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Post by Guestless on Mar 3, 2011 12:10:01 GMT
Please add your thoughts on this. Feel free to ask any questions, but have a read of the thread in case your question has already been asked.  |
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Post by elmere on Mar 3, 2011 20:01:14 GMT
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Post by mountainsandhorses on Mar 6, 2011 11:50:03 GMT
Thanks Elmere the placenta one was very good.x
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Post by holiday on Mar 7, 2011 8:17:59 GMT
I think for us one of the most important things to have in place is a comprehensive foaling kit, this is what we have in ours..........
Bucket with lid for holding equipment.
Spray for stump - antibiotic spray from vet.
Tail bandages
sterilized hoof pick.
Bottle and teat
Enemas
thermometer
Rubber gloves, long and short
Lubricant
hibiscrub
Emergency contact numbers, vet & local stud.
Bucket for afterbirth and placenta
Plus we also keep on stock.......
sterile bowl to strip some colostrum and something to freeze it in
replacement milk
pennicilin
foal antibiotics - syringe type
pro kaolin
small rug - just in case!!!!
For the foaling also we have to hand.............
camera
copious amounts of coffee whilst waiting!!!!!!!!!!
for us personally mares stabled and under camera.
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Post by holiday on Mar 7, 2011 8:26:02 GMT
Another important issue to know about I feel is Red Bag Delivery. This is where the placenta comes away and presents as a red bag, this is a complete time related problem and the foal should be birthed as soon as possible as it will suffocate if not. The bag should be broken with a blunt sterile instrument, fingers or a hoof pick rather than a knife where the foal could be injured. I have been fortunate up to now to not ever have one presented but it can also cause complications with the foals - some being born as "dummy" foals and not able to suck but others absolutely fine. Here is a video which I feel is helpful......... www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxIAVg_JG5o |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2011 10:03:03 GMT
Please make sure the afterbirth is passed 4 hours at the most, some people may disagree with this time scale but, having spent all saturday, with my friends mare who aborted her foal. I had held a catheter in its neck and a drip up for 3 hours to no avail, while the poor mare was being a pin cushion. It ended up having to be refered to halifax, after she was becoming toxic. Its a serious part of the birthing process, most horses do it naturally but some dont.
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Post by Guestless on Mar 7, 2011 10:34:06 GMT
Please make sure the afterbirth is passed 4 hours at the most, some people may disagree with this time scale I have a mare who took a full 24 hours to fully expel the afterbirth a few years ago. It was coming out during that time, but very slowly and the vet didn't want to interfere (except to tie a rubber glove filled with water to it to weigh it down a bit - but my mare splattered it against the stable wall!). She was given oxytocin, but it didn't seem to speed the process up much. It has been suggested that I give my mare arnica tablets if I take a foal from her again as that is the second time she has taken a while to cleanse....although she was none the worse for it (but baby pics didn't look so nice with the afterbirth hanging out my mare's bottom!) |
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Mar 8, 2011 8:19:48 GMT
I second the time scale for cleansing, they can get infections and toxic laminitis if left to long without vet attention.
I had one red bag delivery holiday - but 4 months early, so foal unviable anyway and born apparently with a sack over its head. The mare appeared to have haemorraged within the placenta right over the cervix and the pressure prompted labour, not one I've ever seen in the books!
No-one has mentioned the foal - check it has poo'd and drunk, and the books will tell you pee'd as well, especially colts. And do check it is actually drinking and there really is milk coming out of the teats, I've been caught out once when it appeared to be but the teats were pointing so far inwards at each other the foal couldn't get hold of one so wasn't actually getting anything. The result of that one was 24 hrs in horspital with mastitis in the mare and infusions for the foal.
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Post by holiday on Mar 15, 2011 9:18:28 GMT
I would just like to say we had our first red bag delivery last Friday - I was pleased I have been informed and knew what to do, he is a fabulous little chestnut colt and everything went well and he is absolutely fine!!!!!
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Mar 15, 2011 9:50:55 GMT
Congrats on your foal - glad he was full term and you were there to help.
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Post by brt on Mar 16, 2011 21:32:00 GMT
My broodmares will foal outside, always have done and they are 19 16 respectively.
they are little Welsh A hill ponies and these are my first.
They have always been left to their own devices when foaling, as in wake up in the morning and they have foaled.
My question is, if thats the case, is there anything i should do?
I'm very nervous now after reading this thread with all the foaling kits so on and so forth, thought i had it covered but am now in doubt?
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Mar 17, 2011 10:13:49 GMT
Well everyone is different and so are their animals. The two extremes are obviously leave them out to get on with it, as I do with mine, and risk missing a complication, which are rare, or keep them in, monitor constantly and you will then be sure you are there to deal with a problem, extensive foaling kit and all!
But whichever you choose, or somewhere in the middle, the checks to be made after birth is that the mare cleanses within a few hours, and that the foal is up, drinking properly and has poo'd. If yours have been hill ponies foaling on the hill you may need binoculars for the checks! And if in doubt about any of the above I suggest you get a vet to check - if you can get mare and foal in that is! Some like to iodine the foal's navel and get the vet anyway to check them and give an antibody jab just in case, but again, your choice.
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Post by brt on Mar 17, 2011 10:41:15 GMT
Thanks Sarah,
They will foal in the field closest to the house and i have invested in some night vision goggles so as not to disturb them.
