Cocoa Pebbles goes into labor!!
Not long after returning from Springfield and settling in with the new cria I noticed that Cocoa Pebbles was not acting herself. She wasn’t crazy about eating her dinner and she was content to go off and lay by herself. She was due as well and she too would be another first time mother. I kept a close eye on her watching for any signs of labor. At 3:00 a.m. I went out to the barn to feed Annie and check on Cocoa Pebbles, sure enough she was in labor with the head and front feet already out. Unfortunately it was obvious the cria was already dead. I dashed back to the house to get my husband for assistance. We were unable to get the shoulders of the cria to pass. I knew this was a huge problem and vet assistance would be needed. I also knew that she needed to go to the vets clinic in the event a C-section would be needed. My heart broke for the cria but my attention was on mom I did not want to lose her too. My vet is 45 minutes away so rather than call him at 3:30 in the morning we decided to hook up the trailer and get ready to head there and call him on the way.
By the time we reached the vets Cocoa Pebbles was very stressed and very uncomfortable. My vet did a great job and was able to get the cria out without a c-section or dismemberment. Cocoa Pebbles had some tears and did quite a bit of bleeding after delivery. The next concern was to stop the bleeding and not to have a prolapsed uterus. My vet explained that when they strain as she did they loose calcium and having a low calcium level can also cause a prolapse. She was given I.V. fluids with calcium, antibiotics, along with other meds. I stayed at the vets with her most of the day and brought her home in the afternoon when we thought it was safe for transport. There was still a chance for a prolapse and of course bleeding so she needed to watched closely. I’m happy to report she is doing well. The swelling on her bottom is reducing and she is eating and all bodily functions are working. She is still very very sore and is cautious how she gets up and lays down. She is in barn in a private stall along side Splash and her baby. It was important to keep her quiet and very clean. She has been a trooper through all of this and I’m happy she is going to be okay, as long as things continue on this track. She will not be bred again for at least 6 months to give her body plenty of time to heal.
It sure has been an emotional roller coaster the past few days, extreme highs and lows in less than 12 hours. But at the end of the day I wouldn’t trade this life for anything different.
