I sat down last night to watch a movie and just chill out ... Evan had gone to bed early and I thought that I would watch Young Victoria - all the horses were doing as they normally do - so I thought.
After watching the movie I thought that I would go and do a quick round of the horses, I call it "tucking them in" before falling into a coma, lol.
I went down to see Goss, Herman and Pip .... they were fine. I went over to see Nippa and Dirty and .... and ... Nippa's foal that was 4 weeks too early.
Raced in and yelled at Evan ... "WAKE UP ... NIPPA'S HAD A BABY..." There was enough in my voice for him to wake up, lol, and spring into action (he had been asleep since 7.30). Evan grabbed his mobile and called Erick - he came in a flash - and there was plenty of concern.
The little filly couldnt stand. She was stargazing .... but she was able to suckle.... after tubing her with Nippa's milk and some additives and then giving her a bag of fluid with vitamins in it he said the only thing we could do was to hope that she hadnt been starved too much of oxygen - he believed that the placenta had become compromised and thats why she came early - 4 weeks too early.
Evan and I set up camp out in the paddock. The little filly was wrapped up in blankets and had on Pikey's Weatherbeeta purple rug (and it fit her!). We now had the job of feeding the filly hourly and trying to get her to stand. Erick believed that she was compromised, but the morning would tell more about her mental state.
We brought out chairs, rugs for ourselves and the picnic set (not really!) ready for the night in the paddock with the little filly.
We rang the owners and said that she had a 50/50 chance of surviving. Not good.
Then it started to rain.
Ok, time to up camp and get the mare and the filly into the stable and out of the rain. I grabbed Nippa and Evan picked up the filly and into the stable we went. I had lain down an old doona on the floor of the stable so that we could keep her warm, along with the Weatherbeeta coat and the Onkaparinga blanket.
We set her up and then came back for the chairs which was parked outside the stable. I sat there huddled under the awning of the stable and under Evan's jacket so that I wouldnt get soaked.
Every hour Evan would milk Nippa and then I would get little Sally to suck from the bottle.... luckily she had a strong suckle - a very positive sign.
By 4am both Evan and I were the walking dead. The little one was not responding as she should have been. Evan sent me to bed as he would be able to handle it for a few hours as I had not had any sleep. I had a feeling that by the morning she would be dead.
I woke at 8.00am (Pikey thankfully had left me to sleep) - Evan had come in and said that Erick had just been and Sally had been standing and doddering around on her own but had yet still to suckle.
Erick was amazed. Evan thought she was a gonner. I didnt know.
The littlest pumpkin is still alive and doddering around now (its now 12pm). Against all odds. She still has a very long way to go to get out of the woods... but where there is life there is hope.
:)
After watching the movie I thought that I would go and do a quick round of the horses, I call it "tucking them in" before falling into a coma, lol.
I went down to see Goss, Herman and Pip .... they were fine. I went over to see Nippa and Dirty and .... and ... Nippa's foal that was 4 weeks too early.
Raced in and yelled at Evan ... "WAKE UP ... NIPPA'S HAD A BABY..." There was enough in my voice for him to wake up, lol, and spring into action (he had been asleep since 7.30). Evan grabbed his mobile and called Erick - he came in a flash - and there was plenty of concern.
The little filly couldnt stand. She was stargazing .... but she was able to suckle.... after tubing her with Nippa's milk and some additives and then giving her a bag of fluid with vitamins in it he said the only thing we could do was to hope that she hadnt been starved too much of oxygen - he believed that the placenta had become compromised and thats why she came early - 4 weeks too early.
Evan and I set up camp out in the paddock. The little filly was wrapped up in blankets and had on Pikey's Weatherbeeta purple rug (and it fit her!). We now had the job of feeding the filly hourly and trying to get her to stand. Erick believed that she was compromised, but the morning would tell more about her mental state.
We brought out chairs, rugs for ourselves and the picnic set (not really!) ready for the night in the paddock with the little filly.
We rang the owners and said that she had a 50/50 chance of surviving. Not good.
Then it started to rain.
Ok, time to up camp and get the mare and the filly into the stable and out of the rain. I grabbed Nippa and Evan picked up the filly and into the stable we went. I had lain down an old doona on the floor of the stable so that we could keep her warm, along with the Weatherbeeta coat and the Onkaparinga blanket.
We set her up and then came back for the chairs which was parked outside the stable. I sat there huddled under the awning of the stable and under Evan's jacket so that I wouldnt get soaked.
Every hour Evan would milk Nippa and then I would get little Sally to suck from the bottle.... luckily she had a strong suckle - a very positive sign.
By 4am both Evan and I were the walking dead. The little one was not responding as she should have been. Evan sent me to bed as he would be able to handle it for a few hours as I had not had any sleep. I had a feeling that by the morning she would be dead.
I woke at 8.00am (Pikey thankfully had left me to sleep) - Evan had come in and said that Erick had just been and Sally had been standing and doddering around on her own but had yet still to suckle.
Erick was amazed. Evan thought she was a gonner. I didnt know.
The littlest pumpkin is still alive and doddering around now (its now 12pm). Against all odds. She still has a very long way to go to get out of the woods... but where there is life there is hope.
:)
