Trying to Save a Crippled 3 wk old Foal
I may need a kick for taking her on, but I just can't leave her where she is.
Just down the road from my kids school there is a farm that breeds QH's.
I saw the filly out on pasture with her dam the day after she was foaled.
She is now 3 wks old and so lame!!! She has DOD's, from the mare being overfed during pregancy and from them being out on rich lush pasture. Now the filly is a cripple and she ISN'T receiving any care!! I spoke to the owner today about her, they had the vet (a bloody cow vet) out and he told them to wait and see. Good grief. Of course they didn't take any x-rays and said if she had been a colt they would have put her down.
At this point AFTER the mare is bred again, they are coming to my place (hoping the extra two weeks isn't going to be our undoing). I have to go there tomorrow to meet the owner, he has at this point agreed to giving me the foal. I want to remove them asap from that pasture, even if I have to provide bedding and hay for the mare to have them on stall rest. The I want my vet to come out and take x-rays. By changing the mares diet at this point will help the foal, then I expect to put the foal on Tetracylcine every other day for a week and some pain meds, possible splints as well, also put heel supports on her and no turn out for now, then very limited exercise.
I have dealt with this before and with extreme care, she may not be a cripple.
Gezz I wish I had seen this foal up close before this!! But everytime I drove by she was either a long ways away or laying down. Time is critical and she would have had a much better out come if she had received the correct treatment asap.
Hell I can hardly afford this at this point, but one has to do what one can do, money aside.
In the end I may have to make a very tough decision about this foal, but before that I am at least going to do what I can for her. I WILL ease her suffering one way or another.
I'll let ya's know if I have a new charge starting tomorrow.
Lynn
I may need a kick for taking her on, but I just can't leave her where she is.
Just down the road from my kids school there is a farm that breeds QH's.
I saw the filly out on pasture with her dam the day after she was foaled.
She is now 3 wks old and so lame!!! She has DOD's, from the mare being overfed during pregancy and from them being out on rich lush pasture. Now the filly is a cripple and she ISN'T receiving any care!! I spoke to the owner today about her, they had the vet (a bloody cow vet) out and he told them to wait and see. Good grief. Of course they didn't take any x-rays and said if she had been a colt they would have put her down.
At this point AFTER the mare is bred again, they are coming to my place (hoping the extra two weeks isn't going to be our undoing). I have to go there tomorrow to meet the owner, he has at this point agreed to giving me the foal. I want to remove them asap from that pasture, even if I have to provide bedding and hay for the mare to have them on stall rest. The I want my vet to come out and take x-rays. By changing the mares diet at this point will help the foal, then I expect to put the foal on Tetracylcine every other day for a week and some pain meds, possible splints as well, also put heel supports on her and no turn out for now, then very limited exercise.
I have dealt with this before and with extreme care, she may not be a cripple.
Gezz I wish I had seen this foal up close before this!! But everytime I drove by she was either a long ways away or laying down. Time is critical and she would have had a much better out come if she had received the correct treatment asap.
Hell I can hardly afford this at this point, but one has to do what one can do, money aside.
In the end I may have to make a very tough decision about this foal, but before that I am at least going to do what I can for her. I WILL ease her suffering one way or another.
I'll let ya's know if I have a new charge starting tomorrow.
Lynn
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