Happy Thursday!
We have an exciting post for you today. Dr. Ernie Martinez has written a piece detailing the steps taken at Lane’s End in preparation for foaling. It’s a great example of how Lane’s End leaves nothing to chance. You can follow Dr. Martinez on twitter at @emartinezdvm.
Alys also sent us some great photos of Zenyatta’s first colt playing in the snow.
Enjoy!
-Team Z
Enjoying Late Pregnancy & Preparing for Foaling
By Ernie Martinez II. DVM from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute
As Zenyatta approaches the end of her second pregnancy, we begin to prepare for the arrival of Little 13Z. Very little will change from her daily routine. She will continue to be fed and checked by farm staff twice a day. They will begin to closely monitor her for any signs of premature labor. These might include early udder development or an abnormal vaginal discharge. Thankfully, Queen Z has strided through this pregnancy like a champ and everything has been very routine.
In the last trimester we vaccinate her with a three shot series of vaccinations for Rotaviral diarrhea. This can be a very life threatening diarrhea when acquired in the neonatal stage, and we do all we can try to prevent this disease or at best minimize the severity of any clinical signs. All farm mares receive this series of vaccinations, and we have had very healthy newborn foal crops for some time.
When Queen Z has one month to go we will give her annual series of booster vaccinations. This serves two purposes. First, we provide Queen Z with her annual booster of vaccinations for protection against Equine Herpes Virus 4&1, Eastern-Western Encephalitides, West Nile, Influenza, Rabies & Botulism. Second, and most importantly, by vaccinating her one month before to foaling we will booster the volume and quality of antibodies in her colostrum. Newborn foals are born immunologically naive and must consume and absorb the antibodies from colostrum for their initial immune protection. When 13Z is born we will test her colostrum to insure it is of high quality. If it were to be low, we will give the new foal a pint of colostrum from our colostrum bank. When 13Z is between ten to twelve hours old we will test a blood sample to determine the IgG, or antibody, level. We want all our foals to be above 800 mg/dL. Greater than 1200 mg/dL would be off the charts and even better!
As the foaling date draws nearer, Zenyatta will be brought up to the foaling barn where she will stay until she foals. In the foaling barn she will be under 24 hour surveillance as we patiently wait for her to foal. As she gets closer to foaling, or parturition, her udder will start to develop and the teats will fill. The classic sign that foaling is near is the production of wax or “waxing up.” This is a sebaceous-like pre-colostral secretion that in most cases means foaling is imminent.
Two weeks before Queen Z’s due date we will sample and test her blood for neonatal isoerythrolysis, or NI. We call it an NI Screen. NI occurs when the foal ingests colostrum from the mare with antibodies that react with the foals red blood cells (RBCs). The antibodies are produced by the mare due to transplacental hemorrhage in late gestation. The mare’s immune system identifies the RBCs as foreign because they contain stallion DNA. If the foal were to consume NI antibodies in the colostrum the foal’s RBCs would be coated in the maternal antibodies and cleared by the foal’s immune system, causing a hemolytic anemia. The foal would crash in respiratory distress as it would have no RBCs to carry oxygen. Thankfully, the NI screen allows us to detect NI positive mares. In a positive case we would muzzle the foal and supplement it with tested negative colostrum until the antibodies were cleared from the mares milk. This normally takes 10–12 hours.
So when she draws close to foaling time we will have done all we can do to insure that her colostrum will be top quality, we will have screened her colostrum for NI and we’ve made an easier pathway for the birth of 13Z. Now all we can do is wait.
See you at the Foaling Barn!
Anne
Happy Birthday to the “Big Boy”. It seems like yesterday he was laying in his straw with mom right beside him looking mighty proud.
I am hoping all goes well for Zenyatta and her next foaling date. I can’t wait until it is over…and the worrying ends. Take care precious queen.
sue and tony
Happy Birthday to our Prince!
AmandaF
Happy Birthday Prince Z. I want to thank Jerry and Ann for allowing us to be apart of your life and watching you grow up.
Emma
Happy birthday big guy! It was a year ago today that I lost it when I saw you for the first time! Many Zsters have reffered to it as love at first sight! Wishing you a mamma Z a safe day as her foaling time approaches.
Sue Fredrick- Starting to pace
!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCE Z12 AKA EARnie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a special day this is for one of the most famous colts in the world. How fast the time has gone, and what a handsome special boy you have become. Hope to see some pics of you with your grandparents visiting on this your first big anniversary.
Happy Birthday to Stephanie who gets to share this special day with you!
Trina, thank you for giving us more of your fabulous poems, they are just wonderful.
Congrats to Calvin Borel on reaching this huge milestone in his life.
PUR special thoughts and prayers to our beautiful Rachael to get past this bump in the road and continue on your road to recovery.
Love and hugs to all
Rosanne Glynn
A very Happy Birthday to that sweet colt and many many prayers for Zenny that everything goes perfectly for the most beautiful amazing mare in the world. Much love to her, her colt and her foul to be.
