OK, Let's Talk Dystocias...

[Kyzteke]

My first (and only this year) mare is due May 1st, so in honor of the impending birth I am re-reading my foaling manual and having my annual freak out.

I have only had one dystocia in 14 years and that was a breech. Obviously a job for the vet.

But I’m sure my luck (such as I tend to have) will run out.

So I have a question: the book mentions grabbing this part or that part, identifying this part or that part, etc.

Is it REALLY that easy? We are assuming the vet has not yet arrived. Well, how easy is it REALLY to feel through that thick membrane and identify (much less grab on to) a foal’s body part?

Factor in the part about the mare lying down or straining, etc. and such…even more complicated.

I realize experience has a lot to do with all of this, but please share your stories, outcome, experiences, solutions, etc. with me on dystocias.

Any tricks?

Now, I’m going back to my paper bag to hyperventilate some more…:yes:

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

With any dystocia, it is imperative to get the mare on her feet. You can’t manipulate the foal with the mare down as there is not enough room. The earlier you find and correct a dystocia, the easier it is. Fix it when the legs are just presenting, and it is fairly easy. in most cases. You can identify body parts. As soon as the feet/sack presents, tear it open to feel the foal. Check to make sure you have both front feet, with the nose just behind. If not, this is the time to fix it. Get her up if you can’t easily grab the missing foot or head.

I was able to talk my husband thru a delivery that both front feet, and head were curled up and back, and nothing presenting. He is 6’2" tall, so his arms are longer, and his height enabled him to feel what I couldn’t reach. He was able to find a knee, and follow it one way or the other to find the foot, then back up that found leg to find the other. Ditto for the head. He had never done anything like this, but was willing to try to save 2 lives.

You do need straps to keep track of things as you find them. Any help can try to keep mare on her feet - no matter what - jiggle a chain, shake their heads, anything to distract them from pushing and going down. If alone, try to tie the mare with her head short to a post, but personally, I would try to stop traffic to get help.

[Sunnydays]

Thank you Darlene - I had no idea you needed to keep the mare on her feet, and tag the parts as found.
No idea - that’s scary.

[Edgewood]

@Fairview Horse Center;5546054

I was able to talk my husband thru a delivery that both front feet, and head were curled up and back, and nothing presenting. He is 6’2" tall, so his arms are longer, and his height enabled him to feel what I couldn’t reach. He was able to find a knee, and follow it one way or the other to find the foot, then back up that found leg to find the other. Ditto for the head. He had never done anything like this, but was willing to try to save 2 lives.

Ditto this. My mare was very sick (fever right at term from a lung infection of unknown causes) and the fever caused uterine contractions and a dystocia with the 1 leg fully back. Vet was on the way, but 20 minutes (minimum) from us.

My husband was able to correct the leg position and by the time the vet got there, we had the foal almost all the way out. We lost the foal however because the mare was too sick to help push him out and even with 3 of us pulling, his lungs were compressed for too long and he died as we got him out. Vet did mouth to nose resuscitation, but it was too late.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

Foaling straps http://www.exodusbreeders.com/product_images/403hr.jpg

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

It took us almost an hour to deliver our foal, and the vet arrived just a minute or two after we got her out. Luckily, both mare and foal were fine. I thought we would have lost the foal, and about half way thru said it was ok if my husband just gave up and waited, as I was sure the foal was dead already.

He said it was definitely not dead, as she kept pulling on her leg and fighting him. It helped to motivate us to keep going. We did not have the straps, but we had lots of people, and needed one of us to hold one leg, and another to hold the other leg while my husband went back in for the head. He was able to slip his hand behind the ears, and guide the head down, while we all pulled quickly.

