Diary of a fighter – OGO Primavera ToughStuff
August 6, 2006
WoodRose Katrina wasn’t due to foal, until mid-September, but on the morning of August 6th, I saw that she was dripping a little milk. It wasn’t a lot, but it was a sure indicatior to keep a close eye on her.
Of course, it was a Sunday, so calling a vet to come out and check on her was going to cost 3 x as much, so I decided to just wait and watch. I hoped that she would make it through the day – and night, without incident. I would call the vet in the morning.
As the day progressed, everything seemed normal enough, but as evening came on, I noticed Katrina was not grazing in her favorite spot. Instead, she was hovering near the feed bin and not eating – but looking worried.
At this point, it is about 7:45 p.m. and dusk . Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move near her feet. I knew she had delivered her foal! From the movement, I knew it was till alive. The question was going to be if it was going to continue to live – being born so early.
When I saw how small he was, I ran for the phone to call the vet. After that call was made and she was on her way, I got – of all things, Eggo Pancake Syrup…warmed it up, and started putting it in the foals mouth with my fingers to give him some energy, until the vet came.
Steve got the flood lamps and a bucket of water for Katrina. The foal had not stood and nursed. It had most likely been laying on the ground for an hour, or more. He attempted to stand more than once, but was too weak. Thank goodness it was a warm evening. If it had been cold, I think his condition would have been much worse, as he didn’t have an ounce of extra fat on him anywhere – and still doesn’t!
After the vet arrived and did an initial exam, she told me that the outlook was glum…that she didn’t give the foal much chance. However, he did seem to have some fight in him. We stripped the mare of her milk and tubed the foal to see if that would give him enough strength to stand and nurse. It did help and he was able to stand, but not nurse.
At this point, I made the decision that transport to the hospital was clearly the road that needed to be taken. Katrina was loaded in the trailer and the foal on my lap in the cab of the truck…and off we went with the heater blowing full blast to give the foal some added warmth.
The vet didn’t feel the colt had much chance, but she had to admit he was a fighter. So, I decided that with his spirit and fight…we could do nothing less than support him medically, to see if he could prevail.
It took 2 days for him to be able to nurse, but he accomplished that.
August 11, Day 4: He didn’t need to be tubed with milk.
August 12, Day 5: It looks like he may have developed an ulcer. He is being treated for that, but he is still making baby steps of improvement. The mare and foal will be in the hospitial, until at least Monday, the 14th. At that time, we will re-evaluate and see if he can make the transition to coming home. Things are very touch and go. The vets are very guarded in what they think his chances of survival are. I have decided that if this ittle fighter makes it…he deserves the registered name, OGO Primavera ToughStuff.
I will update this page often on ToughStuff’s progress.
I most certainly welcome all of your comments.
Sincerely,
Wendy LeGate