And the trees give their leaves to the wind,

like a beautifully whispered dream . . . Autumn

                           --Author unknown

A ROUGH BEGINNING

The economy has really taken a toll on the “horse business.”  Across the country, stockyards and auction houses are reporting that horses are simply being abandoned there.  In mid to late October, this is just what happened at one Washington stockyard.  Two horses in poor condition were dropped off to be sold.  Because of their condition, no one was willing to take them, so the two horses were simply put back in the pen to be brought again in hopes someone would come forward.

The mare was very old, maybe as old as 30, and in very poor condition.  She was so thin, in fact, that no one realized she was about to give birth.  Around 11AM on Friday, October 28, the mare put everything she had into giving birth to a filly, and then dropped to her death. 

Around 4:30 that afternoon a stockyard employee contacted animal control.  “Somebody dropped off two horses.  One died giving birth.  We’re going to put the baby down, and would like for you to come and pick them all up” the caller told animal control. 

When the animal control officer arrived about two hours later, the mare’s body had already been removed, but the baby was up and walking around.  So the tiny newborn filly, barely nine hours old, was loaded into a truck and transported to the animal shelter’s barn. 

Picture this:  a newborn filly drops from its mother’s body onto the cold hard ground at an auction yard.  Unsure and alone, she must have somehow struggled to her feet, still wet with placenta, staring at the strange dark mass at her feet.  She never got those first warm licks from a mother’s tongue, cleaning her, warming her, urging her to stand and nurse.  She never got those first precious drops of mother’s milk.  She didn’t even get to say goodbye. 

TOO SOON TO SEE THE WORLD

On average, a mare takes nearly a year (about 341 days) to deliver a mature foal.  (A foal is considered premature if born in less than 320 days.)   Preemies are generally smaller than normal, have thin skin and hair, and are very weak and wobbly.  Premature foals are quite susceptible to infection, bone deformities, respiratory problems, and have difficulty maintaining body temperature.  Infectious diseases are a major cause of death in premature foals. 

Adding insult to injury, most foals are born in the Spring when the ground is beginning to warm and the days are filled with sunshine and new grass.  Baby Autumn was born very late in the year, which means she will need additional support just to stay warm enough to survive as shivering can cause weight loss.

Autumn’s Hope has all the classic symptoms of a preemie:  she is very tiny and has other physical characteristics of a premature foal:  her bones and ligaments are not very stable so she is very wobbly on her feet; all four of her legs are slightly crooked; her forehead has a slightly “domed” appearance, her coat is curly in spots, and the tips of her ears curl inward.

Barring unforeseen problems, human babies are born with their immune systems intact, because during the nine months they are carried in their mother’s womb, the placenta transfers antibodies to the baby through the umbilical cord. 

In horses, those precious antibodies are transferred through “colostrum” - a thick, straw-colored fluid that is present in the mare’s milk during the first 12 hours.  Foals do not begin to produce their own antibodies until they are nearly six months of age, so it is critical that they receive colostrum as soon as possible after birth.

THE FIRST 36 HOURS

On the way to the shelter, the animal control officer contacted a local equine vet who advised that the baby needed colostrum right away.  He stressed the importance of keeping the baby in an area that was at least 60 degrees because she would not be able to maintain her own body heat. 

Once at the shelter, the filly was given supplements and milk replacer.  Her suck reflex was strong, and her appetite good.  Her thin legs wobbled under her tiny body, but although she was really “down in the fetlocks,” she was already walking fairly well.  (It’s not unusual for a foal - especially a preemie - to be born with it’s pasterns low to the ground.  Some vets treat this “deformity” by applying leg braces soon after birth.) 

The next day, the vet gave the filly - now being called “Hope” - a tetanus shot and drew blood to see how much colostrum she had absorbed, and to check for any signs of infection.

The results of the blood tests were grim.  Nearly every measure was below normal, or at the lowest end of the range, with the most serious indicator being the lgG, which is an evaluation of the serum antibody level.  Hope’s levels indicated that her antibodies were well below normal.  University studies have shown that foals with no antibody protection either do not survive or have a 50-75% chance of becoming ill.   Although the filly could have been given a blood plasma transfusion, the cost was prohibitive for the animal shelter. 

By the time the filly was three day’s old, she started to crash.  She looked distressed and her breathing was rapid.  She was straining to defecate and sweaty from the effort.  The shelter staff gave her an enema and then allowed her to rest. 

