By Darlene M. Cox
I can think of no other time, other than when I was having my own child, when I was as anxious for the new baby’s arrival as I was my mare’s foal. This was the first time I had a pregnant mare, and while I knew some things, I was ignorant of others. I watched for all of the signs and stalled her at the appropriate time. Of course, I didn’t want to miss a thing so I set up a cot along with my sleeping bag in the spacious stall and camped out for 4 long, cold nights of waiting. After that 4th night the bundle of joy arrived and I was sick with the worse bout of bronchitis I’ve ever had.
What did I learn from this very first experience, you might ask? First and foremost was that I probably slowed up the little guy’s arrival by making my presence so annoyingly known. I’m sure my mare didn’t appreciate me being so obtrusive.
Mares like to be undisturbed and have their privacy during birth that is why the majority of mares will give birth during the nighttime hours. One thing I have noticed throughout many mare deliveries is that a mare tends to foal within a 2 hour window each time she gives birth. Now, this is an unscientific theory I have developed throughout many years; however, it has held true with one exception when the mare gave birth in the middle of the afternoon. She probably chose this time due to high traffic through the barn during the night time hours.
I have since become better educated on how to prepare and assist with the arrival of the sweetest of God’s creatures, and I would like to pass some of what I’ve learned on to you.
Mark your calendar for the probable time of arrival. There is a great web-based gestational calculator on the following website: http://www.gaitedhorses.net/gestationalcalc.shtml. Input the estimated date of conception and it will calculate the due date based on a 343 day gestational period.
Decide where you want your mare to give birth. Preferentially, pasture birthing is your best choice providing your mare will have the pasture to herself, away from other curious horses, and you can easily have a view of the pasture. The environment in the pasture is also cleaner than that of a stall, and you don’t have to be concerned with the mare birthing next to a wall. I believe mares are actually more comfortable when giving birth outside.
If you do not have accessible pasture or perhaps weather conditions may not warrant an outside birth, stall birthing is appropriate. A foaling stall should be set up for the birth. Do not use a regular box stall. The minimum size of a foaling stall should be around 14’x14’. My personal preference is the larger the better. You should also keep the stall bedded deep with clean straw. DO NOT use wood shavings as they will stick to the wet foal and can cause possible infections to the umbilical area or be inhaled into his lungs.
If you plan to have your mare deliver in a stall, don’t keep her stalled for a really long period of time waiting for her to deliver. She needs to be out on pasture for the exercise; giving birth isn’t easy. Bring her in at night when it’s more likely that she may foal. Know the signs of impending birth and then stall her when you think she may be within 4 days of delivery.
Know the signs of impending delivery. (Not every mare will show all of these signs, but all will show at least one or two.)
· About two weeks to a month before birth the mare’s udder will begin to fill. You will also notice the prominence of the ‘milk vein’ running underneath her belly.
· The muscles along the mares croup and above her vulva will relax and the tail head will look like its raised up. On palpation of the tailhead area you will feel a ‘spongeyness’ of the muscles. This will occur about a week before birth.
· Within a few days to a week, the teats will become engorged with milk. The udder will now be full and extended.
· ‘Waxing’ on the tips of the teats will occur 2-3 days before foaling. This is colostrum leaking from the udder and waxing on the teats. Some mares may even leak milk during this process. When you see this occurring, you know the time is very near.
Know the three stages of labor and delivery because if a problem arises you will be able to act more quickly in calling the vet, whose number should be kept close by. Also keep a close eye on your watch to time the stages. If it looks like a stage is going on for too long you will know to call the vet. The first question the vet will ask is ‘how long has she been in this stage?”
· Stage 1 – Contractions will begin and last for 1 – 2 hours. The contractions move the foal into the birth canal. Stage one ends and stage two begins when the foal sac appears and breaks spilling the amniotic fluid.
· Stage 2 – This is the actual birth of the foal and should happen very quickly, generally less than 30 minutes. If it takes more than 30 minutes, call your vet because there could be a problem.
It is quite common for mares to move around a lot during this stage. She may lie down and roll and then stand back up only to lie down again. She isn’t doing this because she is in distress but rather to assist in positioning the foal for birth. Some mares actually give birth while standing. If birthing in a stall, watch your mare to make sure she doesn’t lie down with her hindquarters against the wall. If she does this, encourage her to move away from the wall.
Positioning of the foal:
In a normal birth, the foal will be positioned to be delivered front feet first. One foot a little in front of the second, hooves down with his head resting between them (similar to what a diver looks like). This position allows the shoulders to pass through the birth canal at an angle. Once the shoulders are clear, the rest of the foal slips out quickly, although it is possible for the foal’s hips to become lodged in the birth canal.
If the foal presents in any other fashion (hind feet first, hoof up, head first, one foot only, butt first, etc.) call your vet immediately!
Once the foal is safely on the ground allow him to break free of the fetal sac. Make sure he is breathing on his own. If he isn’t, make sure his nose and mouth are clear. Stick your fingers in his nostrils or ears to stimulate him into breathing.
The umbilical cord may have broken by this point or it will be broken when the mare stands, which she will more than likely do very soon after birth. If the umbilical cord has not broken DO NOT cut it as this will cause the foal to hemorrhage from the umbilical stump. Twist the umbilical cord about an inch away from the umbilicus of the foal. The cord will be it’s thinnest at this point. The twisting will cause the blood vessels in the umbilical cord to close off. Treat the umbilical stump with antiseptic after it breaks (repeat the treatment for 5 days). This will prevent bacterial infection.
Allow the mare to attend to her foal at this point. She will want to lick it, which encourages blood circulation in the new born foal. She is also bonding with her baby at this moment, and he to her.
The foal should be trying to stand within 30 minutes of birth and should be standing and within 2 hours. If he’s not standing within 2.5 hours, call the vet.
The foal should have his first bowel movement of ‘meconium’ within 12 hours of delivery. If he hasn’t, you may need to administer an enema.
Make sure the mare isn’t aggressive to the foal, as some mares may be, especially some maiden mares. If she is aggressive, remove the foal and reintroduce him with the mare in hand and restrained. Some maiden mare’s udders are very sore/sensitive and she won’t be used to having them touched. She may react when the foal tries to nurse. You may need to ‘milk’ the mare to allow the foal to nurse the first time. The first 24-hours of nursing are very important as this is when the foal receives the antibody-rich colostrum.
· Stage 3 – In this last stage, the placenta or ‘afterbirth’ will be delivered.
The mare will begin to have contractions again as the placenta is moved into the birth canal. These contractions won’t be as hard as the ones she had when birthing the foal and she may not exhibit much discomfort during the process.
Once the placenta has been delivered, inspect to make sure it is all there. ‘Unfold’ it from its pile to reveal its “Y” shape. There should only be one hole in it through which the foal passed. If you suspect part of the placenta has been retained, call your vet.
Un
No comments:
Post a Comment