Michelle@wescofarms
Well-Known Member
So far foaling season has been okay (3 alive, 2 dead) as the first four have all been textbook normal deliveries and three of those were to maidens. Number five yesterday was out of a very experienced (numerous foals) mare, that was a first for us!
Sonnet went into full labor at about 5 p.m. and by 5:15 things weren't progressing as I would expect, sterilized, lubed up and went in to find a body part I didn't recognize - I wasn't sure if it was a shoulder or hip or ? So called UCDavis and loaded her up. Fortunately we're only 15 minutes away so Sonnet was there by 6 p.m., just in time for all the students and repro team to have finished rounds. So our poor (I guess lucky?) mare had so many hands helping you couldn't see her half the time.
They went in and check the foal was laying transverse kind of butt at left shoulder head at right hip and on its sternum. They repro team tried for over an hour to reposition only managing to get two legs out so a c-section was indicated. Off they went and we went home.
A call an hour later - Sonnet was doing well and delivered (very dead) foal and the placenta passed and was intact so no problems there. The foal now - that was the icky weird one for us - would not have lived if it had been born as its large and small intestine were on the outside of the body and the umbilical cord was (as the vet described it) at least 3 fingers width wide! She said they had seen these actually born alive before but they die right away. So poor Sonnet, we're really feeling for her as she's a super mom and we were looking forward to this foal
She is doing well though post surgery out of ICU today. She's eating her bran mash and nibbling the fresh grass and grass hay she's been offered and seems more comfortable but still being medicated for pain, etc. So if this continues and she doesn't spike a fever indicating peritinitis (sp?) she'll be home Friday or Saturday.
So, as they say - never say you've seen everything as there is always something new!!!
Must say it's been a weird foaling season starting with my friend's mare in January (she lost the mare/foal) as the mare's uterus split open and the foal descended into the abdominal cavity - it was discovered when c-sectioning the mare to remove the foal - a real nightmare/horror story.
Then I've had friends lose foals for no reason and then this foal - yikes!!!
Sonnet went into full labor at about 5 p.m. and by 5:15 things weren't progressing as I would expect, sterilized, lubed up and went in to find a body part I didn't recognize - I wasn't sure if it was a shoulder or hip or ? So called UCDavis and loaded her up. Fortunately we're only 15 minutes away so Sonnet was there by 6 p.m., just in time for all the students and repro team to have finished rounds. So our poor (I guess lucky?) mare had so many hands helping you couldn't see her half the time.
They went in and check the foal was laying transverse kind of butt at left shoulder head at right hip and on its sternum. They repro team tried for over an hour to reposition only managing to get two legs out so a c-section was indicated. Off they went and we went home.
A call an hour later - Sonnet was doing well and delivered (very dead) foal and the placenta passed and was intact so no problems there. The foal now - that was the icky weird one for us - would not have lived if it had been born as its large and small intestine were on the outside of the body and the umbilical cord was (as the vet described it) at least 3 fingers width wide! She said they had seen these actually born alive before but they die right away. So poor Sonnet, we're really feeling for her as she's a super mom and we were looking forward to this foal
She is doing well though post surgery out of ICU today. She's eating her bran mash and nibbling the fresh grass and grass hay she's been offered and seems more comfortable but still being medicated for pain, etc. So if this continues and she doesn't spike a fever indicating peritinitis (sp?) she'll be home Friday or Saturday.
So, as they say - never say you've seen everything as there is always something new!!!
Must say it's been a weird foaling season starting with my friend's mare in January (she lost the mare/foal) as the mare's uterus split open and the foal descended into the abdominal cavity - it was discovered when c-sectioning the mare to remove the foal - a real nightmare/horror story.
Then I've had friends lose foals for no reason and then this foal - yikes!!!