TREATMENT BEGINS

On Halloween, the shelter called Hope For Horses to see if we could help.  They realized that the baby was going to need expensive and time-consuming, around-the-clock care - something they simply were not able to provide.  The only other alternative was to humanely euthanize her, something they were unwilling to do.

This is the sort of case that is right up our alley, so we quickly agreed that an emergency intervention was needed.  Volunteers got to work preparing her stall - setting up bales of straw

to create a small secure area that was deeply bedded and warm.  We made arrangements for our vet to be on hand to check vital signs and set up an IV line so that she could receive the much-needed plasma as well as other fluids or antibiotics.  We gathered other things we would need - foal blankets, wet wipes and hand sanitizers, a shallow bucket with a bleach solution for dipping our feet before entering her stall, Pro-Bios and BioSponge to stem the diarrhea.  We set up a “foal watch team” to insure that someone was with the baby at all times. 

11/1/11 - Plasma and Antibiotics Administered @ 4 days old

The filly arrived bright and alert - a dusky gray about the size of a tall Greyhound.  She was so tiny, the animal control officer was able to gently lift her from the back of the SUV and place her feet on the ground.  Although her legs were wobbly and she had been lying down for nearly a hour during the trip from the shelter, she was anxious to explore her new home.  She poked her nose around the back side of the vehicle and then gingerly made her way along the fence.  We guided her through the barn door and into her new stall. 

The vet checked her vital signs and started an IV drip of blood plasma.  We mixed up the first of many batches of Mare’s Match and the filly eagerly sucked it down.    Not long after eating, she wandered back and forth a bit and ultimately decided it was time for a nap.  At this point, she’s not very graceful when lying down; she just flops down any which way, sometimes tangling her legs in the process.

That night the temperature dropped into the 40’s so we bundled her (and the two volunteers) in thick warm blankets and waited out the night.  “Autumn is my favorite season,” Nick said.  “Could we call her that since she was born in the Fall?”  So Hope became Autumn’s Hope. 

11/2/11 - Persistent Diarrhea @ 5 days old

The vet returned this morning to recheck her vital signs and do a blood draw.  The results of her first test put her IgG at below 400.  The retest showed that she was absorbing the plasma well as her level had increased to just below 800.  She ate and drank hungrily, but begin having diarrhea by mid-afternoon.  She had a very rough night and it was hard to keep her bottom (and the stall, and the volunteer) clean. 

11/3/11 - Not eating @ 6 days old

Autumn now has persistent watery diarrhea and is not eating. Thankfully though, she still gets up and walks around.  Our vet recommended pushing Bio-Sponge and changing her formula to evaporated milk and Karo, but he didn’t pull any punches by saying, “If you want this foal to live, you need to take her to Pilchuck.” 

We are fortunate in Washington State to have many excellent equine veterinary clinics, but Pilchuck is the “go-to” place when large animals are in trouble.  They are about 30 minutes from our barn and provide 24/7 intensive care.  Although intensive care is very expensive, we are committed to go the distance with Autumn. It's clear that she is a fighter and deserves to be given a chance.

We arranged for an appointment at Pilchuck at 1PM, but by noon Autumn seemed to be having trouble swallowing, so we decided to take her in on an emergency basis.  A team of veterinarians, interns, and veterinary assistants were waiting on us when we pulled up. 

By the time we left the hospital several hours later, Autumn had perked up a bit. She has a 3-way catheter and was on an IV drip. After just half a bag of fluids, she was already nudging us for her bottle!

Using the clinic’s wireless access, we logged on to check Facebook and discovered Autumn’s fund had already raised nearly $3,000 for her care.  We are overwhelmed with how much everyone cares! A big Thanks to everyone who is thinking of her, or donating $ or time.

A STAY IN THE HOSPITAL

11/4/11 - Intestinal inflammation but hungry @ 1 week old

http://www.youtube.com/user/HopeForHorsesWA?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/1/NxZMJzFDIBE

Just walked in the door from the hospital. Autumn is up, alert and hungry but still with pure watery diarrhea.  Her blood work indicates severe intestinal inflammation so that is where all efforts are focused. Apparently she has a very irritable bowel - the lining should be 1/16th of an inch thick but is nearly half an inch. We may need to switch her to goat's milk and a different milk replacement formula.  

She received her third bag of plasma, and is still getting IV fluids.   The constant IV fluids have filled her out a bit. The veterinary team are upping her IV feeding to compensate for no oral food. She has not learned to pan feed (bottles/nipples risk aspiration of milk) but the vet is content to let it take another day to give her gut more rest.  Here’s a video of her trying to convince John E to giver her back her bottle!

