Alita's Story

Weeks Thirty Five & Thirty Six

January 26th - February 8th

Alita's Angel Finally Arrives

  January 26th we did not check Alita as she had not progressed the day prior. She spent most of the day just watching and calling to Aly's colt in the pen next to her. She seemed to understand that she couldn't be with Aly right now. I took time that night to give her another massage to try and get her loosened up for her big day. The closer it got the more worried I became.

  January 27th we checked Alita at dinner and recorded the following:
Slight bag, hindquarters tight, tail tight, no milk and baby still up.

  Alita seemed to be calming down and Aly was a bit more open to having Alita close to the fence and the baby. Alita seemed to also be starting to realize that what happened to aly would soon be happening to her. I only hoped she was ready for it.

  January 28th Alita was again checked in the evening and the following was recorded:
Medium bag, hindquarters still tight, tail tight, milk clear and the baby had dropped.

  Besides the signs we noted there really was no change in Alita's behavior or her eating. She just acted like her normal self so I went ahead and let her out since she had been in for several days. She REALLY enjoyed being with the rest of the still "prego" ward. She grazed all day.

  The morning of January 29th I took my husband to the airport after feeding and I left Alita in next to Aly. When I got home I decided to move Aly to the next pen so Alita could settle back into the foaling stall. With Aly still next to her Alita seemed to settle right back in as if she had never been out of the foaling stall.

  That night after feeding I did my normal check on Alita and noted the following:
Big firm bag, hindquarters tight, tail tight, milk clear. baby still down.

  I could not believe how big her bag had gotten in just 1 day. All her other signs had not changed but her bag had grown 3x bigger! I began to get nervous because my husband would not be home until Friday evening. I did not want to foal Alita out myself just in case something happened. I wanted to have "seasoned" support just in case. Since her milk was still clear I knew it would not be tonight so I waited for the following day. In the mean time I started calling friends and warning them that I may need someone to come and sit foal watch with me. We would see tomorrow.

  In the morning Susan Riley came back by with the photos. I had let Alita out first thing in the morning leaving the gate open to the foaling stall however letting her go out into the small broodmare area so she could have some grass. I left Aly and her baby in the pen adjacent to the area Alita was in however for some reason she did not stay near Aly like usual. She went off by herself and stood in the sunshine.

  After I had seen the wonderful pictures that Susan had taken we went out to see Alita. She had come back up into the pen area and it was then that I noticed she had not finished her morning grain. She also had not touched her hay. I told Susan she was acting unusual today and tonight may be the night. After Susan left I watched on the foal cam as Alita slowly over the coarse of a few hours finally finish her grain.

  That night after going out and feeding it was time to check Alita. This is what I noted:
LOTS of milk, slightly loose hindquarters, tail tenseness medium, Milk thick and cloudy, baby pointed and Foal Predictor Test 5 squares in 25 seconds.

  Well, I was on the phone as fast as I could get in the house after shutting Alita in the stall and giving her some fresh shavings. Now Aly had shown 5 squares in 25 seconds and she waited one more night. Would Alita do the same. After a few calls a friend, Jana Searle said she would come over if needed. She asked if at around 10:00 I could do another test and see what it showed. The baby did not go to sleep until 10:30 so I tested Alita at about 10:45 and got 5 squares in just under 20 seconds.

  Jana decided that since I was alone that both her and her mother would come to help with foal watch. It was the same type of drizzly, cool night as when Aly had her foal. I was hoping she would wait however Alita already along with Mother Natures guidance was on a schedule.

  I anxiously waited for Jana and her mother to arrive. They came a little after 12:00 midnight. We went out to see Alita. After testing her tail and seeing the now dripping milk Jana said from the looks of her I would not doubt if we have a baby by around 2 am.

  I showed her around the new place while her mother watched Alita on the foal cam inside. Once inside it seemed like time went by so quickly. At about 1:15am Alita began to pace as we watched and then she went down and into hard labor about 15 minutes later. You could see the steam rising off of her neck in the cool night air.

  Jana and I were up and out the door. It was so cool after being in a warm house and then rushing out that I shivered as we stepped into the pen. When we went into the stall Alita had gotten up and then placed herself with her rear end within a few inches of the wall. She MAYBE had a little over 1 foot for the foal to emerge. We decided that we had to try and move her. We out a halter and lead rope on her and I pulled as Jana tried to coax her from behind. It was no use however as Alita was having hard contractions and was not budging!

