thanks for your answers last time they were really helpful i just hav a few more questions to ask. can u tell me exactly wat i do with the umbilical cord every detail please like how long after to cut it and how short to cut it etc. and also is it really necessary to get the vet out? the lady who gave me my mare has said she has never had the vet out for any of hers and has been breeding for years and years and is very good with horses and told me i shouldnt need to just wondering wat ur opinion is on that? and also do u think its ok to let my mare foal in my round yard which is sand covered and then move her back to the paddock after she has had the foal? its the safest fences i hav but wasnt sure about the sandy ground is that alright?
Answers:
A clean stall bedded in straw or an open field with good grass are the best places to foal out a mare. In some areas where clean grass hay is cheaper than straw, the hay makes a good substitute. If you do need to use the sandy round pen, treat it like a stall and clean up any manure, but don't add straw. Fencing is a big consideration. A mare can be on a 20 acre field by herself, and still foal next to the only place where a woven wire fence was a foot off the ground. It was enough room for the foal to get on the outside of the fence. If everything goes correctly, there is no need to call the vet until it is time to draw a blood sample to check that the foal got enough colostrum (first milk).
I am going to assume you have never seen a mare foal. So... When the mare is getting close to foaling, you will notice her bag (udder) begin to fill, usually starting several weeks before she foals. By about a week before (usually, but sometimes not until a day or two before), the bag will have become very full and hard. The size depends on breed and if the mare has had other foals. Maidens (first foal mares) and quarter horses tend to be smaller. Draft and standardbred tend to be larger. In the same period, you may notice the mare's muscling in her hind quarters begin to "fall off." Basically, she is loosing muscle tone to allow the foal to pass. If you tap her with your fingers, her croup will wiggle like Jello. For later comparison, take note now how hard or easy it is for you to lift her tail and the shape of her genitalia.
Within about 12 hours of foaling (but sometimes several days before or only an hour before), the mare's nipples will begin to "wax." This is little drops of colostrum leaking from the opennings. When you see it, you'll know why it is called waxing. This is the biggest indicator the foal will be here soon.
Other things I watched for in a mare I expected to foal soon included a tail which lifts as if there was no muscle tension, a change in attitude (a friendly mare being standoffish or a less friendly mare looking for attention), croup muscling which quivers when tapped and a vulva which has become very loose and soft (like a candle left in the sun too long).
Some mares break water slowly in a trickle, some fast in a gush. If her tail doesn't come down when the flow stops, she has broke water. If she relaxes her tail and it drops to her normal position, she probably was just urinating. Once the water breaks, the foal should be out within 20 minutes or so. Any longer is cause for concern. Within a couple minutes of the water breaking, you should see the foal's two front feet and nose covered by the amnionic sack (It has a longer name, something like chorioamnion I think. It is translucent white, like thick plastic). Sometimes one foot will be at about knee level of the other leg.
As soon as possible, break the amnion and push it back from the foal's head, but leave it around its body if you are using your sandy roundpen. Run your hand firmly down the foal's nose to help clear its nostrils at the same time. You may loose the amnion's weight to help the mare pass the placenta, but a (doubled) bag with 2 to 4 quarts of water can be tied to the dangling umbilical with hay string to make up for the loss. Leaving the amnion under the foal will help keep the umbilical clean. Let the umbilical cord break naturally when the mare stands up. If you are attending the birth, be careful. Some mares can be agressive when they stand up. Most will accept your presence. A couple even tried licking me along with the foal.
Treat the umbilical cord on the foal as soon as it breaks with strong iodine. I liked to use a spray bottle set to give a heavy mist. Spray it again after the foal dries and a third time when you have the foal caught to draw blood. You cannot spray it too much. There are other products you could use, but the farms I worked at had poor results with them. Using the strong iodine at least three times, there were almost no infected navels (an infected navel looks and feels wet when the foal is a couple days or a week old).
The foal should be sitting sternal within about 10 minutes. The sooner the better to drain the rest of the fluids from its lungs. You can push it sternal and help it balance as soon as it is out. Within 45 minutes to an hour and a half, the foal should be up and trying to nurse. In my experience with many standarbreds and a handful of quarter horses and arabs, the smaller the foal, the quicker it is up, the bigger the foal, the longer it takes it to find its feet.
Big foals may need more help getting up and staying up. It seemed they did better if I let them handle their own front end and I helped with a hand getting their hips over their back feet. I used their tail like a handle to help them balance. The suckle reflex should be kicking in about this time also. Tickle its nose and the foal will suck its top lip. Don't let it suck your fingers. It will be harder to get the foal to nurse from the mare.
If the foal has not nursed within about 2 hours, it is time to help it find the right area. It doesn't work to push the head down. What helps is to tickle its nose and get it to follow your fingers to the bottom of the mare's bag. Be persistent. If the foal has not nursed by 4 hours, it will need more help. On one farm, the on-site vet was called to tube feed the foal with colostrum from the mare. On another farm, without a resident vet, we milked the mare and bottle fed the foal about 12-16oz using a goat size nipple and a plastic pop bottle. This does make it harder to get the foal nursing from the mare, but I have seen orphans, fed from a bottle for 3 days, nurse from a nurse mare 20 minutes after they were introduced.
When to call for help: If you don't see the nose and both front feet within 10 to 15 minutes of the water breaking. If a front leg is folded at the knee. If the foal seems stuck hard at the shoulders (at the hips, there usually isn't time to get more help). If you see or feel a third foot. A vet isn't necessarily needed, but you will need help from someone who is experienced with malpresentations, even if it is with cattle (the theory is the same).
