ATTICUS born 05|31|2013

Ella gave birth to a COLT on Friday. We named him Atticus, he's a bay standardbred and seems to be in good health and good spirits!!! YAY Ella, WELCOME ATTICUS. Visit the Facebook page to see video's of him learning to walk, trot, canter, rear and buck.. what a sweetheart!

Two days of rain

Yesterday was the second day in a row it's rained consistently and steadily. I stood in the wind shelter out of the rain and fed Ella her mash/Broodmare feed. 

Then I filled a hay net with dry hay and hung it inside so she could snack and remain dry. When I approached with her mash she nickered and it was the saddest sounding nicker, weak and raspy - I hope she's not getting sick. 

After she finished eating the mash she dropped her head as if she was going to sniff the ground, then turned in a few small circles ( I thought she would lay down ) but then she just stood and dropped her head again and let out a long raspy sigh. 

It's easy to tell she's uncomfortable, but hard to determine if it's due to being pregnant or illness. I hope she foals soon so she can get back to being comfortable, but then again a new born foal in this cold rain wouldn't be good timing either. Maybe she's waiting due to the weather and tired. 

We are going to bring her into the arena today and I've heard that it should stop raining soon. 

Unfortunately I can't put a rain sheet on her in case she foals ( straps can get caught up) and to leave her in the stall over night may only stress her out. 

Ella Update

Wednesday, May 22, 2013. No foal yet! BUT, Ella's udder's filling up more and more each day ~ obviously not ready just yet. Soon I hope. 

De~worming Schedule

Spring and Fall are important times to de-worm the horses. I'm going to try to catch Ella before she foals. If not then I'll wait until the foal is 2 months old. I've researched 3 brands of de-wormer's that are safe for pregnant mares and young foals.

• Eqvalan (ivermectin) 
• Bimectin (ivermectin) 
• Panomec (invermectin) 

All three are sold at UFA. Ella & Eli will be de-wormed for June and then receive their shots/vaccines when the vet comes out to see Ella and the foal.

Review of EQVALAN: Eqvalan (ivermecting), professional parasite control for horses, provides the broadest spectrum of control available against equine parasites. Eqvalan is safe enough that it can be used in all horses of all ages, including mares at any stage of pregnancy. Stallions may be treated without adversely affecting their fertility. Resistance has not developed against Eqvalan in the last 20 years.

This dewormer provides effective control of the following parasites or parasitic conditions in horses: large and small strongyles, pinworms, ascarids, hairworms, large-mouth stomach worms, bots, lungworms, and intestinal threadworms, as well as Summer Sores and Onchocerciasis.  

BE SURE THAT THE DEWORMERS USED ARE FDA APPROVED

EQVALAN ~ FDA Approved

Click below to learn more about Eqvalan dewormer:

EQVALAN FDA Approval and additional information

Report on BIMECTIN Dewormer ~ Overdose

Here is a link to the report a blogger posted on an overdose and the importance of monitoring your horse for the next 5 - 12 hours.

omranchstables.horses-overdose-on-bimectin-dewormer

The person who posted the story stated that Bimectin is not FDA approved and that only FDA approved dewormers should ever be used.

May 19, 2013 ~ No foal yet!

Ella had wax or dried milk on her teet. Still no foal, but signs are there.

She's starting to bag up quite a bit. Veins are noticeable around her stomach area and her belly is rock hard to touch.