Death comes to the Casey ranch

I have some very sad news to share. I’m crying as I write this…

My beautiful mare who gave birth to a very handsome little colt yesterday at 4am had to be euthanized. It was pretty clear she was in distress within the first hours after the foal was born, but the vet wanted to see if she could recover from whatever was ailing her (he had not yet discovered the problem), so we waited all morning and half the day … a very long and stressful time for me and a pain-filled one for Luna. She hung on for 12 HOURS as she fed her baby the colostrum he needed to survive, battling the blood loss and disorientation that comes from a severely torn uterus, to be the very best momma a foal could wish for, often feeding him while lying down and groaning. When the baby would go to the wrong place on her body trying to find his next meal, she’d lift her head and nudge him over to her udder, even as she lay dying. On the vet’s third visit, we discovered a huge tear in her uterus that had filled her abdomen with blood, an inoperable and painful tragedy that no one could have predicted. She was put to sleep immediately after. None of us had time to prepare mentally for losing this beautiful girl, and her baby Simon is now an orphan foal who we must do our very best to raise up big and strong, just like his momma. We owe that to Luna.

I am in AWE of Luna’s strength, loyalty to her baby and to me, and her calm in the face of what was the most difficult battle of her life. MOTHERS ARE AMAZING, OF EVERY SPECIES. I miss her terribly, and now I have an orphan foal to raise. Efforts to find a surrogate mom so far have failed. I am feeding him about every 2-3 hours from a bucket, and my children and I are taking turns sleeping a few hours at a time. I haven’t showered in two days and I’m wearing the same clothes I put on the day before Luna went into labor. Forget my teeth, hair, and eating any kind of meal…

My life is always a little crazy, but it is now officially chaotic. Please pray for me if you do that kind of thing or send me some happy thoughts! I sure could use them right now. And please, please, please, if you have a horse or an animal you love, go hug ’em right now! You never know when these majestic animals will be called home.