# New minis. And pregnant?



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 10, 2014)

Here is a post I started in the wrong place. So I moved it here. (I'm new here).

I recently bought 3 new minis. 2 girls and 1 stallion. There previous owner passed away and info was not available as to if or when the girls were bred. One does look preg. The other not so much. The P.A. said they would be due by November if they are. I'm going crazy here knowing when. I've had experience with reg size foaling. And also minis in general. But not birthing minis. Can anyone with experience give me a clue here. She is also starting to pee like she is in heat. Here are recent pics.


----------



## Ryan Johnson (Aug 10, 2014)

Hey and welcome






Hopefully Diane and Anna will be on soon. I wanted you to move your thread here so that they can have a look at your pics.

Welcome again, she is a lovely mare and it will fun to see what she has been hiding


----------



## AnnaC (Aug 12, 2014)

Hi and wecome to the Nutty Nursery! What a lovely mare, and yes she does look very pregnant! How old is she - is it possibe that she has had a foal/s before as this will help by knowing whether you will be dealing with an experienced brood mare or a maiden?

Do you know if she is bred to the stallion who came with her or was there another stud around at her previous home - this would give us an idea about the size of the baby she is expecting. If it is your boy, then could we have some details about him - size, build, age (pics?) and how big is your mare.?

It looks as though she aleady has some udder development - how does it look/feel to you - just filling, half filled etc. Sorry for all the questions but she does look quite close to foaling (particlarly in the pics on your original thread on the main forum) so we need as many details as possible quite quickly! Do take a moment to read the pinned threads at the top of our main page - lots of useful info posted there.

When were your minis last wormed - you will also need a dose of Ivermectin wormer to hand to give your little girl within 12 hours of her foaling. And what are you feeding her at the moment - she should really be on a good quality mare and foal feed if possible.

Again welcome - please ask any/as many questions as you need, we are here to help you get this little one safely and successfully foaled for you.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 12, 2014)

She is 10 yrs old and has foaled before. I have attached a pic of dad. He is about 31". Mom is 29". I think she may be filling but very slowly. I can easily get milk from her. I will attach pic of udder too. Some days she is wet at tips and the next she is dry. ?? Not sure why that is. I was told she had trouble with one of her foals but it turned out ok. The girl in my profile pic is her too from 6 yrs ago.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 12, 2014)

Here are a few more pics.


----------



## Ryan Johnson (Aug 14, 2014)

How is your little mare ? Has she developed anymore of an udder ?


----------



##  (Aug 16, 2014)

Yes, yes.....an update


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 21, 2014)

Well she is still just hanging in there. I'm confused tho with her bagging up. She has had milk dripping from nipples off and on for about 2 weeks now. But she isn't bagging up.

I'm also wondering if it's ok to leave her soulmate in with her during birth? They get very upset if they aren't together.

Will add pic of milk drip


----------



##  (Aug 21, 2014)

My answer to having her buddy in with her when she foals would be no. Perhaps you could start separating them at night -- but putting the buddy right next door to her, so they could be close and still "touch" ?

Foaling can be an "active" event, and you don't need another horse to work around, if "work" or assistance is needed at delivery. But having them together for the greater part of the day is just fine. But it would be good to start getting her used to being "alone" -- because you want any new baby to bond directly with their momma with no "outside" interference. Those first couple of days is very important for baby to learn who momma is and to quietly take direction from her to keep baby safe when entering the horsey world with other horses when you reintroduce the little one with momma to the herd.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 21, 2014)

Is the milk drip normal without bagging up more?


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 26, 2014)

Can anyone tell me if it is normal for mares to drip milk without being bagged up?


----------



##  (Aug 26, 2014)

Almost anything is "normal" for these mares! I've not heard of it before, but that's not to say there is a problem. I think from the other photos she was showing some udder development. She will probably be one of these mares that develops a full udder with foaling.

Can you get another udder picture?


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 27, 2014)

Here are pics from today.


----------



## Ryan Johnson (Aug 27, 2014)

She looks great, do you think you could get one standing behind her down at her level. This will give us an indication as to where baby is riding.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 27, 2014)

I'll get one tomorrow. This eve she is discharging and it's cloudy and stringy. Looks like she may be bagging up more too.


----------



## Ryan Johnson (Aug 27, 2014)

Sounds good, now is the time to put her on "marestare" get coffee (and lots of it) and don't leave her for too long, it may happen and be over before the kettle has boiled.

Discharging from her Vulva ? This could be her mucus plug....

best of luck


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 28, 2014)

Here are 2 pics from the back. She has a very large rump so it hides the belly. The one pic is a little off to the side view.


----------



##  (Aug 28, 2014)

That's just the angle was want. Even with a big rump (



) if baby were laying in there sideways, it would show. It appears that baby may well be lined up, and everything moving ahead. How's her udder and her privates looking. Can you get a shot of her vulva, so we can see how she's elongating? And if you open the lips of the vulva to check the color, you will see a change from salmon/pink to a much more red, as foaling approaches. So, watch for those signs, and any changes in her personality. Some of these little mommas get really clingy as foaling approaches.