  We then saw the sac and one foot protruding. Jana reach in and found the other foot and helped guide it out on Alita's next contraction. Then the muzzle appeared. Alita was straining quite hard with every contraction and the baby did not seem to be moving much. Then the sac broke around the babies muzzle and when Alita's contractions would stop the foal would slip back slightly so we had to help.

  Jana positioned herself above Alita's back at her tail so she could push the baby downward as it emerged due to how close Alita was to the wall. I was positioned at her feet to pull the baby when needed. With every contraction Jana would push down and I would pull on the foals legs. It slowly slipped between the wall and mama until the foal was almost completely out. It was now 1:45am.

  Alita was so excited that she was trying to lean back to see what had just happened. She was so close to the wall however that we feared she would crush the little one against the wall in her excitement. We could not pull the foal away at this time due to the umbilical cord still being attached. I took towels and tried to arouse the foal into moving enough to break it. I rubbed all over almost trying to aggravate it enough into moving away from me. Alita was still trying hard to get up so Jana had to basically hold Alita down until the foal was moved.

  FINALLY the cord broke and while Jana held Alita down I pulled the little angel to her face. The poor little guy was still so wet and shaky from his ordeal. Alita nickered and nuzzled the new life that was before her. It was a bay colt! It's only white being a rear coronet band. My friend Melissa said all along that it would be a colt because of how deep Alita's nicker was. How I had longed for a filly however I was happy it was all over and Alita and the colt were healthy.

 

  We watched as Alita continued to nuzzle and smell what she had created. Her eyes big with wonder or perhaps joy for what she had been through and the final result was before her. Whatever it was she seemed proud of what she had done. He was adorable. I would have been proud as well.

  After several minutes Alita finally got up and the little guy tried to stand on the two sticks beneath him. After several attempts we helped him up and after several tries at playing find mama's milk he was nursing but he was sucking on Alita's legs! She had been streaming milk just prior to foaling so he was sucking it off her legs. We finally showed him that the milk was warmer and fresher if her drank directly from the source!. Alita was such a good mama. She even licked the little guys bottom clean.

  After we had administered the enema, ensured that she passed the after birth, the colt had a bowel movement without straining and the umbilical cord was washed with a mixture of 2 parts water and 1 part Nolvasan we let the two be alone together. We could watch from the house so they could have some privacy.

  We put the afterbirth in a bucket so I could look at it in the morning and went back in where it was warm. We changed out of out now wet clothes and put on something dry. We didn't remember getting wet however we were. We told Jana's mom all about the adventure and watched the two for a short period on the monitor in the living room. Once we were sure all was well Jana and her mom left and I turned on the monitor in the bedroom and went to bed myself.

  The following morning it was business like usual around the house with the exception of company coming that evening. My husband was driving my mother-in-law from Arizona. To live with us. They arrived almost right on time late that afternoon. First my brother-in-law arrived driving my mother-in-law in her car and about 15 minutes later in pilled my husband Bill in a very BIG rider truck. We went out and looked at the baby for awhile and I told all of them of my severe lack of sleep and the early morning adventure with Jana and I.

  We kept the monitor on and watched the baby frolic and play in the foaling stall. You could also catch a glimpse of Aly peering over the gate from her paddock just like Alita had done to her.

  The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. We helped my mother-in-law unload the truck and get situated. All the while we watched Alita on the monitor. Every morning we let her and the "Angel" out into the paddock area to get some sunshine and exercise. The baby laying in the sunshine enjoying life.

  Melissa did come over on the 1st to see the baby and take some pictures. The baby looks like a little stuffed doll as a friend put it. Almost fake looking. Just way too cute. She has been a great friend and is there for me a lot when I need her. Now if only I could get her to give me that camera of hers! She is currently my on site photographer when I need her and answer any question I don't know the answer to person..

  We have kept Alita's grain ration the same and just knocked off the corn oil as she no longer needs the extra weight. We are still wrapping her leg for several days and then letting it dry out for a day or two. I hope to contact Karen Merrill about getting the donated SMB boots. Alita's are almost ready to give out. Besides that I think she will look smashing with the new color instead of the black boots.

  Alita seems to be doing OK on her leg. The extra weight is a relief to her. Not having to bear the foal on it any more I am hoping will help. Only time will tell.