This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 98-09-18 03:09:18 EDT, you write:
<< Also, exercise is good too. Put that horse to work! Please don't anyone think I'm condemning or yelling at you, but if scaring you will keep you and your horse from going through this pain, I will gladly scare you. >> Brian that WAS a scary, enlightening post. We bought one of our mares pregnant and overweight. We worked like the devil to get the arena put up on our new property so she could be exercised and turned out in a "dry lot" a month before she had the baby. Didn't work out, but we did cut her feed back, and tried to get as much exercise as possible. She was still pretty hefty and not back in shape when she delivered. Had a really sticky retained placenta. The vet worked about two and a half hours to gently flush that thing loose (she foaled at 4:35 a.m. and the placenta was finally out by 12:30 p.m.). Needed double doses of antibiotics (oral and injectable) and flushing for 4 days after. Thank god there was no infection. As soon as we knew she was okay (a week after delivery) I was out there riding her. The baby is a month old today, and I cantered the mare for the first time yesterday. We've been on a serious exercise program for the last three weeks. She is getting toned, but we still have a long way to go. I knew I had a perfect candidate for founder, and it is scary. Especially the way you describe it. Interestingly, (this doesn't have much to do with founder, but goes along with this particular mare's problems) when I got on the AOL foaling message board and explained what had happened to this mare, somebody emailed back to me information about red raspberry leaf. Supposedly it is a great thing to give broodmares, it helps tone their uterus, helps them get pregnant, stay pregnant, and supposedly would help prevent another retained placenta. Have you heard anything about this? I've since heard of several people who swear by this stuff. Pamela
