Please Help

[johnsonstables]

I have owned horses for five years but this is my first year of having a foal. My mare is due on April 5 and basically all i know is to give the mare and foal a technis shot and that the foal should suck before three hours. I have many many questions though. Here i go: How long is too long before the bag falls out after the foal is born? Is anything else suppose to come out after the bag comes out? What do i do if the embellical cord does not break on its own? How long before the foal should be up and walking? Do i need to help the foal try to stand up? Should i be worried if my mare doesnt get up in a certain amount of time after she gives birth? Do i need to do anything special to mare or foal? If anyone could help I would really appreciate it. Even if you could give some advice on anything that i didnt ask or something that i need to know. Please help.

[ShainaTN]

I'm not so good at answering questions, but I was in the exact same place as you, last year. What I did was go buy a little book that told me EVERYTHING. It's the best book ever. I was a first timer with a maiden mare, and of course she didn't go "by the book", and this book tells you everything that can happen. I mean the book has everything in it you just asked. but...

Here it is...

www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3432566190822&isbn=1580171273

It's at Books-A-Million if you have one of those stores near you!

[johnsonstables]

Thank you so much for the info on the book. I dont have one of the stores next to where I live but I might be able to order one from the internet if they will ship it in time. Again, Thanks, everything helps.

[johnsonstables]

I would realy appreciate if someone else could give some info just in case i cant get the book.

[Heather T]

To protect myself and my site, I must clarify that #1 - I am not a vet, #2 - I am giving explanations of my experiences only, #3 - when in doubt - contact a vet.

Okay - a VERY good thing to do would be to go to www.wefoal.com/Replays.htm and watch some replays. Every foaling is different, but this will give you some ideas of what to expect. That's how we prepared for our first foaling. Every foaling you catch on here would help too because you'll see that they're all different and you'll also encounter the problems that the mares, foals and the owners have.

When the mare foals you will see (hopefully) a white bubble, then a leg and a nose followed by another leg. If you don't see that call your vet immediately. I can't advise you here for fear of a lawsuit, but your vet can tell you what to do.

Once the baby arrives make sure the sack is off it's head. I usually break it once the foal is out enough that it won't get sucked back in.

Dry it off - try to let the mother lay there for awhile before the cord breaks. The longer the cord stays in tact the more blood the baby gets. Once the cord breaks treat it so the foal doesn't get septic.

In MY opinion - the following should happen

• Foal should nurse within 15-30 minutes. If it doesn't then I help it.
  
• Foal should poop within an hour - again - if it doesn't then I help it. Usually getting it to nurse will bring this on.
  
• Placenta should pass within an hour. If it doesn't - call your vet. I like to keep the placenta and let the vet check it. We've gotten so we can check through it pretty well to see if it's all there. Since you're new to this, you'll want an experienced person to check it.
  

I hate to keep saying this, but these are my opinions and my experiences only. They are a guide, but not set in stone.

I hope this helps - and I pray for a safe foaling for you!!

[Linda]

we looked on the internet, there is many info and faq's
about mare's in labour.

[sharon@agapesands]

Also a good link here:

www.equine-reproduction.com/

there are lots of articles there, as well as a bulletin board to ask tons of questions.

Best wishes for you and yours!!

[ShainaTN]

I just remembered today that right now in Horse Illustrated Magazine there is a really good and helpful article about foaling in it. Surely a store near you has it !

[Kat]

I just found this information and thought it might be worth sharing. I didn't know much about red bag foalings and found it very helpful. Not that I have a mare, but it is good information to know.

www.ramblinroseranch.com/red%20bag.htm

[johnsonstables]

I really appreciate all of you. I guess I wasnt searching in the right places on the internet. I will check out all the sites that you all posted. Everyone is so helpful on this site. Thank you all. Well, her milk bag is twice the size as it was yesterday. I am going to check the sites now. Thanks Again.