Anyone any experience getting a mare to adopt an.....

[Wally]

older foal.

Just had a phone call from a friend who lost her mare the other night, then yesterday one of her foals was attacked and killed by a dog. She ended up having to shoot both the dog and the foal Poor lass.

She now has a lame and traumatised mare (also attacked by the dog ) and an older, 7 week old foal who will not take a supplementary bottle and was wondering if she could get the two together.

Anyone every had experience of getting a mare to adopt an older foal????

 

[chev]

Yes but it's a long time ago and it's gruesome. Skin the dead foal and drape the live foal with it. Keep the mare on a rope and let her sniff the foal. Encourage the foal to feed. That's as much as I can remember. It took a short while for mum to let the foal feed but it did work. The foal in question was roughly six or seven weeks old.

What a terrible thing to have happen. Hope they can get the two together.

 

[Wally]

I did wonder about skinning the foal

 

[Wally]

She said the foal has sucked from the mare, but the mare was not overly keen. I feel if she can persevere it may work]

 

[Trewsers]

No idea at all - how very upsetting for all concerned. Do hope something can be worked out.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

No idea, but fingers crossed for mare and foal.

 

[sjp1]

No experience whatsoever. We never find that skinning a dead lamb and putting it on a tame lamb works - the ewes generally know, but horses may be different.

I would have thought if she could get the mare to stand for the foal, over time, the mare would accept it - worth a try I would guess if the foal won't take a bottle.

 

[Gimp]

how dreadful Fingers crossed something good can be salvaged from it all