Good News, Bad News

Checks and balances.  The circle of life.  Baji-naji.  However you wish to view life and the world, there are always deaths and births.  The bad news - the death - is that Zenyatta's fourth foal, a dark bay colt sired by War Front, has died.  This was her second foal by War Front, and the second death.  Their first foal was a chestnut filly, who died as a yearling, after a paddock accident.  This colt was born Sunday night, April 10, at 9:24 p.m.  He passed away at 9 a.m. on April 13.  When Zenyatta's water broke Sunday night, it was immediately noted that there was meconium in the fluid.  That means that the baby had a bowel movement while unborn.  The biggest problem with that occurrence is that the baby can breathe the fecal matter during the birth process.  This colt did aspirate the fecal matter, and had a nasty lung infection.  Despite the best efforts at the Rood & Riddle Veterinary Hospital, the foal died.   Zenyatta has been returned to Lanes End Farm, where she is sharing a paddock with another mare, who trained with her during her career.
    The good news - we now have five new foals on the southern end of Assateague, in the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company's herds.  Four of the foals have arrived in the northern compartments, and one in the south.  Tunie produced the first foal of the year, a pinto.  Wildest Dream had a strapping bay.  Then Ladies' Sweet Surprise produced a buckskin, followed by Wild Island Orchid's chestnut baby.  Lyra's Vega had the first southern foal, sired by Riptide, a chestnut with a blaze.
     Three mares are due to foal on the northern end of Assateague, in Maryland this Spring.  Since the pony count in Maryland has dropped to 87,  the National Park Service has decided to allow most of the mares to breed this year, instead of  darting all of them with a year-long birth control solution.  It is my understanding that a few of the oldest, youngest, and smallest mares will receive their birth control injections, to decrease the number of possible deaths during foaling.  It will be nice to see a lot of youngsters running around next summer!
   Rosie, the old Irish Setter that I care for, has had a few bad days recently.  Neither her owners, nor I, want her to cross the Rainbow Bridge, but we don't want her to suffer either.  Her hind legs are failing her, they occasionally give way completely, but the vet says she isn't feeling any pain.  (The vet makes a house visit every two weeks, and gives her an acupuncture and deep laser treatment.)  But she is 14 years old now; she has out-lived her parents, her siblings, her mate, and all five of her puppies...  It's amazing.  And Rosie still enjoys a slow stroll every day.  (I'm headed that way now...)