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A Common Bond
by Chris Ludlow-Young
Purina Equine specialist
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I hope you enjoy The Mane Program newspaper. It is such a great tool to get information out and bring everyone together too! We all have that common bond the HORSE. My personal quest to be the best I can be, at showing and breeding led me to Purina products. I now have the opportunity to share with you my passion for the horse. I want to get to know everyone that has interest in learning about nutrition and improving their horses’ life.
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Purina is the only feed company that conducts nutrition research on their own farm and has the data published in peer reviewed journals like the Journal of Veterinary Medicine. Purina extensively tests their products on their horses before ever feeding yours. The Mane Program is being mailed out to horse enthusiasts that are in the trade area of a Mane Program participating dealer. See map and list of dealers.
I know we are all tired of the snow but at our farm I always take time to stop and smell the roses. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is because it is a code at my house for taking time to just admire our horses. While caring for the rose buds (the colts) they remind me of how precious each one is. Their willingness to take on the world makes me smile. I want to tell you about a colt named Stormy. Several years ago a customer brought us a maiden mare to foal out. They were new horse owners and felt uncertain about foaling out a new mare. Stormy was named appropriately for the evening he was born, during a very scary spring storm when we lived in Kansas. It was a difficult birth. The mare, extremely agitated, was fully dilated and the foal was in the wrong position. In spite of this, a handsome little stud colt with a refined head and neck was helped into the world. After watching the colt struggle to stand, he finally nursed from the mare on his own. We were relieved. Early the next morning I had the vet check his passive transfer. The antibodies count was somewhat low, so we milked the rest of the colostrum from the mare. He was within the time frame where he still had the ability to absorb large proteins so we tube fed him the rest of the colostrum. The next passive transfer check showed his antibodies count was good and he was progressing normally. He ran around, played and slept just like any new foal.
In the late evening of the third day Stormy was down thrashing violently. He could not stand and he was disoriented. His struggle to stand had scratched and packed his eyes with debris as he searched for direction. We held him still while we called the vet and gave her the details. Her tone was quiet as she explained that her worst fear for Stormy had taken hold of him. It was the distressing condition called neonatal maladjustment syndrome, the cause of which is not known. A popular theory is oxygen deprivation at birth. Some possible causes: premature placental separation; early rupture of the umbilical cord; or compression of the cord. I was aware of this syndrome, but didn’t really know what we were all going to be up against.
Following the vet’s recommendations, we laid a winter blanket in the straw and lifted Stormy onto it. We could only flush his eyes during periods of his exhaustion as we restrained him during his convulsions. We literally laid down behind him and held him tight during convulsions throughout the night under the watchful eye of the concerned mare. She would stand right over us and guard us as though she understood he was in trouble and we were helping.
The next morning when the vet arrived she confirmed his condition. She was wonderfully reassuring and made us believe we could pull him through this, always knowing he was on the edge. I was ready for whatever it would take. But it would take a team, a veterinarian, neonatal care, and owner support. The owners were great and stepped up financially. They also wanted to help out in any way they could. We had our team and the vet gave us confidence, but no false hopes, as she mapped out a treatment schedule.
Stormy was basically helpless. The only way to get him nutrition was through stomach tubing. We got very proficient from watching the vet. We had to milk the mare regularly for feedings and to keep the mare comfortable. Stormy was now sleeping on a sheepskin to prevent skin abrasions and to protect his eyes. We began hourly eye medication and physical therapy for his legs. It seemed as though he started appreciating dinner in a tube. After three days of this exhausting routine we managed to sit Stormy up, front legs folded under him, and got him to suck the mare’s milk from a child’s sippy cup – an amazing break through. As his strength progressed, he still had his instinct to nurse but couldn’t stand. We had to improvise a way to help him stand by sitting on a bale of straw, holding him across our lap and aiming him at the udder. We then would tickle his lips and rub milk on them to get him sucking. The mare, a total gem, stood patiently.
His left eye was okay, but his right eye was totally clouded and we were unsure if he had any vision in it. Within a few more days he would try to take a few steps with support, and we walked him by encircling him with our arms. He preferred his sheepskin blanket to the straw and headed that way when he wanted to lay down. By now he trusted us and accepted our physical therapy somewhat. Was he getting stronger or were we getting weaker?
Stormy was romping around now and would rather play than receive his eye treatment (6 times daily). Due to complication from being down, he had a slight cough, an acquired patent urachus, and a bout of diarrhea, all of which he eventually overcame. Stormy, grew to be a fully recovered, beautiful colt with two good eyes. He showed us his amazing will to live. I am glad I got to give him this chance. I want to give owners hope in their little foals if they do not come into the world perfect.
I hope to see you at Purina Equine Events. Please feel free to call me if you have any nutritional questions or concerns. I will make it my job to get you answers. 816-918-8945
A Horseman should know neither fear, nor anger. ~James Rarey
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