05/09/2016
Madigan technique saves foal!
Foaling season and surviving Dummy Foal Syndrome.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1315467161800761.1073741985.574666495880835&type=3
Kitty foaled at 2 a.m. on Thursday morning - I was there to witness the labour and delivery and her baby was born very fast; the sac did not break over the foal's nose, however, so I had to break it. After he was born, he was not quick to stand, and once I helped him to get up, he didn't engage in the typical udder searching - he walked around a bit, and then lay down to go back to sleep; I rubbed him with a clean piece of clothing and scratched his back, and got him up again, but despite all of my efforts, he just was not interested in nursing - even when i guided him to the teats and milked kitty to try to entice him with the milk, he just stood there. Instead of engaging in the typical pattern of nursing, and then lying down, sleeping, and then getting up to nurse again, he just walked around, licked the stall walls - - and he slept standing up!
I called the vet to come out so that he could have the colostrum he needed within the first 6 hours - she came out with an intern, and the foal seemed to be interested in udder searching briefly, but the vet could not get him to latch on either - so we tubed him. She didn't think he had dummy foal syndrome because he was so active and fiesty - and he certainly was. Getting the tube in was a bit of a fight, and it took two of them, with one holding the foal down, and me holding Kitty, to accomplish it.
After the vets left, I tried for more hours without success to get the foal interested in nursing - i knew then that he just was not 'normal', and I was getting a bit panicked as even if presented with the milk, he would not suckle on anything. So, I decided to try the madigan squeeze technique - after i spoke to the repro specialist at the clinic and she thought he might have a mild case of dummy foal syndrome. It was hopeless for me to do it on my own, although I did try. So Jonathan came home a few hours later, and I got him to watch the three part video on the madigan squeeze that friends had posted on this page.
I just had to share the result of the squeeze with adorado's friends, as if I had not seen it in action I don't know that I would have completely believed it. As soon as the ropes were on and we put a bit of pressure on them, the foal's knees weakened, and we helped him down to the stall floor - he was literally in a deep sleep instantly, as if someone had waved a wand over him, or hypnotized him - just as in the video. After just over ten minutes, Jonathan released the pressure on the ropes, and the foal awakened instantly, sat up sternal, and then stood - he immediately went over and latched on, and started nursing. It was literally unbelievable to me! He then lay down, and went to sleep, and then got up and nursed again. Amazing!
Today - three days after he was born, he is still in that pattern - this is just so critical to his healthy future. What a transformation. The madigan squeeze event was literally one of the most amazing things that I have ever been a part of. If you look at the photos I hope that you can see the change in him.
For those who have never head of 'dummy foal syndrome', from what I understand, there are neurotransmitters that keep the foal asleep in utero, and when the foal passes through the birth canal, the levels are supposed to drop. In some cases, where there is oxygen deprivation, or a fast birth, the levels do not drop - so this technique mimics the squeeze of the birth canal, and resets the levels. Amazing! We actually tried it a second time a few hours later, as he seemed to be a bit off the pattern, and it can't hurt a foal if done properly - AND we initially thought that ten minutes and not twenty was the correct time - so we were a bit short at ten minutes. But the affect was not nearly as profound. He did lie down and go to sleep, but it wasn't instantaneous.
Thank you to the amazing person - Dr. Madigan - who discovered this most incredible 'thing' and shared it with the world. And thank you to the friends who posted the videos on it - i was just exhausted for lack of sleep, and time was of the essence. I had read about this before, but never thought we'd put it to use here.
I'm still in awe. :)
Tracy
