Unstoppable Love: A Brave Mare’s Heartwarming Adoption

With foaling season upon us we thought we would share the amazing case seen at Warwick Equine Veterinarians by Dr Tias Muurlink.

A maiden Quarter Horse mare was presented to Warwick Equine Veterinarians (WEV) after foaling the evening before. Her owners recognised that she had not passed her foetal membranes.

As many of you would know this is a critically urgent problem to address. If left untreated these mares often develop severe uterine infections and often subsequently develop laminitis/founder.

The post foaling timeline

Prompt veterinary care is essential if these timelines are not met.

The key is early treatment to control infection and to help break down the bond between the placenta and the uterus.

In this case the mare received oxytocin both in the muscle and via an IV drip, lavages of the uterus to gently tease the placenta away from the uterus, antibiotics and pain relief.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin plays a very important role in aiding the removal of the placenta by causing it to contract.

The placenta was able to be removed within 12 hours of arrival and the mare started to improve.

The following morning the owner called with sad news. The mare’s mother had foaled overnight and although everything seemed normal when the owner had gone to bed, the mare prolapsed and passed away. Her foal, a lovely buckskin colt, was not even 12 hours old and now an orphan.

The owner was concerned that the little colt had not been able to have enough milk from his Mum before she passed away. The owner elected to bring the little colt in to check his IgG levels, hydrate him and start him off.

When he arrived at the clinic he was certainly thirsty! The decision was made to try to see if his half sister would take him as well as her own filly foal.

To ensure safety of the foal, the mare was sedated and the orphan foal was introduced. Within a very short time the mare accepted him and readily let both her own foal and the little colt to nurse.

The little orphan never looked back! The tenacious little colt must have nursed from his birth dam to receive enough colostrum to have good IgG levels, ensuring a great start for his immune system.

It is especially heartwarming to see this young maiden mare, who had been quite sick herself, to so willingly take on the big task of rearing both foals. Although she did not have enough milk to sustain both foals, supplementary feeding from a bowl ensured that both foals continued to thrive.

A few days after arriving at WEV all three went home with a big bag of milk powder.