Advice on a mare that doesn't lactate post foaling

rachi0

rachi0

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our mare is due in 2 days time and has been on domperidone for the last 2 weeks.

she has had 2 or 3 foals - all of which she has never reared.. she foals and then the foal is fostered..

last year.. her colostrum was amazing but she only produced about 500mls and that was it.. - but the foal was taken off her within 2 hrs and fostered onto a fab clydesdale mare and foal was supplemented with colostrum....

This year I have suggested that we stitch in a feeding tube so we can supplement the foal but leave the foal on the mare so she can have the stimulation to see if we can get her to let down (because it does take some mares a few days to let down properly). We wil also give her a small amount of oxytocin every few hrs to try and encourage her to let down too but I'm hoping that the foal stimulating her will help. If it doesn't work.. nothing lost really in my opinion....

Only reason she has not raised a foal is due to lack of milk...
Does this sound crazy or should I give in and just let them foster it straight off>>?
 
I have had several mares take between 12 hours and 48 hours to let down -Oxytocin usually helps and we bottle the foal every 2 hours and attempt to milk the mare at the same intervals. The foal will usually quickly give up trying to suckle if there is nothing there, so attempting to milk her (using some spare milk to lubricate the teats) is the best bet.

If the foal is taken away within a couple of hours, she WON'T let down! Obviously you do need to supplement the foal -but a bottle is far better than a feeding tube as it will keep the foal sucking and make it easier to get foal on Mum once the milk DOES come down.

(Seeing you're from Scone brought back some memories! MANY years ago I used to do polo ponies for some guys near Willow Tree -we went to Scone more than once!:D)
 
i'm actually from england.. (lived in gloucester and am returning there soon) - have been in scone for the past 2 years and have run the foaling unit at a stud here...

I feel like i fight an uphill battle against the management at times.. (the horses we're dealing with are very expensive) - but when they aren't allowed to act as horses because of value.. - i find it frustrating..

I have spoken to the overall manager here and my aim is to leave foal on mare for at least 48hrs before making a decision to foster.. and supplementing it.. - and i have the go ahead to do so!! (thank goodness)
- i have found that by mixing tubing and bottling its a lot easier to get the foals nursing after that amount of time.. so long as they are kept stimulated - so they have to suckle a bit... this is what we have done with our dummy foals waiting to foster if the mares milk has dried up etc.. - feed via tube and bottle every 2nd or 3rd time.. - we just had issues with foals being rather reluctant to go on the teat after being on the bottle for a day or so...

We also increase the mares hardfeed intake if they have a low milk supply .. they are put in the grassiest yards and fed a slightly larger amount of hard feed... jus to give them every chance to produce more milk. - obviously this is more likely to happen with a maiden mare - we've had 2 maidens with no bags.. but they developed after 24hrs .post foaling... with the foal stimulating them and oxytocin jabs..

I was just seein if I wasn't just being stubborn in my actions or whether it made sense.. coz it makes sense to me!!
 
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haha... things haven't changed.. when i first got here... i thought the majority of aussie blokes were arrogant pigs (and that's putting it nicely!!!)

but there are ways around them - i'm quite stubborn so i like to get my own way.. and don't like to be told what to do when it doesn't make sense to do it that way.. eg - foster because a mare hasn't done the foal that well the previous year... - rather than see how she does this year....

I actually get on really well with the managers.. BUT it is really male dominated here.... u have to stand up for what u want and what u believe in if you want to get anywhere - and that's what i've heard about all the studs in oz not jus the one i work at.. the one i work at hires a lot of females in middle management roles!!
 
Actualy deworming the foal starts with deworming the mare with ivermectin 2 to 3 weeks prior to birth. This prevents the transmission of Strongyloides parasites through the mares milk.
 
I'd be concerned that you would have a feeding tube in the foal as well as allowing it to suck from the mother.

I worked in one of New Zealands premier TB stud looking after the orphan and sick foals and it was a big nono to allow any foal with a feeding tup to be allowed to suck as the tube passing through the throat from the nose prevents the flap closing over completely and can allow milk to trickle into the lungs. The vet blew his top at two senior workers for telling me to bottle feed a tube fed foal. It was my first week there and I had a 100% survival rate - including one that spent the best part of his first three weeks of life on a waterbed.
Definately allow the mum and foal some time to bond - 48hrs is very little time and it will give both a better chance in life if you do. We kept frozen colostrum from mares that produced a good supply and gave this to any foal that was not getting sufficient from the mare. It does take some mares time to let down their milk but is rare that they don't Oxytosin generally helps as can leaving them alone - outside to bond.
 
That's a good point about the feeding tube Evelyn.. I will ask the vets about it.. we had a foal return from the clinic with a feeding tube in and we were told to bottle feed it every 3rd feed to keep its suckle reflex going while it had the tube in... but i will definately ask!!
Thanks
 
If you have foster mares readily available why stress the foal and possibly the mare trying to get her to let down?
 
druid said:
If you have foster mares readily available why stress the foal and possibly the mare trying to get her to let down?
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Because taking a newborn foal away from its mother is stressful to both; because the fostering process cn be stressful to the foal and the foster mum; because no-one has UNLIMITED supplies of foster mums who've lost their foals at a 'convenient' time (chances are the foster mare's own foal will be taken from her to 'make way' for the more valuable TB foal!);etc. etc. etc. AND because with a little effort this mare WILL almost certainly let down and rear her foal - and this will probably make the sitution far easier next time!
 
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