San Andreas

San Andreas’ story

The morning of June14th I woke up and instantly looked at the monitor on the bedside dresser. I had awakened several times during the night to check on my Juventus mare, a maiden, who was due to foal in about a week but had not yet shown any signs of impending motherhood. And yet, there it was, the dark blob on the stall floor that meant that my Sure Hit foal had arrived without an audience. I scrambled to the barn and was at first elated at the sight of a nearly black colt, but then I quickly began to realize just how many things weren’t right. The colt was tiny, and cold for a warm June day. The mare’s udder was swollen and dripping colostrum, but the nipples were dry – he hadn’t been up to drink yet. Finally, I also realized that the mare had not yet passed the placenta. I quickly administered an injection of Oxytocin to the mare to stimulate uterine contractions and struggled to get the colt to his feet. Completely unsuccessful, I ran for the phone and called my vet, Dr. Ryan Zimmerman of Fremont, Oh. as I hooked up my truck and trailer for the 90 minute ride.

Arriving at Westview Veterinary Hospital in Fremont, I was greeted at the trailer by Dr. Zimmerman who immediately carried in the now nearly lifeless colt as I led my mare. A team was quickly assembled and as I watched, the mare was milked; the baby was tube fed his first meal and almost immediately began to show some of the spunk that he would need in the weeks to come. For his next feeding, the mare was again milked, but my colt was then offered a bottle which he took greedily. After only a couple of feedings like this, Dr. Zimmerman and staff were holding him up and encouraging him to find the nipple on his own. They would hold up the colt, he would drink his fill and then they would let him back down, trying to keep him sternal to avoid pressure sores. The bright side of this came when an Igg was pulled, showing a value of greater than 800 – he had gotten the valuable colostrum. I drove the empty trailer home, leaving my charges in very capable hands.

The phone call came only 36 hours later. My colt was up and eagerly nursing on his own. I could bring them home, but my elation would be short lived. On a routine check only four days later, I found the yet unnamed foal again down, this time with a fever of nearly 105 and a grossly distended hock. Shaking, I again called Dr. Zimmerman who had me administer intramuscular injections of the antibiotics Penicillin and Genticin before once again loading my sad little group onto the trailer. At the clinic, a plan was formed to start an IV catheter, administer systemic antibiotics and the anti-inflammatory agent Banamine. My colt would be sedated under general anesthesia for the joint to be flushed daily with 2500mls of sterile saline and then injected with the antibiotic Amicacin. My mare, Stella de Oro, “Stella” was proving to be worth her weight in horse treats as she once again stood quietly and let strangers work on her baby. I left, not knowing that I wouldn’t pick up my foal again until August.

When I arrived home, more bad news awaited me on the answering machine. Before being sedated, Dr. Zimmerman had seen the colt urinate from his umbilical stump. The Patent Urachus was probably what had let in the infection that went to his hock. He would try to cauterize the hole with Silver Nitrate sticks, but I was warned that if it didn’t work, surgery would be our only option.

The flushing and cauterizing went picture perfect for 2 days, with my colt becoming more and more active and energetic and his umbilical stump drying out nicely. But on the third day, when the bandage was being removed, some of the thin skin over the hock sloughed off, indicating that a pressure sore had formed. The vet wasn’t overly concerned and the flushing and cauterizing went well and were discontinued. The following day, however, when Dr. Zimmerman changed the bandage, an area of skin twice the size of the previous day also sloughed, leaving most of the hock exposed. Now very concerned, Dr. Zimmerman began using topical antibiotics and Kendall Wound Cleanser on what was clearly beginning to look like a Staph infection. Within 2 days, the entire leg had sloughed the skin, sliding off like a too-big sock from hock to fetlock. I was called out to see the wound first hand and none of my training as a Licensed Veterinary Technician prepared me for what I saw. When I arrived, my colt was bouncing around the stall, bandaged from hip to floor and clearly full of himself. But when sedated and the bandage was cut off, I was facing one of the worst wounds that I had ever seen. My vet, seeing the look on my face, said “if you’re thinking about euthanizing you can just sign over his papers right now, ‘cause I’m not ready to give up on him yet”. I was told that his chances of survival were 50/50 at best, but I wouldn’t know until later that the other vets in the clinic had encouraged Dr. Zimmerman to euthanize the colt so that he wouldn’t suffer. With tears streaming down my face I told Dr. Zimmerman to keep going “don’t let him die” I said, “he doesn’t even have a name yet”. I don’t even remember the drive home.

Despite the grim prognosis, the progress reports were promising. Daily bandage changes indicated that the sloughing had stopped and that healthy granulation tissue was beginning to form. A newer product, Zn7 was added, a topical activated zinc formula that was supposed to encourage healing. If you stopped by his stall during this period, you wouldn’t have seen a lame, sick foal. My Sure Hit colt was a bundle of dynamite, not showing lameness and only giving away his secret when the bandage came off. Twice in the next weeks, he was sedated for the excess granulation tissue (proud flesh) to be trimmed away and he was doing so well that he was switched to oral antibiotics when a CBC (complete blood count) came back as normal. Skin had formed, where just weeks before there was only bright pink granulation tissue. As always, Stella was the perfect mare, allowing her foal to be worked on and never having to be sedated herself. Hopeful, I reserved a stall for the colt at the upcoming August 5^th Oldenburg inspection, but I was stumped for a name. It had to be something worthy of his Sandro Hit ancestry yet also strong enough to describe what he had survived. I hit upon it as I was filling out the paperwork……San Andreas.

The morning of the inspection I was a wreck. Stella and San Andreas had only been turned out a couple of times since being home and I had decided to show him in hand and not turn him loose, assuring that he would get registration papers. As always, San Andreas had other plans. After standing him for his markings to be recorded, I pulled his halter off. I could only stand in awe as my husband Dave ran Stella through the triangle and San Andreas showed the awesome movement that he had been bred for. In an instant all of the worry of the past months was erased and I knew in that moment that all of the money and time had been well spent on this very special boy. I realized that tears were streaming down my face when San Andreas’ Premium Foal plaque was handed to me. I clutched it to my chest, his purple heart, his medal of honor. This foal that had never needed to prove his premium status to me, had now shown the world.

As of this writing, “Andre” as he has come to be called, is very much a normal colt. His scars are minimal and may eventually be gone altogether. He has caught up to the other colts in size and stature. I have come to realize that early detection and aggressive veterinary care are the most important tools a breeder can have in their arsenal. And sometimes, that special one comes along and refuses to become a statistic.

I would like to send out my sincerest thanks to the team at Westview Veterinary Hospital, especially Dr. Ryan Zimmerman, for the excellent care and for never giving up.

By Holly Kovach, LVT

Pictures typical of Andre’s type of wound.

Andre’s first day home.

Andre at the GOV inspection.

San Andreas - Premium foal GOV

Colt by Sure Hit out of the GOV Main Mare Book Dutch mare Stella de Oro (Juventus). Born June 14^th, this little guy has truly shown spark. At just days old “Andre” developed a life threatening Staph infection in a hock sore that resulted in the loss of nearly 80% of the skin on his lower left hind leg. Despite the bandage changes and obvious pain, Andre was always waiting at the door for his caretakers. Just days after his release from the hospital Andre attended his GOV inspection. We intended to show him on the line and just get him registered, but Andre had other plans. Showing the brilliant, suspended trot of his grandsire, Sandro Hit, Andre was awarded a Premium.

Andre at 12 months

Completely sound, Andre will come with a health guarantee. The final scar on his leg should be minimal.

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