Talk to your vet about all this beforehand and follow his/her recommendations. You may also want to find a good book with a solid section on foaling. This is already a short thesis, so if you have more questions, feel free to email me at r2mm@yahoo.com Good luck!
When a foal is born the umbiblical cord will break on its own, you shouldn't have to touch it. When the foal stands for the first time you will see what appears to be a thick string hanging from its belly, that is the cord.
Try not to interfere with the dam and foal, let them bond.
Keep an eye on the mare, if you are there during the birthing process. If you don't see two hooves coming out, followed by the head and the mare is really straining, then call the vet. Most mares will foal with no problem, and if your mare has foaled before with no trouble, then most likely she will not have any trouble this time.
A clean dry area covered by straw, or out in a clean pasture is the best place for a mare to foal. Sand might accidently be injested into the foals lungs while trying to stand the first time. But anywhere clean is fine, just keep a close eye on mare and foal. Most of my mares foal out in the pasture. I have never had any problem.
Once the foal arrives call your vet and make an appointment to come out after a couple of days to check both mare and foal and to get the foal's first shots.
If you are there at the birth watch to be sure the foal stands and suckles within a couple of hours, usually less than one hour with a healthy baby.
Good luck!
She should be in a stall, with a soft floor. In the open she'll be more anxious, as both she and the foal will be at their most vulnerable. The sand isn't as good for the baby to be on either. Clean shavings or straw in the stall, too. As for the umbilical cord - you shouldn't have to cut it, but if you do, leave about an inch of it. Be sure to tie it off well there, and also on the placenta side of the cord so that end doesn't bleed out too. If the placenta is out, it'll be messy if it bleeds... if it's not, it could still be attached to the mare's uterus and she could bleed to death. That's where a vet's presence would come in handy, if the sac doesn't come out. Vets are also handy when it's a breech birth - butt first. I'd let a vet take care of it, myself, and be there to watch and learn... next time, you'll know more and will make the decision that's most right for the mare and foal. Read the included links for more "official sounding" information than mine.
Good advice so far, I just wanted to add, dip the umbilical cord stump into iodine.
Firstly, don't cut the umbilical!. When the mare foals, leave them laying down as long as possible and get the foal by the front legs and drag it around to it's mother's nose and leave them. Premature breakage of the umbilical cord can cause massive blood loss. If the cord does break before the vessels inside have closed on their own, get a piece of thread or better still, buy a couple of clamps from your nearest vet supply and tie it off at the base. You should then put some iodine on the stump which will help prevent bleeding and infection.
Things to watch for, foal needs to stand and suck within about 4 hours, mare should lose placenta within the same time frame, if she's got excessive cramping, she's needs banamine and oxytocin to help the process along, ideally the foal needs an enema to clear the meconium.
We used to have mare motels on sand and we prefered not to let them foal there because sand can contain things like rotavirus which can be deadly to a foal. They also seemed more prone to getting septic joints when foaled down there. Sand will also stick to everything. Maybe cover that area in straw if you have nowhere else.
Very important, if the mare begins to foal and a red membrane begins to emerge, call the vet immediately as it's a red bag and very serious. Call the vet if the mare doesn't get up after foaling, if she's down a long time after foaling check her gums for color as she could have a rupture, call the vet if she doesn't lose the placenta or has excessive cramps, call the vet if the foal fails to stand and nurse. Why not contact your vet and go through all this with him beforehand and see if he thinks he needs to be there or perhaps ask some one with more experience to be there for back up and support? There are also some very good books that can cover all these things mentioned in more detail. That would be a good investment.
Good luck!
the umbilical cord breaks on its own- but dip the end(attached to the foal) in iodine to prevent an infection. the best place for foals to be born is in large stalls with deep straw bedding- the foal might try to eat shavings and sand will stick to the newborn(not good). since the woman who gave you the mare seems experienced, i'd have her there, and your vet's phone number, in case anything goes wrong. clean pastures without other horses are also good for foaling because the sun disinfects them daily.
The first thing is, DO NOT cut the umbilical cord. That is supplying blood to the baby. It will break on its on when mommy gets up. Now if she gets up right away after foaling you will have more bleeding with the umbi. Just pinch it with your fingers for about a minute, check to see if its bleeding and if not its time to put iodine on the cord. Best way to do this is with like a dixie cup. Fill it with iodine and slide the cup up the cord and swish around. Now I always dip the cord twice and I do this like a hour later. Now its good to get the poop out of the baby so you will want to give him a enema. I do this after the baby gets up. I would advise against letting the mare foal in the sand cause for one the baby can breath it in and injest it accidentaly. I prefer straw over anything but being out on a grassy paddock is even better. Its a good thing to have the vet come out not less then 6-8 hours after foal first nursed to check his IGG. This will tell you have the baby has the proper antibodies so you don't have a surprising death. Every now and then a kid may need plasma but too me its like 1 foal per year and I've been foaling 25 a year. Good luck Email if you have any more questions
When my mares had there babies (about eight of them) my parents and I delivered them we puts lots of iodine on the umbilical cord and it fell off on its own w/o getting infected. As for the delivery all of our foals were delivered on all different sorts of soil (sandy, rocky, grass, poopy, etc.) but one thing to make sure of is that there is no stud in because when there was a little colt born we fought like h*ll to get that baby out alive.
We leave our mares out in the pasture all year long, that way they will have already decided wear to have it. We never call the vet out unless the mare is having troubles, which normally doesn't happen very often. We don't do anything to the umbillical cord, some people would criticize for that, but we try to do everything aas natural as possible and we have never had that cause any problems. If you do want to do something, after it has broken off, it happens when they stand, spray an iodine spray on it. http://www.horse.com/products/sku-bca80.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment