Wednesday, April 06, 2005

All Donkeys go to Heaven

Hubby called to tell me Princess had started labor. I hung up the phone and raced home yesterday afternoon. There was trouble when I pulled in the driveway.

Rich said her waterbag broke, weren't we supposed to see a foal? I saw her stretched and groaning, no sign of a foal. I ran into the house and called our vet, as luck would have it she was only 15 minutes away. 15 minutes would add to the 15 that had already passed.

Doc pulled up and jumped out of her pickup. I had towels and two buckets of warm soapy water waiting. She smiled and said ~ You knew what I needed!

She felt inside Princess for such a long time grimacing as she tried to make sense out of what she was feeling. After a while she was panting as hard as the donkey. Rich had a rope around Princess's legs and I held her tail. We finally stood her up and Doc said--This is a mess, we need the chains to pull it out. She looked at my husband and said-- You know you have a dead foal here? We nodded, it was now a fight to save the donkey's life.

I spare the details. Rich held the donkey standing while Doc and I pulled, sweated and pulled more. Poor Princess groaned and cried out. Her foal was jammed against her pelvis...release...the doc and I fell back into the mud and dirt.

Doc got up clucked her tongue at the beautiful grey Jack colt and reached back inside Princess to make sure she was 'clean'.~Uh-oh, what the heck is this?
A second foal.
Twins.
Now it was a matter of saving Princess's life. Again.

It seemed to take forever on the second pull, the foal was so twisted. Princess dropped, exhausted...and the three of us worked the second one out. It had died a while ago.

Doc ordered us to get Princess up and moving. She said to the donkey~Girl, you can't feel sorry for yourself, now let's get up so I can check you out.
Princess walked and wobbled out of the pasture into our yard. Doc watched~Wow donkeys are resiliant!

Princess asked to go back with her friends last nite after spending the evening in the yard with me. She was up eating and drinking today, a little quiet b/c she'd lost her foals. But

don't we know~
all Donkeys go to Heaven.

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