C-section

Finally getting these all posted!  This occurred on April 8, 2008

Well our first c-section!  We saw Sonnet (SG Sonnet in Blue) rolling about 4:30 so knew she was getting ready to foal.  We moved her into the backyard (clean grass ftw!) and watched her.  She began labor in earnest so we went to help if needed.  After about 15 minutes we realized we weren’t progressing well, and some of the sac was coming out but no foal parts!  Maxim haltered Sonnet while I cleaned/lubed up to go check progess.  Anna was standing by as my fabulous nurse to hand me things as needed. 

So, went in and found an unexpectedly large part – definitely no feet or head, I wasn’t sure if it was a shoulder or hip but there was no movement and I wasn’t able to progress in further as it felt like a weird webbing going on inside.  Quickly cleaning myself up, I told Maxim to keep her up and moving to slow contraction and called UC Davis.  They asked us to bring her in so ran to hook up the trailer.    Maxim and I took off for the brief 15 minute ride to UCD.  Fortunately we’re close by so literally had her there by 6:00.

It was great timing as the reproductive team (including the heads and senior students) had just finished rounds so they immediately all jumped in – we couldn’t even see Sonnet at times there were so many helpers!

After a preliminary exam they determined sedating her completely would allow more manipulation so they started an IV and knocked Sonnet out.  She ended up on her back on the table that can be raised/lowered like a hospital bed – what a help having gravity give a bit of assistance and not having to be on the ground to work on a mare!  The vets tried for about an hour while another team got the foal resuscitation cart ready – we all figured the foal was dead but they asked permission to try as it was good experience for their students so I agreed.  Anyway, after working on Sonnet for an hour the head was just not coming into position so a c-section was recommended. 

 

You have to take a second to digest that as it’s definitely the best for the mares survival and potential future fertility but what a hit to the wallet and you may end up with a pet horse.  We did agree though as Sonnet is a figher having survived hyperlipemia a few years ago with a foal on her side, so we figured we owed her every chance and signed the ‘go ahead and make me poor’ papers!

The vets said it would be 1-3 hours so we left and waited for a call.  Dr. __ called about 8:30 to let us know the foal was delivered fine and the placenta released on its own so no worries there.  The foal though she said would not have lived even if it had been born alive as it had serious birth defects with the entire intestines outside the body and an abnormally large (3 fingers wide) umbilical cord.  (Now I know what the creepy webbing was and still get a shudder over it!)

Sonnet walked back to her stall and ate her mash right away.  She was moved out of ICU the next morning and after two days in the hospital came home.  I think she’s mourned the foal especially seeing all her buddies with new babies, but at least she’s alive.  Right now she’s living – literally in the backyard – and doing great.  We may think about breeding her next year as she’ll be 17 or we may wait until 2010.  It will depend on her and how she does.

 

 

 

#4 it’s a boy!

Number four (sired by Miramax) is a pretty little colt out of LeeLee (Las Doradas Blazing Beauty a LK Bay ABlaze daughter).  LeeLee a maiden delivered her son sometime after 1 p.m. while I was out running errands.  We found her and Toki (the new baby) standing together getting to know each other.

Fortunately she had really lovely colustrum, and Toki had already been nursing.  We gave Toki the going over (nolvosan stump, check sex, eyes, mouth), 1/3-1/2 tube of Foal Response, some colosturm my son milked off LeeLee (Utterly Amazing really is just that!).  Then Leelers got a bit of banamine as she seemed fairly uncomfortable, along with Ivermectin and a warm mash.  We checked her placenta – really nice as far as not heavy or thick and the cord was not overly long. 

One of those ‘unofficial’ things I watch is cord length after having had 3 over the years strangle – I check all newborns cord length.  I think the longer corded foals are at higher risk.  Something that can’t be proven and then is it genetic or chance or ??/

Nine to go!  

Busy week

I had planned on writing a bit every day but this past week flew by!  We had two more foals born (one stillborn) both sired by Miramax out of two half sisters.  Twila’s was a gorgeous blue roan filly – just perfect in every way, unfortunately stillborn.  The only good thing, her being a maiden she didn’t go into the awful mourning experienced mares do.  So my son buried her angel filly under our fig tree.  Next up a couple days later Valentina presented us with a perfect bay filly – all legs and very refined.  Being such a bundle of legs she quickly earned the name Spider! 

Other news, I’ll shortly be annoucing a new addition to our breeding program once the contract is signed – a rather unexpected purchase - but cant’ pass on those golden opportunities!  This new ‘guy’ will require a road trip to get him, but we’re excited as he’ll be a great addition here.

While this was going on, and being up all night on mare-stare, sick again with another cold (barely was over the last flu/cold), I received a call from a Korean TV station asking if they could come and film our minis.  It seemed like a great idea to get Miniature Horses out in another International market so agreed.  The lovely ladies showed up on Friday night to discuss the next days shoot and arrived bright and early on Saturday morning.  (I had 2 1/2 hours sleep thank you faker mares!)  We went and walked the property and they took lots of footage of the boys acting like the wild stallions of Winters; all the mares; and the new foals.  A friend that owns one of our girls and the sire of a few of my favorite mares was willing to come and ‘re-enact’ her purchase for the film crew (thank you Nicolette) so they could interview her and have something to show other than me in Korea!  I did ask them if they would like to go to the local schooling show in Vacaville, so we ran down there for a few hours and they had the opportunity to film halter, showmanship, liberty as well as interview a number of Area VII Club members about owning minis, etc.

When we returned the producer really wanted to focus some time on Spider as she was the newest mini, so we took photo of her being measured, getting a blanket change, we were going to show how to milk and feed from a bottle but uncooperative mom and thirsty baby kept her bag fairly empty while we were shooting.  The crew did fall in love with Spider though (hard not to she’s sooooo cute!), and finally had to leave to catch their flight back to L.A. after a very long day of filming.  It was lots of fun and we hope the DVD they’ll send us is useful and accurately portrays Minis as the wonderful horses they are!

That was about it – back on mare-stare as the mares love to tease me all night and are just waiting for fatigue to kick in so they can have their foals in peace. 

Oh well!

Tired in Winters : )