Updated pics from this morning - and a question....

[lisa l aka marci]

Taken before getting up/nursing...
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/498115-23-07-before_walking.jpg

This morning about 6am.....
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/498115-23-07_marcis_boy.jpg

Now for the serious question......Marci has been acting pretty normal, she is eating, has been drinking.....but NO sign of any POOP from her.......vet was out this afternoon for the baby check......Marci had gut sounds, and they advised I give a bran mash with mineral oil to help things move along.........she did eat some of it but not all.......I was down there a little after 7pm - still no sign of fresh poop in the stall....but if she did little ones it could have been ground in......

Now, she is beat up a bit from the foaling - a superficial small tear, and bruising/swelling (nothing the vet was concerned about).....I'm wondering if she is sore and doesn't want to poop? I'm going to go back down probably about 11pm - Michael should be home by then and I can leave Tori with him......

This vet practice deals with broodmares/foalings all the time (Equine only clinic)........

Thoughts????? As I said, she is acting normally otherwise........

[ErinC]

soooooooooo cute.
I bet she is afraid it will hurt to poop.
I would be. :shock:

[Laura S]

Hi Lisa, I remember my mare didn't poop for awhile when she foaled last year too. I was worried enough to call the vet. I think she went around 24 hr before a poop after foaling. I did the bran mash too.

The colt is adorable! Any names yet?

[Privatetreaty]

Hey Lisa, there are different ways of preparing a bran mash. The way I was taught was from a Thoroughbred breeder:


- place your regular feed in a bucket
- pour equal amounts of mineral oil and HOT water (making a soupy consistency)
- stir
- pour the bran mash on top (do not stir) and allow it to sit for a half hour


The hot water "cooks" the feed, making it soft and easy to "pass".
- After you allow it to sit, stir the bran mash top together with the rest of the feed.
The bran mash helps absorb the soupy part.


:: If it's too hot, allow to sit a little while longer after stirring.
:: If it's too soupy, use less water/mineral oil next time.


The amount of water/mineral oil is subject to the amount and type of feed used.
You would use more liquid for sweet feed and less for straight oats.
It just takes a little practice to get it together.


On the track and at quality barns, it is very typical to see weekly bran mash feeding, as a preventative.


Good luck with your girl. :hug


.

[jodiTowne]

Lisa....congratulations! He is so cute!

[ErinC]

yup thats how we made them and we always fed once a week, normaly after the LONG weekend Sat or Sun ride/trianing,,. or show.
the horses seemed to look forward to them.

[SandyMM]

Wow - he isn't even a little bit 'unfolded' at this point - wait until he 'inflates' by about the 3rd or 4th day!

Looks like he'll be a reddish bay. He has a very handsome half brother who is a copper bay - gorgeous. Emelina still looks very dark and has fluffed out nicely! I'll have to post her birth pix - not very flattering, but a great comparison to what she looks like now at 2 1/2 months old! Your boy will be 'plumping' out soon! :-)

I really like his shoulder!

[PasoVicki]

I remember having the same concern about Danesa last spring. She was fine the next day.

He's a doll. You're going to really enjoy him.

[PattiB]

Usually before they foal you will see them poop a lot, after foaling it takes awhile to get it all moving again.

[Pasogirlz]

He has a very Emi face. :D

[pnalley]

He does have an Emi face doesn't he? With thise legs I bet he has the Coral Largo too :lol:

[ErinC]

:crazy bannana
Largo race baby !
yippieeee!

[Brigitte]

He's so cute!

[SandyMM]

And it isn't a bad head.... ;-)
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g264/PPRantares/Emi5.jpg
Even if he was a little disgusted at being dragged to a show! :-)
_He_ knows his real 'job'.....

[Moniece Dickerson]

AWWWWWWW he is just SO very handsome and hugable!!You lucky lucky lady you!!Your friend,Moniece

[lisa l aka marci]

Just got back from the barn - have a headache so I figured I might as well head down there! (Tori has been up coughing for about an hour too - poor baby!)

Anyway - nice BIG pile of poop in the stall.......'Little Man' was nursing - Marci is SUCH a good mommy!!!!!!!

Took them out for a short grass grazing, only about 10 minutes - the knees are starting to straighten out more, should be fine within a week I'd say - he was a little over on the knees at first - but VERY upright on his pasterns!

Lucy is still calling for Marci -every time she hears noise from the barn she lets out a holler.........hopefully this evening I will let the 2 out for a little bit - I have to keep them off grass unless I hve Marci on a lead right now - the little guy goes right under the 1 strand of electric tape I have up for now! Have to get some more polywire down there and put a 2nd strand up. (top strand is 2 inch white tape).

Will try to get some pictues - I did see gait yesterday - he is VERY lateral. Can't wait to see how he progresses - we STILL can't believe where all this foal was tucked up in Marci! He is BIG! Much bigger than Marci when she was born - but then again Marci matured biger than her Mom - so this guy has good potential for being good sized.

