Welcome II
As I mentioned on the previous page that the year 2000 had not been kind to me, and 2001 isn't looking that hot either.
The beginning of November, Jewel's yearling son by Q Ton Jane, WIR Our Cinco de Mayo (a liver chestnut tobiano gelding), was in his paddock and somehow broke his neck. Of all Jewel's foals, Cinco was the one closest to resembling his father. Their coat patterns were very similar for markings, as well as color.
We thought our bad luck might be over but unfortunately, it has continued.
The beginning of March 2001, my broodmare (and riding horse), Jane, became ill. She was drinking very little and eating even less. This was extremely scary as she was carrying the last "Jewel" foal. Jane was due to foal near the end of March. Our vet treated her almost daily and it became apparent that Jane was in liver failure, among other things. During the middle of March, the vet decided that induction was the best method for all involved.
The day of induction, 16 March 2001, came and Jane was induced. Shortly after the induction was started, Jane delivered a foal marked much like herself -- a beautiful medicine hat filly (chestnut tobiano-overo), with a shamrock on her butt near the tail head. AND SHE WAS ALIVE!! To truly appreciate this you have to be aware that we were told that the foal was more than likely dead. Also if the foal was born alive, it would more than likely die due to the high levels of toxicity in the mare. The filly received IgG (auto-immune substance for orphan foals) and Jane provided much needed colostrum, although extremely concentrated. We were able to get the foal to nurse several times, as well as milk Jane out.
We battled hard to try and save Jane, but sadly we were unable. We lost Jane 27 hours after foaling. She had absorbed much of our time over the first two weeks of March 2001. I have to sincerely thank my Mom and Dad, our friend Denise and her husband Skip, my sister Laurie, my brother Joe, as well as my husband and daughters for all their help!! It truly was a family affair, unfortunately my Mom bore the brunt of the work (loosing much needed sleep by watching over her)!! Thank you so much!
After Jane's death, we continued the battle, although it was a little different than before. We now had an orphan foal on our hands. We introduced the foal to a retired broodmare who gladly adopted her. "Shami" (short for Shamrock) was glad to see "her mom"! Even though the filly was born alive, she encountered many obstacles in her path. She was born with an infection and jaundice (something mama Jane passed on to her). Even though she was close to her "due date", the filly was premature (whether conditions caused her development to slow down due to her mama's illnesses) in many ways. She needs to be fed around the clock with a commercial equine milk replacer. Shami is improving slowly and is looking and acting more like a newborn foal. The road ahead of her is a long one, filled with many trials to come. I'll keep you updated.
Cinco and his mother, Jane, are now with Jewel and Tasha in Heaven!! They are happy with wide open pastures to run through and there is no more sickness and/or pain!! I thank them for allowing us to be a part of their lives and having them as special friends.
Thank you very much for stopping by to see us! Your patronage is greatly appreciated!
Wild Irish Rose Farm
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