I will get the vet out as soon as they foal to check as these are my first and want to make sure all is well.
Thanks again
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Post by deejay on Mar 17, 2011 11:03:01 GMT
holiday, thank you for posting the red bag video. I have never experienced this, but it did happen to a friend of mine last year. It is something that I hope will never happen but having now seen it for myself, at least I know what to do.
I had an old mare who regularly retained her afterbirth, so I always rang the vet if she had not cleansed within two hours. An injection of oxytosin always did the trick. She would not settle to let the foal suck with the bag hanging down.
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Post by holiday on Mar 19, 2011 9:12:45 GMT
The action of the foal sucking actually can help the afterbirth come away as the mare will naturally release the oxytocin hormone into her system so sometimes massaging the bag will help to cleanse the mare. This must not obviously replace the vet coming out to a with held afterbirth for the reasons already mentioned above.
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Post by stormyskies on Mar 30, 2011 7:16:02 GMT
Holiday can you talk is through what you did with the red bag delivery as I can't see video on phone. Thanks
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Post by holiday on Apr 24, 2011 6:51:46 GMT
Thought this would also be useful Angrove stud have made a video of signs to look for prior to a mare foaling.......... www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r_tgocv9DwWith the red bag delivery the key is time. Break the red bag with either fingers or a sterile blunt instrument i.e. hoof pick then foal as normal however the foal needs to come much quicker as the oxygen can be cut off and can cause brain damage to the foal. Keep a constant pull on the foal and gently help him out without panicking but as quickly as possible. |
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Post by quinny on May 14, 2011 13:02:31 GMT
Red Bag Delivery
A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine explains this rare foaling complication.
By Andy Schmidt, DVM
Can you explain what a red bag delivery is? I have a mare that is due to foal this month, and I’ve been told to watch for this complication.
“Red bag delivery” is a layperson’s term for premature separation of the placenta prior to or during a mare’s foaling. Fortunately, it is an infrequent occurrence in healthy foaling mares. However, when it does occur, prompt action is required to prevent a stillborn or weak foal.
The foaling attendant must know that the equine placenta is made up of two major parts: the red bag or chorioallantois, and the white bag or amnion. The red bag attaches to the uterine wall and allows the exchange of nutrients and waste back and forth to the fetus through the umbilical cord. The white bag surrounds the fetus and has many functions, including lubrication and protection. During a normal foaling, the red bag breaks just prior to the foal entering the birth canal. Thus, the first portion of the placenta you see in a normal foaling is the amnion, or white bag, followed promptly by the fetus it contains.
In a normal delivery, the red bag is generally passed by the mare within three hours after foaling. When the red bag appears before the white bag, it means that a portion of the placenta has detached from the uterine wall prematurely, reducing or eliminating the exchange of nutrients to the fetus still inside the mare. In this situation, the red bag appears as a red “velvety” bag hanging from the vulva. When the foaling attendant confirms the presence of the red bag instead of the white bag, he/she should carefully open this bag with surgical scissors—inside will be the white bag enclosing the fetus. Check for two legs and the nose; tear open the white bag and deliver the fetus promptly as it may be short on oxygen due to the early placental separation. The foal should be watched carefully for signs of hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) or infection.
Why do red bag deliveries occur? The normal chorioallantois is relatively thin and breaks easily during birthing. However some placentas are thickened from infection or inflammation, a condition called “placentitis,” and can result in red bag deliveries. Exposure of late pregnant mares to fescue grass can also result in a thickened placenta at foaling. High-risk mares that have had abortion, stillborns or weak foals previously can be evaluated by ultrasound in late pregnancy for placentitis or a thickened placenta. Also keep in mind that even a well-handled red bag delivery may result in a compromised foal.
Andy Schmidt, DVM, MS, Diplomat ACT, is based in Oconomowoc, Wis., at the Wisconsin Equine Clinic & Hospital.
Thought this might help. I googled after never even hearing of it untill I read this thread
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hazel
Full Member
www.antsarponies.com
Posts: 222
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Post by hazel on May 14, 2011 14:53:25 GMT
Thanks for that Noddy I think that is a very good explanation. Fortunately I had read about this (on another forum) and also it was explained at a vet talk I went to this February. On Wednesday 11th May 2011 I saw the "red bag" and it was quite obvious what it was, OH broke it with his fingers, legs & head were already present so he foaled the mare carefully and as quick as possible. Fortunately the foal was up and trying to suck within 45 mins and is showing no visual signs of being a dummy foal. This is the first, and I hope the last, red bag we have. Here's the little chap (born 11th May photo 12th May)  |
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Post by alisony on May 14, 2011 15:27:26 GMT
My mare decided she wanted to it all on her own, checked her at 7-30am Monday, went off to work , got a phone call at 9-45 to say she'd had the foal, left work to check her & foal, both up and out in the field (she went into the field shelter to have him) afterbirth all passed, foal poo'd in front of me, all in less than 1 hour!!
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Post by lancs on Apr 13, 2012 18:00:30 GMT
Interesting to read what Holiday says about the foal suckling helping to cleanse the mare.
My mare has in the past 3 pregnancy's held onto the afterbirth longer than I was comfortable and I got the vet each time to help, but this time foal was very lively and up and drinking pretty quick and she has passed the afterbirth no problem.
She foaled yesterday, but I am still watching her like a hawk for any signs of infection, discharge etc just in case. She seems absolutely fine and full of beans though.
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