The good news is that no deaths to report today but the bad news is we have a horse down.
The mini mare is down and all signs point to labor but it is to early for that. I guess the lady we got her from had the dates wrong. I hope that is all it is. She has milk but her water has not broke yet.
This is going to be a long night of stable watch, wish us luck.
good luck with the mare, hope all goes well.
ReplyDeletei have found your blog about 3 weeks ago and am thouroughly hooked. i also have 2 acres in northern canada and am starting on my wee pilgrimage into homesteading, so i`m finding your blog useful in kicking my ass into gear to get all the projects done. keep up the good work
take care
davey maclennan
Redneck, do you know if it's her first foal? If not, she might have milk for the last couple of months of gestation. We have one mare that ALWAYS has milk, whether she is bred or not. A day or two before she's is ready, her teats will get a waxy plug in them. This is to keep the all important colostrum from dripping before the foal can stand and nurse. It's not a 100 percent with every mare, but it's been true with all of ours over the years. She may get up and lie down many times. That's normal, she's just trying to be comfortable. If she starts rolling and grunting and biting at her sides, I might start getting concerned. I don't know how much you know or want to know or if you have a vet on call ...but if you have any questions or concerns, you can email me at rjrpainthorses@wildblue.net. We've been this road more than a few times over the years. Be glad to help if we can.
ReplyDeleteGeneric advice.
She should be separate from the other animals. Have a stack of clean towels handy for drying off the foal but let the mama have the first few minutes with him.
You should see front feet first and the bottom of the hooves should be pointed at the ground, followed by a nose.
DO NOT PULL... if you see hind feet or a butt first, get the vet ASAP.
Holler if you have questions or concerns. I'll be at the keyboard for at least another hour or so.
ps I just subscribed to your comments by email, so my computer will ding me if you post a comment.
ReplyDeleteNo baby but she has Heat Colic. All preps were made for a new baby but we were going in the wrong direction. All her actions were like she was in labor.
ReplyDeleteThe wife has a good friend that is a vet and she came over last night and stayed with her till 1:00AM.
She said the milk was from her last foal and she was not due till late winter.
They kept her up and walking all night with a nice cool bath every couple of hours. We put her by herself and was told not to give her to much to eat for the next week. The thing is we do not feed much to them anyway just cause of this.
I am not a horse person nor did I really want to be but I am now. What I do not understand is why is it when I am trying to care for these animals the best I can and this happens? I see so many animals not being cared for or just left and forgotten and they live through it, but the ones I try and save are the ones that suffer. Maybe it's me!
WomanWhoRunsWithHorses, Thank you for the advise and I will keep your email on quick file for more questions in the future. Sorry for the false alarm.
davey mac, thanks for joining the family and I hope I can save you some headaces in the future by showing what not to do.