Thanks for your reply. I'm asking because I haven't been able to find any information about this to try and get my head round what happened with my Mums donkey Lucy.
Lucy had had several foals before and never had any problems, so we were expecting this one to go smoothly too. Mum went out one morning as usual to find Lucy lying on the floor covered in sweat and Snowy- her 'partner' pacing round her. Instinctively mum knew something was wrong and even though there were no signs of labour she called the vet. When the vet arrived the foal was visable, but the vet said it was already dead, and after some time she tried to help Lucy give birth with no luck. Several hours passed and a second vet was called and without going into gruesome detail they tried to get the foal out by any means possible just to save Lucy- this had been going on for 4 hours by then. But it was stuck and there was no more they could do, they explained that a cesarean wouldn't work and they were not going to get the foal out at all. Although heavily sedated Lucy couldn't have taken any more so Mum had to let her go.
It has been a devestating experience. Lucy has been in the family since she was born, and she and Snowy have been together many years and were inseparable. Watching him has been awful. He would not leave her side and even after she died he just stood over her, and now he stands by where we buried her.
It was such a horrific way for her to die, and it's hard to get our heads round why it happened. There were no signs of infection, the foal had only recently died and Lucy was healthy. Having found no information about cesareans in donkeys I just wondered if it might have saved her, but I guess not. Both vets said it was one of those things they were taught but most never come accross it in the careers thankfully and I think they knew the minute they arrived that we wouldn't have a happy ending.
Sorry for the mammouth post, just feel so sad and trying to find a reason for losing Lucy and her foal.