The baby finally made it

[bigjohn513]

well the baby finally made it...but thats the only good news in ths post
the baby was born at 3 am on friday morning and died just shortly before noon on saturday...she passed just as the vet got there
the vet tested the mom's milk and said it was nothing more than water and the babys system shut down
well i guess there is some more good news... the mom is doing fine
the vet told us to leave the baby in there for a few hours untill the mom figured out she had passed...
i'll give you all some more details later but if i type any more now my tears are going to short out my keyboard

 

[TR]

So sorry to hear about your loss. Especially since you were so looking forward to this birth. Its just hard to take any way you look at it.

 

[Just_a_girl]

BigJohn,

I'm really sorry to hear about the baby.........

 

[Alan]

BigJohn,

Sorry for your loss, I know how tuff it is to try to wait 11 months just to have a heartache. Glad moms doing fine.

Take care,
Alan

 

[Gale Seddon]

It's always tough to lose one...very sorry...are you getting a necropsy done (hard question to ask, but sometimes the results can help you in the long run).
Gale

 

[msscamp]

I'm very sorry for the loss of your foal, BigJohn.

 

[bigjohn513]

Its been tuff but I'm taking it better than my horse is...I just changed all the bedding in her stall but she still is sniffing around...anything i can do to help with this?
It was just a really bad day...the foal was looking good and just went down we called the vet and he was on another call and said it will be around 2 hours before he could get there
by the time he pulled in it was to late
the baby had some hay stuck in its throat and the vet said it was a sign that she was hungry..looking back now I guess she did nurse a lot but I seen liquid coming out of the side of the baby's mouth so I figured she was getting what she needed...but after the vet checked the mom he "milked" her and it was nothing more than water

 

[msscamp]

Unfortunately, I know of nothing that you can do to distract her and help her forget except to let time run its course. You might consider spending some extra time with her if she likes people as it might help. I'm sure that sounds kind of silly, but some horses are 'people' horses and some aren't. If she is a 'people' horse that really likes to be messed with, brushed, petted, etc., it may help her. I wish I could tell you something that would be of more help.

 

[Alan]

Well Bigjohn, I don't want to open a unwelcome can of worms here, but, lots can be going on here. So, if you want some answers you need to ask some questions, if not don't read this post. To me it sounds like the foal died 9 hrs after birth, which sounds early for a feeding problem. Mscamp recommended a necropsy, and I agree completely. If you decide to have a necropsy done have a different Vet do it, so as to get a different opinion. It may not be the mare's fault and it may not be your fault. If the mare was leaking milk prior to the birth she may have lost some of the colostrum, but not enough to cause death in 9 hrs. I just think there is more in play then the mare having "water" for milk. Was this the mares first foal? Hay in the mouth doesn't mean the foal was hungry, it could mean the throat was partly block with hay. Sorry for the opinion, but education is the best way to correct problems.

Not to offend, but sounds like more than water for milk is the problem to me ( if the foal died in 9 hrs).

Alan

 

[msscamp]

Alan, it wasn't me that suggested the necropsy, it was Gale.

 

[bigjohn513]

the foal passed 32 hours after birth it was born thurs night/friday am
all opinions are welcome..i want to make sure this never happens again
and yes this was her first horse

 

[Alan]

the foal passed 32 hours after birth it was born thurs night/friday am
all opinions are welcome..i want to make sure this never happens again
and yes this was her first horse

Sorry Bigjohn, I didn't do my math right, that makes more sense. Sorry that I made the mistake with such a sad loss.

Did your vet say why she didn't have good milk?

Take care,
Alan

 

[bigjohn513]

he thinks it has something to do with our pasture...my head was kinda spinning at that point
fescue poisoning or something like that... I need to call him back and make sure what it was and also check to see if it effects cows as well..I have 3 of them carrying right now

on a side note a big thank you to everyone here for all the kind words and the help it really touches my heart to see strangers step up and help with the kind words and advice, the admin here should be very proud

 

[cypressfarms]

Big John,

Sorry for the loss. It's always so much harder for me when something goes wrong with a horse (foal) than a cow. Horses have so much personality.

I have 4 arabians and find myself pacing before each new birth.

I think a necropsy would definitely help you out. That's the kind of thing that you never want to repeat.