Red Bag Delivery Video

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Does the placental star look any different from rest of the placenta?

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Yes, it looks like a star of stretch marks and is usually visible on a placenta that is from a red bag delivery. Unsurprisingly it shouldn't be visible on a foaling that was not a red bag, as the placental star will have ruptured as the water broke.
 
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2) you NEVER EVER CUT the actual red bag! In fact you shouldn't use anything sharper than a sterile hoof pick.

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Can someone please tell me exactly what should be done in these circumstances then? Assuming you don't have a sterile hoofpick to hand! Should you wait until the whole thing is on the ground and look for the star and break it there? Were the folks in the vid wrong to cut the bag before the foal was delivered? Many thanks, helpful thread.
 
As the above poster says,please could someone give a short idiots guide on how to deal with a red bag delivery?Expecting a foal in April and would really appreciate this!
 
OK, I have copied and pasted what I wrote elsewhere late last night.

The very first thing to remember is don't panic. Much easier said than done, I know, but it doesn't help you, the mare or the foal! Take a deep breath and think "I can do this, I HAVE to" - and you really do! That foals life depends on you and quite possibly the mares, esp if a dystocia as well. I know that sounds dramatic, but it is essentially true.

Ideally you will have been observing the mare in some shape or form - I foaled both of my own sleeping in a caravan on the yard, using a baby monitor and M was a red bag, but then I thought it would be... We all know that mares can and will foal will little warning, however, the ones that come along that fast rarely have a problem.

If a mare who has been restless, goes down and comes back up more than once, without breaking water, I'm onto her like a hawk tbth. At the first sign that she is getting close to foaling, I always plait the mares tail from the base of the dock down to the tip - it can stay like this for a few days sometimes
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It just makes life easier when you are quickly whacking on a vet wrap/tail wrap. Once this is done depending on the situation I may stand quietly in the corner and let her do her thing and just monitor her. If I think it's going to be a red bag, I will put my arm in to see if I can feel anything - when I did this with B (and I've done plenty of times before) I could feel the placenta in the birth canal. It feels very different to the amnion only, as there is no foot/nose. Some (as in B's case) I have ruptured the placenta in the birth canal, before it's been a big visible red bag. This is actually easier - whether that's because of the increased pressure of the vaginal walls or because it would have broken anyway, who knows. You have to be prepared to get SOAKED when you do this - more so if the mare is standing.

If you discover that the foaling is a red bag and you haven't had chance to wrap the tail up out of the way, then sorry, but sod that! Tails can get washed!

TBF most red bag deliveries are not noticed until the red bag is seen - I think I have a slightly un-natural radar for them, as of the 137 I foaled between Jan 11th 2002 and March 28th 2002, 104 were red bags. Yes, I am sad, I have records of these things.

Anyway, once you see it is a red bag, do NOT use a knife/scissors to rupture it! It is all to easy to also cut the amnion, which is right behind that and possibly the foot too and if a dystocia, then it could be the nose! The placenta at this stage is taught like an almost fully inflated football, but damn slippery and leathery, so it's very tempting to use a sharp tool. If using your fingers doesn't work, then perhaps a sterile hoof pick would be an idea to have in your foaling kit. I've never had to use more than my fingers or thumbs though.

As soon as you are through the placenta (and soaked :icongbiggrin:), immediately check the presentation. If there is any dystocia, it needs correcting even more quickly than one that's not a red bag. If the presentation is correct (hopefully the mare will have lain down by now - if not, let her, as she will be able to help you more when down) PULL!! And I really do mean it!! ESPECIALLY if you are on your own! Yes it goes against almost everything you will ever read about foaling, but that foal will have been partly in the birth canal for some time and may already be starting to suffer from oxygen deprivation! It is also likely that the mare will be tired by now. I have had to pull till I have had to remember to breathe. Invariably red bag foals are big sods, that get stuck at the hips and you may need to wiggle them a bit - instead of the text book arc down to the hocks, you may need to straighten up the delivery. If you are having real problems, then put foaling ropes over the foals fore feet, to aid purchase and pull on those. You can also (though I don't really like to, as there is little room and you can tear the mare) put lube (KY Jelly) around the vagina, between the foal and the mare.

Normally you are advised not to break the amnion until the foal is out past the shoulders and there is no danger of it slipping back in (it can happen), however, in order to get purchase on this foal, that will have happened ages ago! It is imperative to clear the air ways ASAP!! Run you hand firmly down the front of the face, squeezing down the nostrils, to relieve of fluid - it may take more than one go - obviously pressure is relative here! It's also a good idea to quickly check the mouth and pallet with your finger.

Once the foal is out, hopefully the mare won't leap up, but will stay down for a while, which should allow them to remain connected via the umbilical. Prop the foal up on to his/her sternum, so breathing is easier - kneeling behind them is often the quickest way to do this.

Check the sex - it's amazing how many people forget to do this or get it wrong - myself included
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Easiest way is to check under the tail - 1 or 2 barrels
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The rest of the placenta may cleanse whilst the mare is still down, in case it doesn't, you can make a start at tying it up, but NOT tying anything over the umbilical cord! If the mare is still down (and the longer she is down, the less likely she is to cramp), but starts to talk to her baby and you are happy that the pulse through the umbilical has stopped, or at least decreased (even with red bags, where the umbilical cord may have been squashed for a period of time, the blood flow can still be quite strong after birth), pull the foal round to the mares head. This breaks the umbilical cord naturally. You MUST be prepared before you do this to treat the stump ASAP, to prevent infection.

Some mare's quite like to have a hot mash at this point, in a kangaroo skip next to them - B does! She alternates between one mouthful of mash and 20 nuzzles and licks of her foal. If the mare can get her mash whilst lying down, then it's also far easier to take a bit of her milk to test the quality of her colostrum. I didn't even bother when B produced M, as she'd been waxed up for 4 days, then ran milk for a further 17 before foaling. I had 500mls of frozen donor colostrum from work at the ready to defrost though. M still had to have a plasma transfusion!

Once the foal is at the mares head and they are happy, give an enema to the foal.

As soon as the mare has cleansed, check the placenta - trust me, SO much nicer to do when they are still warm!! If you are unsure of what to do, inspect it anyway and then put it in a bucket with a lid or in tough bin liner and inspect it with your vet in the morning.

The main thing to be aware of with foals that have been delivered through a red bag, is oxygen deprivation, which can lead to brain damage. I've seen a fair number of dummy foals (the worst was actually over here and nowt to do with MRLS, just a MASSIVE foal out of a TINY mare, that also happened to red bag, but who's head was down when the presentation was checked! That took way too long to come out and was very ill for a fortnight. She'd be a 3yo now, she's yet to race, but then I think she'd be more of a sticks horse anyway) and they've all come good, some quicker than others.

Signs of a dummy foal:
* head held at a slightly odd angle
* generally a bit slow on the uptake. Slow to stand, slow to gain balance, slow to find the milk bar, finds latching on difficult, may even have a reduced suck reflex, in which case you need to call your vet to tube the foal! Even when they've found the milk bar once and have successfully latched on and had a good drink, they may forget where they found that yummy stuff and next time they're hungry suck the walls!

By and large though, once the foal is safely out, apart from a barely perceptible slowness for maybe the first 24/36hrs, they are normal foals.

Further to the above, it's always an idea to some sterile scalpels in a foaling kit, as the scalpel can be used to open the mare up, if caslicked and she's decided to foal with little warning, before the vet has done this, or indeed to nick the red bag, to make enough of a hole to get your thumb in. It will then tear pretty easily. But as I said above, be prepared to get soaked!!
 
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