Born April16 at 1:42 AM - a colt.

Mom, "Josie" and dad, "Bandit" are both registered with the APHA.  Josie, a solid color, is registered as a brood mare and has produced foals "of color" in the past.  Our baby boy however is a dun.  Both are doing well at this time.

I did purchase the "Predict A Foal" kit, really just out of curiosity, but boy am I ever glad I did!

We had "tested" Josie several times earlier, but on April 15, late afternoon the results indicated she would foal within 12 hours.  Josie, herself showed absolutely NO signs that foaling was close.  But because of those results we started every half hour checks on her.  At 12:30 AM she was quietly munching hay.  At the 1:00 AM check she was restless, so I stayed with her.  Everything progressed rapidly from that point,

Josie had a very difficult delivery.  The foal was fine, but Josie went into acute distress about 5 AM.  We had alerted our vet the previous evening and he was at the farm by 5:45 AM after receiving my emergency call.

None of us, not even the vet, are exactly sure what happened.  Josie was in acute pain - lying down and thrashing despite attempts to keep her up and walk her.  The vet gave her two IV doses of Banamine [a pain killer] which didn't phase her.  Then another pain reliever [I can't remember what].  The combination finally calmed her enough that at approximately 7:30 AM we turned her and the foal out in the paddock [at the vet's instructions].  All seemed fine - for awhile.

About 7 PM on April 16, all the symptoms reappeared.  Our vet even mentioned putting her down.  The thought of bottle raising a foal wasn't very appealing.  Armed with more Banamine, Penicillin, and Vitamin K injections and our vet's warning that she may not make it through the night, another night was spent in the barn.

By morning all was calm.  The vet warned that the next 72 hours were critical - so the watch continued.

The 72 hours have come and gone and Mom and Son appear to be doing well.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Baby boy remains unnamed at this time - waiting to find out more of his personality so the name will "fit".