Urgent Advice Dumped Foal

C

CobRambler

Active Member
Joined
21 August 2013
Messages
36
Visit site
Hi All

Am looking for some advice quite urgently for my friend. She went to get her horses in and a foal has been dumped in her starvation paddock.
She is waiting a call back from the vet as foal seems poorly. Very very quiet with chronic runs and his front leg looks odd. The cannon bone looks longer than the other and it looks like his front leg is resting on the toe.
She has given very gentle old mare for comfort but poor thing is trying to suckle. Can anyone advise what we could maybe give as food as we only have normal feed.
Foal welfare is our number one concern. She is ringing BHS for help. Can anyone offer any advice out foal knowledge is limited at best. If there is anything we should jr could be doing for it please let me know.
All help very gratefully received. Thanks
 
Can't offer any advice sorry but sending vibes to the little one.

What colour is it? It might be worth looking in the lost and stolen section to see if a foal of the same description has gone missing.
 
This advice will sound horrible but I think the vet (if he's not a money-grubber) will advise PTS. He's been dumped for a reason - he's ill - and he has a front leg is possibly deformed. He's now starving. A foal that gets acute diarrhoea can be hard enough to 'save' when he's on his Mum. You could try offering a bucket of water with the cold taken off - even very young foals drink water from a bucket - and perhaps try a teensy bit of 'hard' feed - though if he's owned by a ratbag who dumps sick foals, he's probably never seen it..
 
Your vet will be best to advise as will be able to make a guess on how old. I know you can get milk pellets for foals but it really depends on age, they can get runs when mare comes into first season after being born so this could be a very young foal, or it could be recently weaned
 
Keep it warm and dry and get vet out asap. Sadly does not sound too good. When my mare died leaving me with a 7 day old foal vet tubed a little goats milk into foal while we got to foster mare. Good luck my fingers are crossed for poor foalie.
 
Have contacted foaling bank they are coming back to us as soon as possible. We did not have any rugs tiny enough but the neighbour has Great Danes so we have two of those rugs. Not great but all we have. Should we put it in a stable the mare can go in to as they are large?
Also we have bran and fast fibre if I make a small warm mash of it would that maybe be ok?
 
I wouldn't feed him, except possibly slightly sugary water? That is only a guess though. Keep him warm and if mare is being nice you can put them in a stable.
 
Some people are utter gits. We picked one up that had been dumped on a common, with an old head injury, a terrible cold and soaking wet through. Poor little mite was very lucky where she ended up with a friend of mine and is now coming on in leaps and bounds but I'm afraid for the one your friend has had landed on her JanetGeorge's post is very sadly the way it will go, I suspect.

All you can really do is keep it warm and dry, with companionship and some slightly warm water until the vet can advise.
 
Oh dear god the poor wee lamb. as others have said keep as warm as poss and offer a little tepid water. i would hold off any feed personally till vet as been. good move with foaling bank. and a big well done to you and friend for helping the wee thing. please keep us posted and fingers crossed for the foal x
 
Thank you everyone really appreciated. Foal is in a stable with the mare. She was a brood mare years ago and doing a great job. Her head collar is on just encase but she seems smitten.
We won't feed him but he gobbled down a little warm water.
Won't give him anymore vet will be about an hour as he has a colic case to attend.
Thank you for the link in breeding I don't know how to dual post.
 
Poor wee thing, and what a lovely mare to 'adopt' him. I too, suspect the worst outcome, but until then, there may be hope that between you all, he may have a chance. All the very best.
 
Really thoughtful of the bar stewards to dump the foal in a pony paddock rather than a lay by, someone else can take responsibility! Poor wee mite.
 
Once vet has been if you do persevere with the little thing you can buy mares milk replacer which comes in a powder and you make it up then either bottle feed, or preferably feed from a bucket. If old enough then you can mix foal creep feed in with it.
At this point I'd make warm water with a little salt and sugar in it (to replace electolytes being lost by the scouring and provide energy as well as rehydrating) If needs be you can use a regular baby bottle with slightly enlarged holes in the teats for a young foal, not ideal but do-able until able to get a proper foal/calf bottle.
Also wash the butt off and liberally apply nappy cream/udder cream/sudacream as the scour will burn the skin and make the foal sore.

Dog coats are absolutly fine for this size of littly - we had my sister's lurcher's coat on my foal for the first day or two for turnout as the weather was vile. If it survives let me know as I have a couple of foal size coats you could have for him - up to about 30''.
 
We are near Lewes.
A lady from foaling bank has got in touch and she is meeting my other half at motorway service station onm23 which is about halfway from her.
She is kindly giving us milk replacer and pellets as well as rugs and a foal halter.
Am so touched by everyone. I know at times the horse world is bitchy but at times like this it never fails to amaze how people come together to help.
Foal is cleaned and sudocream all applied. Already he is red raw and sore hope it helps a little.
 
CobRambler said:
We are near Lewes.
A lady from foaling bank has got in touch and she is meeting my other half at motorway service station which is about halfway from her.
She is kindly giving us milk replacer and pellets as well as rugs and a foal halter.
Am so touched by everyone. I know at times the horse world is bitchy but at times like this it never fails to amaze how people come together to help.
Foal is cleaned and sudocream all applied. Already he is red raw and sore hope it helps a little.
Click to expand...

Oh bless you, u r certainly giving the little one every chance and doing all you can. Fingers crossed the vet has good news but if not at least he will have known some comfort and love in his short life.
 
I ll probably get shot down in flames for this but if the sucacrem does nt work give egg white a try.......a tip I got off an old school mid wife when my son had gastro and got nappy rash. I used it for saddle sores too when I looked after a horse for someone and it was perfect. it sort of forms a skin over the sore skin .
 
What a horrible thing for the poor foal! Some people are the lowest of the low.

I wish foalie and you the best of luck- and please let us know what the vet says!
 
I suggest you contact the police and the RSPCA .
Who ever owns this foal has committed a crime.
It probally will do no good but it's worth a try.
 
Poor little foal and good on you for trying to save him. I'm certain someone on here reported a foal missing. I'll try to find it.
Please let us have an update.
 
amymay said:
Neither will be interested I'm afraid.
Click to expand...

They may not be interested but the police must log that it's been called in and if the poor little mite makes it then some toe rag will find it a lot harder to turn up and say that lady's got my straying foal and she won't give it back ,believe me stranger things have happened.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top