I have a couple of thoughts on name - will post in a new thread though - and need to see if they are taken yet!

[SandyMM]

Emelina was back at the knees when she was born. Even though her dam, Katie, is a good sized mare (as is Marci), we figured those knees had been folded and stretched pretty good in utero! It took about 3 days to come back fully upright. The more they can move around, the faster they come back. Lately, she's been looking old style performance doing her thing around the pasture. She was _quite_ independent very early, so watch for that trait! Emi's babies do not lack for confidence once they get their feet under them! :-)

Now - let's see more pix.... ;-)

[Mellifluous]

I wonder if sooty will kick in later with this one?

I am partial to sooty horses. :D

[Terry Wallace]

Don't worry about the knees.... totally normal...caused mostly by laying in a "cramped" small space for the last 3 months.

He will unfold, get stronger, and tendons will loosen and legs will straighten, and by Sunday or so.... he will look (I like Sandy's way of putting it) "Inflated"!

He looks pretty good sized....

I bet he will get a darker hair coat...shed off quite a bit darker than he is right now.

[lisa l aka marci]

Emelina was back at the knees when she was born. Even though her dam, Katie, is a good sized mare (as is Marci), we figured those knees had been folded and stretched pretty good in utero! It took about 3 days to come back fully upright. The more they can move around, the faster they come back. Lately, she's been looking old style performance doing her thing around the pasture. She was _quite_ independent very early, so watch for that trait! Emi's babies do not lack for confidence once they get their feet under them! :-)

Now - let's see more pix.... ;-)

We are still trying to figure out where Marci hid all this baby - he was so BIG!

I've seen improvement - funny thing is the vet wants me to keep him in, just let them out for about 30 minutes/day.....well.....how is that little exercise going to help him straighten? (Stall is nice and big, he can almost run laps in it!) Anyway -I plan on turning them out this evening for a little bit - have to fix the fence anyway.......so little man can't go under the fence again! I should have more pics this evening too.......he is already filling out.......

Independant - yep, showing a little bit of that already!

Another question - I'm trying to figure out how long I should keep them separate from the other 2 - I think I am going to actually take Lucy and Lunita up to my house this weekend - then all I have to worry about is my Mom's dog Chai and how she will react to the foal.......and not worry about the other 2 mares trying to steal him.........

[Terry Wallace]

I don't agree with your vet about the 30 minute turn out... they need to MOVE to get stronger.

[quote]I'm trying to figure out how long I should keep them separate from the other 2

At least a week.... and this is why...you don't want "don" to get in the middle of a mare fight, he will likely get hurt... he needs to be stronger and agile before he gets around other mares that may pose a problem.

Its ususlly not the mares that get hurt...its the foal who catches a hoof or gets knocked down between a dam trying to keep her foal away from other mares and the other mares circling around he to "see" and meet the foal..

I lost a foal once from it getting knocked down and having his neck stepped on at two days old....by the time he was four month old, the damage to the vertebrae had caused wobbler syndrome. So be careful and take no chances!

[SandyMM]

At 2 1/2 months I'm just now considering letting Bronce's dam, Diana (who stole Emelina as slick as a whistle once already when she was barely 3 days old :shock: as I was switching pastures) and Boogie, Emi's almost 2 year old son (gelding) into the same area. They have been in side by side pastures since the filly was born and hang out together at the gate. Diana is bred and Boogie is desperate for someone to play with. They will have to be separated for feeding, though, as they all get different rations....

[lisa l aka marci]

I don't agree with your vet about the 30 minute turn out... they need to MOVE to get stronger.

[quote]I'm trying to figure out how long I should keep them separate from the other 2

At least a week.... and this is why...you don't want "don" to get in the middle of a mare fight, he will likely get hurt... he needs to be stronger and agile before he gets around other mares that may pose a problem.

Its ususlly not the mares that get hurt...its the foal who catches a hoof or gets knocked down between a dam trying to keep her foal away from other mares and the other mares circling around he to "see" and meet the foal..

I lost a foal once from it getting knocked down and having his neck stepped on at two days old....by the time he was four month old, the damage to the vertebrae had caused wobbler syndrome. So be careful and take no chances!

I don't really agree with the limited turn out either.......I am going to keep her in during the day for today and tomorrow - supposed to be in the 80's to near 90....and the Mayflies just came out too.........I am going to stop by and let them out after work, then put them back in before bed - want 'Don' to get used to the fence lines in the daylight before leaving him out at night!

[Terry Wallace]

Sounds like a good plan!

[lisa l aka marci]

I thought so! ;-)

I also want to move Lucy and Lunita - now I just have to figure out how to introduce Chai and not get anyone hurt.......