[pinto_power]

Yes…can happen!
I “ran out of luck” two years ago after 20 years of no birthing issues. Very experienced broodmare with no history of any difficulty foaling. Thank goodness we were there. When the mare went down and the "bubble’ appeared I checked foal position as I always do. One nose one forefoot…no second one.
We got her up immediately, and put an arm in could not feel the second front leg anywhere until were pushed in really far.
Called the Vet and she started on her way immediately…but she was 20 minutes away…she was out on another call.
She coached us, but even my 6 foot daughter!!.. could not get a piece of cotten rope around the second front leg…(vet said under the knee or fetlock)…and she has long arms.
I now know we were being too careful…sigh. My Vet said that you have to use muscles…neither mare nor foal will surrive if the foal isn’t repositioned and gotten out obviously…but at the time we were too ‘gentle’
I worried as we didn’t have sterile gloves…least of the worries Vet said…just get in there and check in an emergency!!!
We walked the mare…mare wanted to go down but we made her stay walking…took two of us…
Vet got here and had the foal out in a flash, pushed it back in and said she had to use force to straighten the leg…and we pulled it out…she used a lot of “push and pull”!
Warning the mare wanted to go down and it took all of us to keep the Vet safe and the mare on her feet!
Had a happy outcome for me…cord was intact and baby was fine. Up and nursing almost as fast a normal birth.
Finding the mal-positioning was easy…getting the foal straightened out takes strength and timing(inbetween contractions)
Martha

[Crosiadore_Farm]

And sometimes no matter how hard you try to re-position the foal, it may not work. We had one four years ago. Mare could not deliver the foal after several attempts to reposition. Called the Vet, she also could not get the foal delivered. I was given two options, section the foal or drive like mad to New Bolton…we took the second option. Mare was given drugs to stop contractions…one front leg and part of the head was delivered. Mare rode that way to New Bolton ( three hour drive) where THEY thought could deliver the foal. Nope. C-section and retained placenta for five days later. Mare ended up being fine. Colt was delivered alive but had severely contracted tendons and a crooked spine. Tendons we could have tried to fix, but a crooked spine was not an option. One leg was too contracted to straighten out enough to be born.

Not what you want to hear, but sometimes the worst does happen.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

Banamine can help to minimize some contractions. They work against you trying to push the foal back and straighten legs, etc. It may also help keep the mare on her feet.

Gloves are optional in an emergency, and in fact, I prefer not to use them as I can feel and grip so much better without. You can flush and treat an infection later. At the moment, I do what will best save my mare and foal.

Betadine surgical scrub is important to keep for this, but more importantly, remove rings, watches, etc.

KEEP YOUR FINGERNAILS VERY SHORT DURING FOALING SEASON.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

I was also given this tip after a particularly bad dystocia due to size. You can use straps on the foals legs, and put them around your back so your weight will add to the pull, without using your arms. Your arms wear out all too fast, and become useless rubber. Your body weight leaning back into the strap can be useful at that point.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

Also, remember that sometimes it helps to manuever the foal like a large piece of furniture thru a small door, not just a straight pull on a stuck horse. Try different things to release a hip lock. With shoulders stuck, sometimes it helps to switch which leg is leading.

Hope some of this helps.

[rodawn]

[QUOTE=Fairview Horse Center;5546219]
I was also given this tip after a particularly bad dystocia due to size. You can use straps on the foals legs, and put them around your back so your weight will add to the pull, without using your arms. Your arms wear out all too fast, and become useless rubber. Your body weight leaning back into the strap can be useful at that point.[/QUOTE]

This is a super tip.

Women also tend to not have the physical strength or endurance that a man will have, so putting the straps around your back enables you to use your body while your arms rest for a second or two.

[rodawn]

[QUOTE=Fairview Horse Center;5546227]
Also, remember that sometimes it helps to manuever the foal like a large piece of furniture thru a small door, not just a straight pull on a stuck horse. Try different things to release a hip lock. With shoulders stuck, sometimes it helps to switch which leg is leading.

Hope some of this helps.[/QUOTE]

Also excellent. Foals are rather flexible and you can wiggle from side to side to work on the hips and I wouldn’t be afraid to put considerable pressure on one foreleg to make that shoulder slide forward ahead of the opposing shoulder. (Well actually, if you can get a good solid hand on the chest, a very strong push backwards, and then a hard pull on one foreleg to slide the shoulder forward as far as possible). Yes, you might injure the foal, but what are the implications of not getting a stuck foal out?

