Stay Tuned!
Super excited about spring and our upcoming foals. In order: Andees Sendin Out an SOS "Sassy" X Vermilyea Farms Bentley HOF Due: June 29, Amore Lil Dreamsicle "Dream" X Vermilyea Farms Bentley HOF Due: July 4, 2014 Vermilyea Farms Queen of Hearts X Vermilyea Farms Bentley HOF Due: July 25, 2014 WestWind Farms Buckoffs Willow X Vermilyea Farms Bentley HOF Due: Aug 6, 2014 Super excited about spring and our upcoming foals. In order: Menagerie's Kewpie Leigh HOF "Leigh" X Buckeye WCF Paposa Silver Bullet - April 3rd 2012 Windmill Lady Di "Di" X Vermilyea Farms Bentley HOF - May 7th 2012 BORN May 20th Westwind Farms Buckoffs Willow "Willow" X Obsessive Dream of WCF - May 15th - July 25th 2012 Hells Canyon Cowboys Cadence "Kate" X Buckeye WCF Hot Toddy - June 4th 2012 BORN May 27th Andees Sendin Out an SOS "Sassy" X Vermilyea Farms Bentley HOF -June 21st 2012 BORN June 27th Cascades Velvet Starlet "Starlet" X Obsessive Dream of WCF - July 6th 2012 BORN June 10th How many times have we looked at our glowing mothers-to-be and asked ourselves, "What does it look like now?" and "When is it going to get here?" Day 9-11. With the naked eye you can only see the 'embryonic vesicle ' which houses the embryo. The vesicle looks like a shimmering , firm translucent bubble less than 1/4 " in diameter. On the ultrasound screen, you will see it as a black circle in a sea of grainy grey (your mares uterus). At this point the embryo is only the size of a pinpoint and highly mobile found in either horn or in the body. Mares are often not scanned as early as day 11 for fear of pregnancy arising from later ovulation and remaining undetectable. Day 14. Diagnosis of Pregnancy. The 14 day conceptus is 13 to 18 mm in size and lies centrally in the uterine body. Note the spherical shape and increase in size over the Day 11 pregnancy. The embryonic vesicle grows at a rate of approximately 3.5 mm/day at this early stage of pregnancy and remains highly mobile, making thorough examination of all parts of the uterus important. In the event of twin pregnancies, both vesicles can usually be seen at 14 days, even if the second co-twin arose from a later ovulation. Day 24. The vesicle has grown to 1" in diameter. It is a shimmering flabby, translucent bubble with a dark red dot, the embryo, at one end. A network of thread like blood vessels emanates from the 1/4" dot. You can barely make out the beginnings of the animal features. A head with tiny bumps that will become eyes, a fleshy tail nub, and four little buds that will eventually become legs. On the ultrasound monitor, you will see the vesicle as an irregular, guitar pick shaped black blob within the grainy grey. Generally around day 24, an embryonic heart is large enough to be seen on the ultrasound screen. To find it, focus on the 'floor' surface of the blob. You will see a white smudge about 1/2" in diameter, resting there is the embryo. Within the smudge, a tiny black spot, about the size of a pinpoint, will be flashing on and off. This is the pea sized embryo's beating heart. Day 40. The vesicle is now 2 1/2" in diameter, roughly spherical in shape and somewhat collapsed. The 3/4 inch embryo within is now recognisable as a four legged animal. It has a blobby head with eyelids, rudimentary ears, ridges where the nostrils will be, and functional elbows and stifle joints. An ultrasound would reveal the vesicle as a round black blob. The developing umbilical cord is clearly visible. Look for the white smudge of the embryo to be suspended from the vesicle's ceiling, rather than resting on the floor. This shift of position is step one in what researchers call "the rise and fall of the embryo". It results from filmy membranes at the top of the vesicle coming together to form the umbilical cord. As they do so, they shorten pulling the olive sized embryo up to the ceiling like a chandelier. Day 50 to 55. The embryo now is slightly over an inch long nestling within the confines of the 1 1/2 " vesicle. You can see tiny ribs under the skin, it domed head is similar to a Chihuahua and has developed a distinct skull. Little triangles represent it's ears and the hock and fetlock joints have developed. At this stage your future foal officially will graduate from embryo to fetus. On the ultrasound monitor, you will find the fetus back on the vesicle's floor, due to the lengthening of the umbilical cord. Because of it's size now, this will be your last chance to view the fetus via ultrasounds. In a matter of weeks it will be too big for the ultrasound screen. Day 60. The vesicle is now flabby and shapeless conforming to the uterine walls. The fetus is now approx 3 1/2 inches long. You can see that it clearly resembles a horse thanks to the development of tiny hooves, complete with soles and frogs. It's head is still tucked but less than before. The fetus is hairless and about the size of a hamster. Considerable fetal motility is obvious. Day 80. The fetal head will now be un-tucked and is held level with the spine in the 'normal' horse position. It's sex is now visible. You can see that little lumps have formed for the scrotum if it's a colt or the udder if it is a filly. The fetus is now about the size of a chipmunk. A red stain has been used to highlight the developing skeleton. The darker areas show calcium deposits where the bones are starting to ossify. The hardening skeleton system provides a framework for other body structures and protects the internal organs as they develop. The mare will be experiencing hormonal changes and increased blood flow to the uterus - now the size of a melon - but will not yet look pregnant. Day 100. Your mares 7 inch fetus is now about the size of a six week old kitten. You can see a bit of hair on it's lips and it's ears are uncurling from it's head, they are now nearly 1/2 inch long and curled forwards on it's head. The coronary band looks like little raised lines circling the tops of it's tiny 1/4 inch hooves. Day 180. The fetus has quadrupled it's weight in just 30 days. Mane and tail hairs have appeared and it is about the size of a Beagle. Day 240. Now at about 16 1/2 inches long, the fetus has whisker like hairs on it's chin, throat and muzzle. Day 270. Your mares fetus is approx the size it will be when born. It has fine hairs covering it's body and it now has a swatch of hair on it's tail. It is about the size it would be at birth. Day 320. In the last week or so, the fetus' lungs have developed to a point where it can function if it were to be born. It's legs have developed to a point that it can support it's own weight. It's hair has coarsened from the fine silky texture of fetus hair to that of a fully formed foal. As far as development is concerned, your foal is now safe and ready to be born. You will get the chance to meet your mares foal in a matter of days or weeks. Normal foal gestation can range between 330 days plus or minus 15 days. References:
http://www.crayonboxminiatures.com/MiniFetusDevelopment.html http://www.oakleighminiatures.com/contents/Development%20of%20a%20foal%20and%20gestation.htm http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/horse-fetus-bu http://pneupnurse.tumblr.com/page/6 Welcome to my first post! What do I plan to do with this vast empty space? I'm hoping that when the year is up I will have posted some great links to some awesome articles and have kept everyone up-to-date on recent foaling activity and attended shows. In today's post we will be discussing crested necks. The crest is the topline of the neck or the gentle curve from the poll to the withers. A neck is considered crested when this area becomes very thick or in somecases flops over (fallen crest). What causes a crested neck and how can I protect my horse you ask? There are several reasons a horse may get a crested neck. The first reason may be simple genetics as some breeds are more susceptible to a crested neck. Additionally, stallions of any breed may carry more of a crest than mares or geldings as fat in the neck is a secondary sexual characteristic. This natural conformation in a horse not exhibiting other symptoms should not be mistaken for a sign that disease exists. Secondly, a cresty neck can be an indication of obesity which is associated with founder and fatty liver disease. A horse may gain too much weight or gain weight too quickly and store excess fat in the neck causing the crest to appear or become hard and lumpy. A third reason is equine metabolic syndrome or EMS. Horses with EMS can exhibit several distinct signs including a crested neck, puffiness around the eyes, and lumpy fat deposits around the tail, head and withers eventually leading to a "sagging" look about the horse. EMS also effects the immune system making your horse prone to infections willing to capitilize on your horses lowered defense mechanism. The point being "No Sugar Daddy's Allowed." In the wild, horses travel long distances without grain, buckets of carrots and sugar cubes and my guess would be that these same horses often arrive at their destinations without fear of becoming overweight, lame or suffering from a crested neck. Are we over doing it with sugar coated feed? I encourage you to take a look at the second reference down discussing reasons not to feed straight alfalfa to your horse. I'm not saying I agree with everything, but the article is definitely interesting! Insulin resistance, a metabolic condition, can have a devastating effect on humans called diabetes but can the same thing happen to a horse? A hallmark of insulin resistance is a cresty neck—sometimes in combination with obesity, sometimes not. Insulin resistance (IR) is the inability of the body to remove blood sugar (glucose) from circulation. Insulin resistance can lead to the development of several related diseases like laminitis and equine Cushing’s disease. Just like humans, excess bodyweight, lack of exercise and/or a modern diet high in sugars and starch (found in high amounts in many commercially processed feeds) may predispose a horse to develop insulin resistance. IR can be detected and diagnosed with thorough blood work and working closely with your vetrinarian. What can you do if your horse has a crested neck? First part of treating the problem is knowing what caused it so you can eliminate the problem. If your concerned it may be a thyroid issue or related to insulin resistance have your horse tested. This can be done with a simple basic screening test called a resting serum insulin test. This requires a single blood sample after 12 hours of nothing but grass hay (or nothing at all). This test will help determine whether or not insulin resistance is present. Obesity is a huge co-inhabitor. Avoid feeding products that do not list their ingredients. You should know what your putting into the mouth of your loved one. Similar to humans one would want to monitor their horses diet and restrict carbohydrates and sugars while increasing exercise to decrease their horses weight. No comfort food - just kindness. Neck sweats are also suggested in several forums by owners as well as magnesium supplements such as the american brand MagOx though I could not find studies to prove their effectiveness. Last but not least I found an interesting website discussing cinnamon and its effect on horses suffering from IR. The article states that Methylhydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP) found in cinnamon helps cells recongnize and respond to insulin which aids in transporting glucose from the blood into the cells. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What have you tried? What has worked? What hasn't? References: http://www.hopeforsoundness.com/education/articles/additional/metabolicissues-stiller.html http://grandadventuresranch.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:reasons-not-to-feed-straight-alfalfa-to-your-horse&catid=43:horse-health&Itemid=62 http://www.magox.com/ Dr. Lon Lewis, "Feeding and Care of the Horse" http://www.wholehorse.com/articles/cinnamon_article.htm |
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