[Samotis]

Thought I would start a thread for all the new foals out their and all their bumps, cuts and scrapes!

I need someone to feel the pain with me so I don't have a heart attack every time he comes in with something else!

So far my almost 2 month colt got a big ankle gash that is starting to heal nicely and a good wollop from mom right square in his left shoulder.

I know you can't tell me it gets better, but at least we can talk about our little monsters!

Also any good tips on cleaning wounds or what to look for when mom kicks baby! (such as swelling and other odd things)

My colt was a little sore in his shoulder today, but I didn't finds any knots or swelling, so he probably is just sore. (I would be too!)

He has this new thing when the mare gets her alfalfa, he stands right on top of it and munches away. Little stinker, but now the mare is getting pissed.

[Samotis]

oh, come on, 55 views and your telling me none of your babies do anything?

No cuts? No bruises? I am the only one? Maybe it interests me because I am a first timer.

[amdfarm]

I don't think you're alone, it's just that it's fairly common. Foals are like toddlers... they are mouthy and get into/find trouble. Mine have had the ocassional scrape or missing hair here and there, but not all and that's about it for baby boo boos. I didn't have any foals this year, but my friends have five on the ground. So far the mud seems to be keeping them boo boo free. Once it dries out (yeah right) and they're really able to get going to run and play, I'm sure the owies will come.

As for your colt standing on the hay... just wait until he figures out what a nice bed it makes, plops down to munch and forces mom to eat around him. That's one of their favorite tricks to annoy their mothers.

Enjoy him while he's little.

[Rival]

I can certainly sympathize. When my mare was a yearling she decided it was too warm out and jumped into a full cast iron bath tub. Unfortunately it was slippery inside and she ended up doing a Bambi and ended up dragging the tub (which took 4 men to carry empty) about 30 feet with her hind leg. I thought for sure that was the end of her. She did require stitches (but amazingly never took a lame step and missed a tendon by about 1/100 of an inch) and has a few white hairs as a reminder but she is now a happy sound 4 year old. Babies due stupid scary things but they seem to heal well.

[Samotis]

wow! that could have been scary! We have a roundpen in the pasture that he likes to nap in, but occasionally goes ripping in and out and I am scared to death he is going to miss the whole one day and ram right into the fence!

Any creams that you have found to be the best to make sure a scar doesnt form?

[amdfarm]

Creams for less scars. I like plain 'ol Vet Cream and just last year discovered a wound spray that's tea tree oil and it also works very well.

Good luck w/ your colt. I was going to suggest shutting the gate on the round pen, but then he might not be paying close enough attention and run right into it anyway! Once their brakes get to working well and every time, they learn pretty quick, but babies will be babies.

[3Spots]

My new favorite wound care came from another CoTHer: Banixx. I used it on my yearlings cuts and when his lymph node ruptured. Much faster healing than betadine, furacin, neosporin, alushield, etc. Just used it this week on my mare, who skinned her hind cannon, and was again reminded of how quickly this stuff works.

jan

[desilu]

No miracle wound creams to offer but I can relate completely. My yearling chipped his sesamoid bone at 3 and 1/2 months and had surgery, stall rest and then small area turnout.....but he's a yearling now and perfectly fine. You can't even find the scar even if you know where it was. So, just to give you comfort.

[MagicRoseFarm]

we have a month old with one capped hock, and a scrape and puffiness on the other hock of the two week old....... I always think WHY ME? but I see I am not alone now.

[Samotis]

Of course this ankle gash happened on the one day I was away all day working a dinner party. It figures. The barn owner kept calling me and asked me if she should call the vet and I told her no. Got there the next day and it was huge. The way it was described it didn't sound that bad! His mother must have kicked him and a chunk of his skin came off. Only thing I can think of.

Looks so much better now and I am using miracle heel. Hope there will be no scar. He is supposed to be my baby beauty!

I also heard that any dry spray is bad because it makes it heal too fast on the outside and not from the inside.

[Hampton Bay]

Yep, my baby ripped off a small chunk of skin on her hock. And of course I could not catch her, so I couldn't treat it for a couple days. It's small, but looked to be healing oddly at first. Yesterday it was looking much better.

Thankfully my filly is learning that I can catch her and she won't die, because she was always scurrying away from me. I would try to lead mom into the pasture, and she would get "stuck" on the other side of the fence because walking past me while I was holding the gate opened was too traumatic. That one resulted in her throwing herself against the fence trying to get over or thru. She has gone thru her mom's feed tub, into the stall walls, and once she smacked herself into the side of the doghouse when I was trying to lead her mom in. Maybe she is afraid of getting another enema.

[Samotis]

I don't know, those enemas were more traumatic for me then him

Of course everything was for me! I had no idea what i was doing as the baby is born right in front of my eyes!