Sandy (Northeast Ohio) PUR
In case it got lost yesterday (I’m not sure how well your read yet :-) HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our prince!!! No colt could be more loved, but you’re going to have to be a big boy here as we make room in our hearts for the next little one. Just think, YOU will be a big brother soon!
Love to you!
Sandy (Northeast Ohio) PUR
AAACK! How well YOU read (it would probably be easier for you if we wrote more clearly)
shirleeinindy
Happy Birthday Beautiful Boy. Tell you mom that she sure did a good job with you. Can’t wait to find out your public name. I am sure you have a private one around the farm.
evy
What an interesting post on what happens when a mare gets closer to birth. I wish Zenny all the best throughout this process…..and beyond!
Has it been 1 year already for her colt? He is a beauty. I can’t wait to hear his formal name.
shirleeinindy
Gotta love the name of a horse in the Tampa Bay Derby-Purple Egg. Haven’t hear of him before and don’t know if he can run any faster than I can, but great name.
carolinarkansas
Purple Egg is my second choice for this race….he is named that because his owners wife had a purple maternity top and the owner thought she looked like a purple egg… his pedigree is good…he has been sidelined with an injury for a while…hope he does well…got the story about the name from a drf article written about him earlier this year
shirleeinindy
carolinarkansas-Thanks for the information about how Purple Egg got his name. A very sweet story. I hope I have not brought him to the attention of the Elf of Injury who seems to lurk over my shoulder reading the names of all the horses I like.
Ann NC (PUR)
Baby Boy,Baby Boy,
Happy Birthday,12Z….love seeing your pic in the snow,fun,fun,fun.
Way to go ,Calvin!
Carol,did you get a trading card??? Glad you could be there!!!! Exciting.
Calvin,send RA a signed card,that will make her day.
Another big weekend for racing…oh Mr. Verrazano you are so handsome. Shake and Bake season for these precious racing babes.
Kathy R.,hope Mr. Barakey gets a better shot this go round. Big race down under!
Power Up Rachel.
Zenny,love ya and praying for you!!!! Hoping for a little missy with a curly mane.
carolinarkansas
hi Ann BC…trading card secured…begged for a second one but no deal…but stole my hubbys so that’s ok…the funniest part was the jockey party in the infield after the race…all the jockies at the meet had signs and posters and a giant Calvin face…there was cake and gator aid..both of which were pushed/pour on him….he took it all in stride…he is really well liked and seems to be a very nice person…although I have never meet him …my sister and her hubby know him and his brother Cecil….like them both
Barbara Brayton
12Z is so handsome, and has a lot of energy. Hoping for a normal delivery for Zenyatta and a healthy filly. Thanks so much for the pictures and information
Celeste_in_TX
Thanks so much to Dr. Martinez for such a detailed sketch of the pre-foaling preparations that our Queen Z will be going through, and all the procedures in place by Lane’s End to make sure everyone is safe and healthy. Such a natural, normal and very special event can be so simple yet so very complicated at the same time. Thank you for taking such great care of our beloved Zenyatta!!!
Happy Birthday to sweet Prince Z12. Thank you for the wonderful photos of his snow playing. Hard to believe he is now a yearling!! Wow!!
Susan In Fl
Happy B Day! Great pics! Thanx for sharing. Peace & Happiness
Jane Wade
Happy Birthday to 12Z ! Enjoy your day handsome fella!!
Karen Lawrence
Happy Happy Birthday 12Z!! Can’t believe you are a year old now. Hope you have a wonderful life and are a blessed as your mother is! Love you!
Especially Horses / So Cal
12Z, you are not so little anymore, so I can’t exactly call you Little Prince, so Happy Birthday Handsome Prince. You have provided a wonderful year of “Bringing Up Baby”…from the life of a newborn, a weanling, and now we look forward to your yearling adventures. You are indeed a Handsome Dude.
Shari Voltz / Ohio
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!! We all LOVE YOU BABY Z!!!! I have your Birthday posted on my board in the front of the room. We sang to you this morning. My Heart just swells with Love for You. Hugs and many Kisses from Mrs. Voltz and Homeroom 215 XXXOOO
GOD BLESS : )
Rosemary McCauley-Pres./AZ/New Mexico RNC
Happy Birthday Z12! I hope your day is filled with fun, friends (both 2-legged and 4-legged). We all wish we could be there with you to celebrate
Judy in South Carolina
Dear Baby Z………………can’t believe it has been an entire year since we all crashed your Mamma’s website on that wild night! And here we all are ready to do it again! (Hoping for a little sister for you this time!!!!)
Loved this article so that we can better understand what our Queen will be experiencing in the days and weeks ahead.
Zenny, we love you and can’t wait to see what is sure to be another beautiful Baby! Be safe, happy and healthy.
Abigail_1849
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY!
Like so many others here, I can’t quite believe that a year has come & gone since we first saw you in the straw getting kissed by Mrs. Moss or your first wobbling steps into the sunshine.
But look at you now!!!
P.S. If I were you, I’d be expecting something very yummy from Ann & Jerry Moss…..
Especially Horses / So Cal
Abigail…so true..He should be expecting something special today from his human parents. Lucky boy.
