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Post by Pam on Feb 13, 2013 20:09:16 GMT -5
foaled a beautiful filly by Bernardini last night!   This from Thoroughbred Daily News: " Rachel Alexandra's Condition Remains StableUpdated: 4:20 PM ET (First posted: 4:19 PM ET) There has been no material change in the condition of Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro), who underwent surgery Feb. 13 for complications after foaling a filly by Bernardini. Her attending veterinarians at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Dr. Brett Woodie and Dr. Bonnie Barr, are pleased with her progress, which has included several short walks a day and an improved appetite this week and say that she is facing her recovery "with the same courage and determination that made her a champion on the track." Dr. Woodie indicated that he is encouraged by the mare’s improved gastro-intestinal function as her diet becomes more normal and that she is exhibiting a "feisty" attitude. The course of post-surgery abdominal lavages was completed Tuesday and the two drains placed in her abdomen to evacuate fluids were removed. Officials at Rood & Riddle hastened to add that the road to complete recovery remains long and with many hurdles to overcome, but that Stonestreet’s Barbara Banke and the team at Rood & Riddle are "both inspired by her strength and happy with her progress" to date. Barring any significant change in her condition, the next update from the hospital is due Saturday, Feb. 23." |
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Post by johnnysauntie on Feb 14, 2013 7:08:42 GMT -5
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Post by Pam on Feb 14, 2013 7:34:52 GMT -5
I saw that. Praying that she recovers, they are saying it's serious.  |
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Post by Goalie on Feb 14, 2013 8:49:05 GMT -5
praying that she does recover asap
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Post by Smay on Feb 14, 2013 9:28:34 GMT -5
Isn't it just horrible how they have to risk the lives of such valuable (TB) mares in order to have them produce? I hope Rachel Alexandra pulls through. It's one of those kind of things where they say it's "serious" and one minute the horse pulls through fine, and the next minute we find out she didn't make it. Jingling for this magnificent mare.
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Post by Sarahsmom on Feb 14, 2013 10:38:54 GMT -5
Prayers and jingles. Love the heart of that exracer!
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Post by Pam on Feb 14, 2013 17:50:19 GMT -5
Suzy, this is a GREAT case for tossing the Jockey Club's rules and allowing surrogacy. Rachel has had trouble with both deliveries now and it would really be a shame to lose her genetics (or HER) because of the stubbornness of the JC in refusing to allow embryo transfer.
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Post by Lisa on Feb 15, 2013 6:22:24 GMT -5
I agree Pam, cause if they could allow a surrogate, then they could possibly do away with nurse mares. When I was in KY for Rolex, I went with a friend to a place where they had nurse mares ready for when anyone would call. When they got the call they would take their foal away from them, and put them into pens with other foals their age. Some pens were bought by drug companies to do testing on, and others were bottle fed for a few days, but had to learn to eat grain quickly. It was the most horrible, heart breaking, sickening sight I had ever seen. I had to get out and wait for my friend at the car. She wasn't phased by any of it growing up in this kind of environment. I do hope the JC reviews their rules!!!
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Post by Pam on Feb 15, 2013 7:22:29 GMT -5
There's always going to be a need for nursemares. You can never completely predict which mares will have problems and a foal is almost always better off with a new mom rather than being bottle or bucket fed. Rachel, though, has had trouble with delivering both of her foals now, as did her mother. Though the circumstances were unrelated, the fact remains that she has had problems with two out of two foals. She would be a good case for surrogacy, using a mare who's known to be an easy breeder.
In a lot of cases, the nursemares are matched up after the fact using a mare who has lost a foal, rather than just taking the foals off the mares, but there are a couple of big farms who are providing them when needed and it is heartbreaking to see the young foals pulled off their mothers. IMO, it's just replacing one orphan with another which doesn't really seem to make much sense to me. It's all about the money, the foals like Rachel's are worth a lot more than the ones from the nursemares.
One thing is that you can induce lactation in a non-pregnant mare with the use of P&E treatment along with sulpiride, then lutalyse, basically tricking the mares body into thinking that it foaled. For about $200, you can induce lactation instead of having to produce an unwanted foal as a "side effect".
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Post by Lisa on Feb 15, 2013 8:59:37 GMT -5
Most of these foals came out of nice aqha, and paint stallions. The mares were registered, but were nothing special. The attitude of the guy there was so nonchalant it was sickening!! I was looking for a horse at the time, and he had a nice paint mare but she was in foal, and he said we will just abort it no big deal. I passed, and the gal I was with is big in the aqha world didn't understand why I was so emotional! I guess I never knew this is how things worked, and wasn't ready to see it. I really am to soft hearted when it comes to animals, and just can't see them as money.
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Post by ZenRider on Feb 15, 2013 20:12:17 GMT -5
Wow, hope she's all right and that the nurse mares foal is all right as well. Wouldn't it be ironic if it was the nurse mare's foal that turned out to be a champion? How does one pick?
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Post by Big Tee© on Feb 15, 2013 20:39:56 GMT -5
I am still shaking my head at the JC being centuries behind times - live cover only, little or no DNA parentage verification, no ET allowed. The JC is so stodgy and narrow-minded it's amazing they can still hold that club over the heads of the breeders, or perhaps the breeders are just as blind and stodgy. This story is the reason we fought so hard for ET and it is allowed now, one foal per year from the mare. .
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Post by animaldoc on Feb 15, 2013 21:23:53 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be ironic if it was the nurse mare's foal that turned out to be a champion? How does one pick? Nurse mares are often drafts or other breeds - I don't think I've ever seen a TB nurse mare.... |
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Post by niaru on Feb 16, 2013 8:32:46 GMT -5
Such a beautiful photo.
I hope she pulls through and I agree with all of you on the AI, surrogates etc. What is "ET"?
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Post by Unbound on Feb 16, 2013 9:20:43 GMT -5
Such a beautiful photo. I hope she pulls through and I agree with all of you on the AI, surrogates etc. What is "ET"? ET="Embryo Transfer" |
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