faint of heart.... you can take a sample of the lung tissue and put it in a cup of water.... if it sinks it never took in air... if it floats it took in air and there fore was "alive" to take in a breath.
April
April