Keep us posted. We're all praying for a safe and uneventful delivery for you!


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 28, 2014)

Well report from the vet. She is NOT pregnant. I'm so disappointed. It appears she my have cushings. That would explain the milk drip and she has a bit of a bag. Now we move forward and get it treated and put her on a diet. On a better note ...... My other mare is preg and due in May.


----------



## Ryan Johnson (Aug 28, 2014)

Oh No, Im very sorry to hear that.........I hope you can get it under control soon......

I know how you feel when you hear the words "im sorry but shes not pregnant"

Hope you stick around so we can see your other mare thru her pregnancy.

best wishes to you


----------



##  (Aug 29, 2014)

Sorry to read this.

We look forward to watching your other mare and hope you'll add her to this thread.

Please keep us posted about this pretty little girl and give her a hug from the Aunties and tell her we wish her a steady improvement.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 29, 2014)

Thanks all for your support. My vet said there is a study going on that I can join for cushings. I don't know much about it yet , but if I do join then I will know for sure and know more about treatment and care. And yes I will hang around. I'm glad I have one bred for spring.

Is there any info on here about cushings?


----------



## chandab (Aug 29, 2014)

How old is she? Many vets still confuse Insulin Resistance (IR) and Cushing's; IR is controlled with diet, Cushing's is controlled with medication. They have some cross-over symptoms.


----------



## chandab (Aug 29, 2014)

Probably the best place for Cushing's information is the Yahoo Cushing's group, and their sister website (I'll have to see if I can find the website, I don't think I have it bookmarked).
Ok, I think this is the right website, but haven't checked the link: ecirhorse.org
I do have a Cushing's mini, but I don't follow all the rules for his care, and for the most part is he doing well.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 30, 2014)

Ok. I'll check it out she is 10 yrs. and very fat. That's why we thought she was preg. And she had milk.


----------



## chandab (Aug 30, 2014)

10 is a bit young for Cushing's, but not impossible at that age. I'll wager a guess that she is IR (insulin resistant, it's similar to Type II diabetes in people) it is controlled by diet. Recommended diet is everything under 10% sugar and starch, which leaves out most commercial feeds, but there are a few. It's recommended that hay be tested for sugar and starch level, and if it's over 10%, then soak it to reduce sugars. Plain beet pulp can be used in the diet, but it needs to be rinsed, soaked and rinsed again; first rinse removed dirt and such, soak to fluff and reduce chance of choke, second rinse removes residual sugars (rinse til water comes clear). You also need to watch the fat level in commercial feeds, too high of fat in the diet can lead to IR or worsen it.

Triple Crown Lite is fairly safe, Triple Crown Safe Starch Forage is a tad high in fat, but pretty safe. A nearly complete feed in a bag is Ontario Dehy Timothy Balance cubes, but they can be hard to find and are a bit spendy (at least for me), just need to add Flax, Vit E and salt to make the diet complete.

Edited to add: Another safe feed is Anderson Feed's Nuzu Stabul 1 (there is also Stabul 1 Plus, but it has higher fat); it's available through TSC, it may or may not be on the shelves, but is available for special order. http://www.nuzufeed.com/bestIngred.html Hope that link works.


----------



##  (Aug 30, 2014)

Thank goodness for all your valuable experience with Cushings and IR horses, Chanda. You are a wonderful resource here!


----------



## chandab (Aug 30, 2014)

Thank you, Diane; but since I don't follow all the rules of caring for an IR or Cushing's horse, if someone really wants to know how to do it up proper they really should go to the website or the Yahoo group. I'll warn you though, the rules can be daunting, there are a lot of them; and the horse will do best if all are followed.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 30, 2014)

We have a feed mill close by so I'm going to contact see if they can mix something up for me. Wish I had an ingredients list


----------



## chandab (Aug 30, 2014)

If you want to keep it simple, and your horse is an easy keeper, then good grass hay and a vit/min supplement is about all you need; if he needs extra calories, then soaked rinsed beet pulp can be added to the diet. Depending on where you purchase your hay, you might find a place that already tests hay, and then you might be lucky that they test for sugar and starch (it's the ESC component of the sugars that is important). Many of the low carb feeds are in an alfalfa and beet pulp base, most straight grains are too high in starch.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 30, 2014)

Ok. Thanks. So far I'm just giving her hay now. Am calling feed mill next week. Maybe they already have a feed they sell for this. I know I can get the beet


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 30, 2014)

chandab said:


> Probably the best place for Cushing's information is the Yahoo Cushing's group, and their sister website (I'll have to see if I can find the website, I don't think I have it bookmarked).
> 
> Ok, I think this is the right website, but haven't checked the link: ecirhorse.org
> 
> I do have a Cushing's mini, but I don't follow all the rules for his care, and for the most part is he doing well.


The link you posted doesn't work

The link you posted doesn't work


----------



## chandab (Aug 31, 2014)

It should be the right address, you might have to copy/paste it.


----------



## Country Hills Miniatures (Aug 31, 2014)

Ok got it now. Thanks


----------

