"The quality goes in, before the color
goes on!
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Showcase's
Braveheart
Black stallion with a star.
Foaled 01/28/2009 |
1 day old. |
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Ebony
started
laboring
1/27 mid
day.
She laid
down at 1:30
am on 1/28
but no baby
or water
breaking.
She labored
on and off,
and when we
put her in
the round
pen at noon,
she was
obviously
distressed.
We called
our vet, Dr
Gary Palero,
of Golden
Animal
Hospital,
and he said
bring her in
NOW. We
loaded her
up and
arrived at
1:30 pm.
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The foal was
presenting
with a
forehead,
but no legs.
The vet
finally
managed to
get a couple
of legs, but
one was a
hind leg,
one was a
front leg.
No movement
from the
foal so far,
so we
weren't sure
the foal was
alive. This
was about 20
minutes into
attempting
the
delivery.
Dr. Gary
called
another vet
in, so we
had 3 techs.
As they went
to put the
hind leg
back inside,
the foal
jerked the
leg back
inside!
Becky and I
had been
streaming
tears,
thinking the
foal was
dead. The
relief was
enormous but
it raised
the time
stakes to
get the baby
out alive.
Dr Gary
managed to
get the
other front
leg, but the
heels were
up, not down
as they
needed to be
for the foal
to birth.
Gary was
unable to
grab the
head, either
with the
strap or his
hands, so
they decided
to try to
rotate the
foal to
heels down.
This was
successful. |
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We were now
1 hour into
the effort
to get this
foal
delivered.
We had to
sedate Ebony
early on,
since she
was
exhausted.
Now we were
trying to
get the
foal's head
up. It had
dived down
between the
forelegs and
Gary was
unable to
get a grip
to pull the
head up and
into the
birth canal.
He inserted
both arms
trying to
grasp the
head. He was
finally able
to keep a
grip on the
jaw with
both hands
and get the
baby's head
into the
birth canal.
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A black colt
was born at
3:05 pm -
vigorous,
squirming,
and slippery
as all get
out. The vet
tech was
mightily
trying to
hold the
foal up so
he can get
enough blood
from the
placenta
because if
the cord
broke too
soon, it
would not
clamp itself
off, and the
foal would
exsanguinate.
The colt was
solid black
with a heart
on his
forehead. He
named
himself,
Braveheart.
He finally
squirmed out
of the
tech's arms
and was
lowered to
the floor.
We had to
put a clamp
on the
umbilical
cord to stop
the
bleeding. He
was trying
to get up,
but we
milked the
mare to give
him the
colostrum,
and by 4 hrs
old, he was
up and
nursing. |
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20 hours old |
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This was a
Wednesday
and Dr. Gary
said he
would
probably be
home by Sat.
Thursday
morning we
got a call,
"Come get
him! He is a
pistol and
ready to
go!" Less
than 24 hrs
old! Becky
and I were
elated! He
hopped right
in the
trailer and
came home!
Here he is
at birth and
20 hrs of
age! His
hocks are as
high as his
dam's knees! |
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1 week, 3
days |
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Dr Gary said
that was the
2nd most
difficult
foal to pull
and the only
one in 40
yrs of
practice
that he had
delivered
that was
still alive.
"MOST
MARE OWNERS
WAIT TOO
LONG!"
The
lesson, once
your mare
goes into
hard labor,
if she
doesn't
deliver in a
few hours,
CALL THE
VET!
Dr. Gary was
the most
amazing
person
through all
of this
tense time,
calmly
directing
his staff,
directing to
point a, b,
c, d, e, f,
etc. Never
abusive, but
calm,
thinking,
respectful
of all
involved. I
could not be
prouder to
call him my
vet, and to
be so
thankful he
was there
that day,
with his
years of
experience
and calmness
in this time
of intense
need. Thank
you Dr Gary
on behalf of
Ebony,
Braveheart,
Becky and
myself.
Maxine L.
Doner |
3 weeks, 1
day |
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