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We're Having a Baby! SHE FOALED!!!new pics 5-2-07

3K views 83 replies 28 participants last post by  Zamber 
#1 ·
We bought a bred mare at an auction this weekend. It's really sad, We've been going to this sale for years, and horses (well, the horses that are bred and trained like our new mare) sold for upwards of $10,000. Now that the horse market has tanked, sellers are lucky to get half that. As a matter of fact, we got this mare (and her unborn foal, the sire is a World Champion reining horse) for $1000.

She's a week overdue...she should foal any day now. This is so exciting!! I've never had a foal before. When I met her yesterday, she was so mellow, with her gorgeous white face and dark soulful eyes.....I just laid across her back and hugged her belly. I can't wait to see what she has.

I know this board is primarily for dogs and cats (housepets, if you will) but I thought it might be fun to mix it up a bit and let all of you wait for this gorgeous baby with me
I'll take pictures tomorrow so you can see what she looks like, and I'll try to update on her situation. Oh yes, and definitely baby pictures!!
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#55 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by mesa View Post
but, on the other hand, it's definitely a buyer's market!! I saw nice ponies, Quarter ponies and Welsh, kid broke and dog gentle, selling for $500-800, when in another time, or maybe a different market (they always seem to hold their value in California, especially if marketed right, like to Pony Clubbers) they were worth their weight in gold.

I had a Shetland when I was a kid, she was evil and regularly tried to kill me (j/k, LOL, but she was mean)...so I debate back and forth about the merits of getting them a pony vs. an older full size gelding that knows the ropes....My oldest rides our 18 year old Quarter Horse gelding often, they are so cute. Brushy is 16 hands high (basically his shoulder is as tall as I am) and weighs 1200 pounds. Nicolas looks like a baby up there, his knees barely bend around the saddle, LOL. He loves it though, and Brushy babysits him. Horses are so good for kids. I think every child, everywhere, should be exposed to them at a young age. If you have the space, I say go for it!!
Oh I had two sheltlands as a kid, both geldings. One's name was Fluffy (gray) and the other Chip (a bay). I loved them both and in fact would sit in Chip's stall and watch him sleep. He did step on my foot one time though and man did it hurt
 
#62 ·
my vet came back out and tried to manually remove the placenta, but he wasn't able to get it out.
He said it is too deeply embedded in her uterus, so he tied it up even closer, gave us some antibiotics, and said he would come back tomorrow to try again. He also tubed her with mineral oil (sorta like a stool softener after a person gives birth, just horse-sized, lol)

The foal is doing really, really well. My boys got to meet him. That was funny, because at first he didn't want to have anything to do with them, so I wrapped my arms around his little chest and rump so they could pet him, then he was nibbling their shirts. He's super sweet


Prayers for Sienna, please.

Thanks for all the compliments!!
 
#69 ·
Sienna still has not passed the placenta. I'm going to call my vet and ask him to flush her uterus with saline and pitocin, to help it tone and contract. She still hasn't urinated or pooped, either. Can't say that I totally blame her. Mares' urethras are inside their vulvas, and I don't think she wants to try to pee or poop with that mass manging out of there. She absolutely refused to take her antibiotics last night, no matter what I hid it in.

We spoke to her former owners, and they said she has never retained a placenta before. It fits with my research that says that recent stress in a mare's life can cause her to retain the placenta. I think being hauled 550 miles in a stock trailer with 10 other horses qualifies.
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Complications from retaining include infection, laminitis, and death. I guess a similar condition in people would be called placenta accreta, and isn't that a life threatening condition requiring hysterectomy? I always thought it did. Sienna may have to go to Phoenix soon if she doesn't pass this and have surgery, which means bottles for baby for a while. Which I DEFINITELY don't want to do. Bottle raised foals are really hard to deal with. They think they're people!! Sounds cute, but it's really not, when you're dealing with a 1000 pound lapdog, LOL.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!
 
#70 ·
Have you tried a dose syringe for her antibiotics?? Crush up the pills, mix w/a little water (molasses too, if you want) and shove 'em down her throat?? I imagine that that is really important right now.

Poor girl. Yeah, stress doesn't do them any good, for sure.


Good luck, I hope this resolves soon. You don't want a bottle baby!! And of course we all want Sienna to be well, too!!
 
#72 ·
I asked my vet about the possibility of flushing her uterus with saline and pitocin, he said it wouldn't work. But he did say that once it's out, he's going to lavage her uterus with saline and antibiotics to help prevent infection.

Thanks for the idea about putting her antibiotics in a syringe!! We did that today, and it worked like a dream!!
 
#74 ·
He is gorgeous! I love foals.

RE the ratained Placenta. I recently had a cow that retained the placenta for 4 days, then spontaniously cleaned and was fine. She had a bit of a tramatic birth (pushed for over an hour with a large calf). We give our cows with RP 2-3 days as long as no signs of infection (tyed up if dragging), but other than that we leave them alone - no pulling on it, flushing, anything as long as no signs of infection (smell, green slime, puss, fever, runny nose, cough).

Truthfully, I would leave her alone and she if will clean on her own. The more you mess with it, the more chance of infection, and problems.

I was have a degree in pre-vet, speciliazing in reproduction and large animals, plus have lived on a large ranch for 10 years, so if you have more questions, I can try and answer them


I love horses from 0-2 and about 8 on up, but could do with out them from about 2-6 or 7
!
 
#75 ·
it's out!! Yay! She and the foal had their first outing in the arena yesterday. Boy, was that cute. He was bolting around, stretching those loooooong legs for the first time, and she was right behind him, yelling at him the whole time.

Thank you for the help. It slipped right out this morning. The exercise yesterday must have helped it come free.
 
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