Sandy (Northeast Ohio) PUR
Abigail,
Got an email from Adrienne Calvert saying that the Canadian Govt would only pay attention to petitions from Canadians re the wild horse situation. So although many of us signed the petition for which you provided the link, it sounded like it won’t do any good. Do you know of any other options for the Yankee contingent?
Sandy
Max
Sandy. My recollection is that it was not the Canadian federal government to which the petition on saving wild horses is addressed but to a provincial (state) government instead. If Americans are upset enough about this matter to sign petitions, I think that that effort will be noticed. No government in Canada wants to upset their best friends. Do not give up on saving these horses by technicalities. Saving horses has no national boundaries.
Kathy R.
And international ones either – sent a signature from Downunder as well! Just hope it all works.
Sandy (Northeast Ohio) PUR
Max – here’s what the email said (maybe I’m misunderstanding something):
First, I would like to thank each of you for signing & sharing the petition to Save Alberta’s Wild Horses. Your voice is invaluable to lives of our wild horses. Please keep telling your friends, family and colleagues about the plight of Canada’s wild ones. Together we can see them properly protected and their lives saved for future generations.
Understand, that the Government of Canada does not recognize online petitions as a formal form of protest. Online petitioning is fantastic to garner media attention & general public awareness. However, other than ensuring the politicians realize we are watching them and this critical issue an online petition will not change any Laws. Only paper petitions, approved under the Governments legal petitioning regulations and put forward in the House of Commons by a Member of Parliament, will be accepted as formal protest.
On that note, a formal Federal Petition has been launched and approved for use, to petition the Canadian House of Commons. This petition is in support of Alberta’s wild horses and requests the highest level of Government to protect them as a “Heritage Animal” in the Province of Alberta. It is very important for every Canadian citizen to gather signatures on these paper petitions. Please note, under Canadian petitioning policy, only signatures from Canadian citizens will be approved.
Max
Sandy. This looks to be a formal petition to the Canadian House of Commons through a Member of Parliament, which appears to be a different route from what Abigail was asking for, namely signatures on a petition to provincial Ministers. Abigail can correct me on this if I am wrong.
There is however nothing to prevent anyone from emailing the Cabinet Minister responsible for Canadian Heritage (James Moore) and expressing a view that these horses should be protected as a heritage animal. He has a website. If he gets lots of email from US citizens and others expressing support for these horses, he will notice. Or people can email the Prime Minister of Canada (Stephen Harper) on his website, telling him that these horses should be protected. He is from Alberta and represents a consitutency in Calgary. Email and social media can sometimes have more influence than petitions which are tabled in Parliament.
martha (Oklahoma)
Hooray! It’s 12Z’s Big Day! We are having cake and ice cream at 4:00 to celebrate. Everyone is invited to join us on this stellar occasion.
Sandy (Northeast Ohio) PUR
Not sure I can get to OK by 4:00 but please have a piece of cake for me :-)
Kathleen
Happy birthday Prince Z! Hope you get a big old carrot cake delivered by grandma and grandpa Moss
Ann Maree / Tennessee
Happy Birthday to the not-so-little Prince! Beginning to pace, pace, pace….can hardly wait for 13Z….thanks for keeping us informed about the routine during this very critical time. So thankful that so far, Z has had few issues to be concerned about. Hugs to all and have a happy weekend!
Keta
So, Prince 12Z,
Wonder if your birthday present will be a halter with your forever name
on it?
That would be a nice gift for you and for us.
Happy Birthday!!
Neck hugs,
Keta
Keta
Bronwen Healy tweet
Looking back.. at OCTAGONAL and LONHRO–Darley Stallions
Here is the link to her Blog with wonderful photos.
http://bronwenhealyphotography.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/and-crowd-roared-go-lonhro-go.html
Louise Castello
Stunning photos! Thanks Keta!
Keta
Aga Khan Studs tweet
Find out more about SEA THE STARS 118 two year-olds in training here
Here is the link to the Brochure. Includes racing history & all mares he has covered.
http://www.agakhanstuds.com/stallion/sea_the_stars_brochure.html
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Keta:
Thanks for this link to Sea The Stars. He is one handsome dude.
I noticed on the first page of his Two Year Olds in training, there was an unnamed filly with listed owner, William Farish. I guess it’s possible she’ll be going to Lane’s End some day. Hugs, JB
Shari Voltz / Ohio
hi happy brithday from raegan mya we are in mrs voltz class
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Regan and Mya in Mrs. Volt’s class:
It’s great to see a post from you. So glad you and all the children in Mrs. Volt’s class care about horses. Hugs, JB
Lise from Maine
Hi!
Happy Birthday to Zenyatta’s colt who was born around 2 a.m. on March 8, 2012.
I was hoping that the colt would be born on my dog’s, Isis, birthday which is March 9th but no such luck but close indeed.
I am eager to hear of new baby’s birth.
Thank you!
Lise from Maine
Hi!
Happy birthday to Zenyatta’s colt who was born around 2 a.m. on March 8, 2012.
I was hoping that he would be born on my dog’s, Isis, birthday which is March 9th but no such luck but close indeed.
I am eager to hear of the new baby’s birth.
Thank you!