Rural Heritage December 2025/January 2026

We continued the medicines and his comfort care, but we felt very inadequate. He was losing his life battle, and we knew it. The medicines kept his fever down and the banamine and sulfa drug helped with pain control while the other medicines battled the infection. At this point you begin to understand that you don’t know what you don’t know. When things go well, foaling is easy. When things take a turn, it is imperative that you know what to do or who to call. The morning of day six the foal had died. I was wondering how I could get him through the diarrhea caused by foal heat in the coming days, but, alas, that was not a concern any longer. This had been a fight for the foal and for us from the start. Hindsight is a wonderful teacher. We all sat down and discussed the things that went well and the things that went badly. We made a few decisions for our foaling plan for the future. Our number one action item is to find a large animal veterinarian who will come when we call. I am sadly disappointed in the one we have used for over 25 years. We will establish a rapport with a new vet who doesn’t push us off to the very expensive “Emergency Clinic” or put us off for three weeks until they are in the area. I do a lot of my own veterinarian work, but I don’t have access to the technology that a good vet has. We will be drawing blood on all foals at 24 to 30 hours old. A test can be run to make sure the foal got enough colostrum or if infection is present. In the case of our recent handicapped foal, an informed decision could have been made to put him down. Probably the kindest, most responsible thing we could have done for both mare and foal. Again, hindsight is a powerful teacher. I write this article fresh from burying the dead foal. I share this heartbreaking experience in the hope that I may help someone out in the future. Please note that the utmost care and compassion was given to this little one. I tried every “tool” in my “toolbox” and … he died anyway. I choose to think of him galloping around a heavenly green pasture. Bucking and kicking with a strong set of legs, a full belly and not a care in the world. Gallop on my little friend! Know that you did, indeed, make a difference for the foals who will be born on this farm after you. Forgive us for not being enough but know that our intentions were good and we tried our best. Foaling is not for the faint of heart.

Connie Rice helps the colt remain standing.

hooves were normal, hard and well formed on the bottom. At chore time the evening of day three, he had roaring diarrhea. We treated him with a human adult dose of Pepto-Bismol. That worked great and by the next morning his poop was well formed and normal. This may have been a sign we missed, though he had no fever, I think an infection had started. Day four, we were all getting tired. This is the first time he had a fever, so we started antibiotics. He also showed signs of joint swelling. He still could not get up without help. We were helping him by “tailing” him. Using his tail for a handle and sometimes, when he acted lethargic, a second person lifted his front. We called a horse chiropractor to come. She looked him over carefully and gave a treatment. She, too, felt our sadness and suggested an x-ray of his left hip. At this point on day four, we had given him a selenium shot, banamine, antibiotics, tetanus and a sulfa drug as needed, gotten him up multiple times a day, cleaned him up from manure and blood every time we saw a spot. His bed was cleaned as often as he and mom fouled it. We loved him and comforted him. He was a sweet little dude with not a ticklish spot on his body. He would have made a fine gelding, if only he could have gotten up. Day five, after a long night, he seemed to go steadily downhill but kept nursing and walking around.

December 2025/January 2026

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