Nicole Schnell

We've had an exciting past couple of weeks out at the farm.  We've had two difficult foalings recently.  With one, the foal had become hip locked in the mare, and it took our managers quite a while to get her out far enough for her to be able to expand her lungs and breathe.  Once she was completely free from the birth canal, she had a heart beat, but wasn't breathing.  We had to hook her up to the oxygen tank, and when that wasn't working, our manager had to give her mouth to nose.  She did start breathing on her own, and we took her over to Rood and Riddle to be treated and taken care of.  I rode with her in the back of the car to the clinic, and she was already trying to get up on the way there.  It was fun avoiding the flying hooves and keeping her quite on the way there.  Her burst of energy was reassuring since we were concerned about hypoxia issues since it took her so long to start breathing.  This happened Thursday night last week, and the mare and foal both came back to the farm Monday and seem to be doing very well.  The foal is being treated for possible brain swelling due to the lack of oxygen, but so far she's acting like a normal foal and gets to go out and plays and runs around like all the others do. 

Our other dystocia was Saturday, Derby Day, so I didn't get to the farm to see it, but what happened was pretty interesting from what I have heard.  During the delivery, the foal must have torn a hole in the mare's reproductive tract, possibly with its hoof, and the mare's intestines had actually started coming out of her vulva once the foal had been delivered!  Our vet came out and cleaned her up and sutured her vulva closed, and she was sent to the clinic where they performed surgery to repair the tare.  Our manager was telling me there usually is a very high chance of infection after such complications, but last I had heard, she was doing really well, and might be returning to the farm in the next couple of days!

On a happier note, I was able to help with one of our more normal foalings last week.  I had gone out to the farm one evening to help turn out the mares and foals, and we had a mare decide to foal, and I got to help with everything.  The mare didn't have very good colostrum, so we had to thaw some and bottle feed the foal at first.  All of our sick babies are all doing really well.  The couple rhodacoccus cases we've had seem to be clearing up really well, and it looks like everyone is getting better, which I'm really glad about.  It's never any fun seeing the babies sick, they just look miserable.

Aside from most of the normal farm activities, things have just been staying busy.  We only have 5 mares left to foal.  The last one isn?t due until the end of the month, so I?m hoping she foals before I have to leave.  We only have 4 more weeks left here as part of the internship, and I can?t believe it has flown by as fast as it has!  I?m definitely going to miss everything when I have to head back home.  

Until next time, be sure to check out the new pictures added!