Help...Foster mum needed

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shabiska

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Hello to all mare owners. Our 3 day old filly has lost her mum due to foaling complications. She has had a tough start in life but her mum fought for her until, tragically, she had to go. We will continue to do all we can for her but the reality is she needs a foster mum to the best job. So we are looking for a kind, experienced mare around 15hh who can help Grace through these first few months. We are based in Central Scotland , have excellent facilities and are professional horse people.
Any help is deeply appreciated.......
07780693303 07747828432 01555840001
 
Shabiska, how tragic for you. I dont know of any mares just now, but have you contacted the National Foaling Bank ( National Foaling Bank ) and also suggest contact Balcormo Stud as they may know of foster mares:

Balcormo Stud - Telephone : 01333 360287 (Jackie Low Mitchell am sure will help as much as she can, as she is excellent)

Fingers crossed you find something and that foalie will continue to thrive.
 
Thank you for the suggestions....we have contacted the foaling bank, studs, vets etc and wait in hope that they may find something for us. Yes it's a bitter sweet story all through....after several attempts we closed last season with Nina scanned not in foal. She faced a winter outside, although well rugged, but no special mum-to-be feeding. She was just due to go to stud when we noticed belly movement....she was in fact in foal. As Nina had always done she ran colostrum well before her time so we milked and saved as much as we could. Her due date was 30th June and in the early hours of the 17th she went into labour. Sadly her foal was contracted on both front fetlocks so with immense difficulty Nina managed to push out her foal but also had a full rectal prolapse. We found them within minutes of the foaling but the damage was done. However both were still alive and vet help was with us in an instant. All was replaced and she was transferred to hospital for intensive care although with a poor prognosis we opted to give her the chance. She was comfortable and was bright and contented that she had her baby with her. Baby Grace had full plaster castes on her front legs because she just knuckled over and had to be held to suck from the mare...she tired easily and would just slide into our arms. Nina would patiently position herself to help us feed her baby and stood quietly when we milked her. She stood like a rock for all the treatment, poking and prodding to be done to her and her foal, always ears forward and accepting...she was described as the perfect lady. At nearly midnight on Thursday Nina showed us that her discomfort was increasing and we decided to give the kindest pain relief....and that was to let her go. It was heartbreaking. Now we have her final legacy still with us and if she has half the fight of her mother ...she will make it through. Grace was what we had wished for in over 16 years of breeding appaloosas.....she is the perfect gift of a Palomino Appaloosa filly. Nina was one in a million, we had her for 13 years and after a top showing career she went to breeding and produced several top winning foals......and I loved her.
 
That's a beautiful tribute. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I wish Grace the very best and hope you find a foster mare for her soon.
 
good luck with your foal. i just wanted to say that my first ever foal is called nina and if she grows up with half the courage your nina had i will be over the moon.
 
So sad, this also made me cry, you have definatly conveyed how much you loved Nina and how much she ment to you, she sounded like a wonderful mare. Good luck in finding a foster mum. RIP Nina x
 
So sorry to hear of your loss - I used to live in Central Scotland before moving to the Midlands. We lost our 5 day old foal on Tuesday, but unfortunately, our mare wouldn't be suitable, she didn't like being a mum (see Very Sad thread) - but my thoughts are with you, Good Luck!
 
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