Sunday - 11/5/11 - Alert and curious @ 8 days old

http://www.youtube.com/user/HopeForHorsesWA?feature=mhsn

First good night's sleep in a while! Autumn seems a little better. She is seeking food, curious about her surroundings, and was up for more than an hour while we visited. She will be in hospital until at least Friday,

Monday - 11/6/11 - Nasogastric tube for feeding @ 9 days old

Just got a call from Dr. Mollat, Autumn’s primary vet at Pilchuck.  Good news is that the diarrhea has abated.  “Bad news” is that Autumn is still not accepting the pan feeding, so they have inserted a nasogastric tube and are beginning to introduce milk replacement and minute amounts of solids via the tube.  

They are leaving her on the IV drip for now to supplement liquids and nourishment.  

The risk of infection is still huge at this point, but Autumn is such a fighter!

Tuesday - 11/7/11 - Drinking from a “bucket” @ 10 days old

Sigh and full breath. Autumn is finally improving. She is finally drinking from the pan and can have her feeding tube removed tomorrow. She had the first normal "dookie" in her little life, and can stay up and active for longer periods. Thank you, Pilchuck vets, HFH volunteers, everyone out there who has offered prayers, advice, or assistance. Thank you to all the fabulous donors and in particular Horse And Man -- Without you, Dawn D/H, we wouldn't be where we are!

Wednesday - 11/8/11 - Worn out but stable @ 11 days old

Autumn was quiet as we entered her stall.  She’s still so tiny that a large dog blanket fits her well.  Without even realizing it, I laid down beside her and started humming Baby Mine (from Dumbo) - something I always did with my grandkids when they were babies.  She laid her little head in my hand and I could feel her heartbeat slow.  After a little while her breathing slowed and she went sound to sleep.  

Autumn is having trouble getting sufficient nutrition despite the IV drip of glucose, a feeding tube, and drinking Mare's Match from a pan.  The goal was to remove her feeding and IV tubes today, but she is not strong enough for that yet.  We continue to be hopeful, but clearly there's a long journey ahead.

We have seen some true miracles occur in our barn.  And that’s in large part because our volunteers and staff go the distance.  We will try anything.  We will sleep in stalls, make special blankets to fit excessively thin horses, try alternative medicine.  We've utilized psychic healers, herbal remedies, chiropractors, massage therapists, bariatric chamber treatments, never tried before surgeries, you name it, we've probably done it.  So hang in there little Autumn; we are with you all the way.

Saturday - 11/13/11 - Autumn Meets Isabella

John and I were up early and anxious to get to the hospital. Dr. Delco gave us the OK last night to bring the mare into the clinic, so we let Dawn Davis know that she could transport Isabella anytime after 9AM.

We stopped at the bakery and picked up donuts for the clinic staff. Vets and vet techs are just like nurses in a people ICU - sugar makes them happy.

We hung out with Autumn for a little while, rubbing her soft downy coat and letting her lick our hands. (It's an absolute must when visiting her to frequently wash your hands and dip your shoes in the bleach mixture by her door. She can't fight off any infections at this point, so being extra careful is important.)  Autumn was up and seeking food everywhere - licking our legs, arms, and jackets. For the first time, she's beginning to look more like the horse she will ultimately be.

When we heard Dawn's truck, we rushed out to meet them. Dawn and Jon unloaded Isabella and walked her over to ICU. She hesitated at the back door into Autumn's stall, but with just a little coaxing stepped inside. Dawn led her over to Autumn's tiny enclosure and Isabella cautiously looked over the guard. She seemed to whisper something quietly and then turned away to eat her hay.

Isabella (whom Dawn calls Bizzy) stood patiently while we cleaned her udders with warm water, and then Dawn showed us how easy she was to milk. Her udder was full and it didn't take long to produce about a cup of nourishing liquid.

We are excited about the next few days. If things go well, we'll be able to turn Bizzy and Autumn in together and Autumn may start to actually nurse for the first time in her little life.

...

11/29/11 - I am sleeping in the stall with baby Autumn again tonight.  She's getting so big that it will soon not be a good idea to do this.  She's responding to my grunts when she does something naughty now, but I'm thinking that it's only a matter of time until she figures out she's tougher than me.  Hope you get a chance to see her again soon.  She has really grown and changed a lot.  Quite a little personality there.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We are hopeful but guarded about baby Autumn’s future.  She is very small in body but  very large in spirit.  Your donations will be greatly appreciated and may be designated specifically for her care. 

Her story will be regularly updated here and on Facebook.