As far as dystocia goes you need a contingency plan - if minor do X. If moderately severe, do Y. If very severe and vet even cannot budge, then prepare for Z.

All it takes is a bit of mental planning and preparation and get your plan A, B, and C fixed in your mind. With your mental planning and preparing, you’re less likely to be struck numb with the “what do I do!!” panic. Instead you might have a moment of panic, then breathe and say to yourself, “okay, I’ve prepped for this, here’s what we’ll do” and then you just do it. Afterwards when its all over with, you can shake, twitch, and puke.

If it’s really, really bad, I prefer to sacrifice a foal if I can save my mare. She should be breedable again, if at the very least via embryo transfer.

Have a working phone in the barn and Vet A (preferred choice) on Speed Dial #1, Vet B (if you’re so lucky to have that) on Speed Dial #2. Better to pay for both vets attending simultaneously than to be in serious trouble without any vet at all.

[TaliaCristianna]

[QUOTE=Kyzteke;5546026]

Is it REALLY that easy? We are assuming the vet has not yet arrived. Well, how easy is it REALLY to feel through that thick membrane and identify (much less grab on to) a foal’s body part?[/QUOTE]

Yes, it is really that easy. You will be amazed at how your instincts kick in once you sense something going wrong.

I was unfortunate enough to deal with this issue with the very first homebred I attempted to foal out at home. The foal’s head was tucked to its chest and no matter how hard I pushed I couldn’t get it brought up.

I was able to figure out what was going on within seconds of putting my arm inside the mare. I’d had no prior experience with this type of thing before that.

We ended up losing the foal but thankfully saved the mare. I got one hell of a learning experience out of the ordeal. Not just about the foaling process but about myself and my ability to rise to the occassion (without a second thought) when duty calls.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

I wanted to make sure it is clear that you are not feeling thru the membrane placenta, you are tearing thru it to feel/grab the actual foal.

[GGStables]

I’ve only just, just put up an article on our website on the how-to’s for fairly straightforward foaling during mal-presentations (talk about a contradiction in terms!:lol:) along with pics and tips. I put it together in a way that made sense to me, woven together from my own experiences, articles I’ve read - the all terrorising Blessed are the Broodmares - and photographs that are mine, as well as stuff on line.

Obviously one can never prepare for every single situation entirely, and there is no earthly good in scaring the wits out of everyone with vet-level content. The idea is simply to help mares and owners - it’s comforting to at least know enough to recognise symptoms and do something rather than be scared to death of everything…:yes: Our nerves and adrenalin are more than enough during the birthing process, thankyouverymuch! :lol:

[hntrjmprpro45]

Would you say the section about dystocia in “Blessed are the broodmares” is pretty accurate? It seems like it describes and has diagrams for just about every malpresentation. Luckily the few births I have attended were uncomplicated but its good to be prepared!

[clint]

Darlyn, thanks so much for the posts. Great information.

[Zarafia]

Fantastic thread guys! Lots of excellent information and hearing first hand accounts (even if every one did not have the happiest ending) is great for giving confidence to a nervous mare owner.
I’ve only had to deal with the most minor of mal-positions, the second foreleg being too far back, and it was easy to fix because I had the knowledge to do it.
Thank you, everyone for posting your experiences here.

[hluing]

I agree for sure about the plan A and B idea. After having an absolutely heart breaking dystocia 3 years ago…my plan B is always having my truck and trailer hitched up and ready to go during foaling season. I am only 20 min from a great vet hospital…so that is what I would do sooner rather than later.

My expereince was there was absolutely nothing myself, my husband, or my vet (when she got there) could do. That was eye opening to me. Foal presented head only with no forelegs. Huge foal. Absolute nightmare. Lost both the foal and the mare. Please do NOT under estimate dystocia. I have had ones that were easy to correct…but some are next to impossible.