Advise please on older broodmare

[Pitter Patter]

Not relaxing, no worries. No baby either, haha. I'll check her this morning and report back. I did remember hearing something about red bags not showing low when they foaled? See, not relaxed at all, still worrying about everything

UGH! ANOTHER thing to worry about?! The way Snickers looks she'll have a red bag and won't have her's until we are all in our 90's!! I hope Tilly isn't waiting for the slow pokes!

 

[Taz]

Don't worry PitterPatter, I was talking about the pH and not being clear, wasn't awake yet, sorry!

 

[Taz]

Pictures from this morning. She's testing at 7.2 this morning. She's eating grass during the day with brakes(not normal) and picking at her hay the last two nights. The only other time I've seen her not hoover until everything is gone was when she looked in labour for 1 1/2 hours a couple (few?) weeks ago. Watching her closely.

 

[Holly Chisholm]

Pictures from this morning. She's testing at 7.2 this morning. She's eating grass during the day with brakes(not normal) and picking at her hay the last two nights. The only other time I've seen her not hoover until everything is gone was when she looked in labour for 1 1/2 hours a couple (few?) weeks ago. Watching her closely.View attachment 41790View attachment 41791View attachment 41792

Sally's udder didn't get that big before having Sterling!

 

[Pitter Patter]

Don't worry PitterPatter, I was talking about the pH and not being clear, wasn't awake yet, sorry!

I thought you meant when they carry high there's a bigger chance for red bag delivery?

 

[elizabeth.conder]

Not relaxing, no worries. No baby either, haha. I'll check her this morning and report back. I did remember hearing something about red bags not showing low when they foaled? See, not relaxed at all, still worrying about everything

Hahahaha no I think you are doing great! I haven’t heard that about red bags. That’d be interesting (and helpful) if you could predict them. She’s looking good! And ph dropping sounds hopeful!

 

[Jodie]

I thought you meant when they carry high there's a bigger chance for red bag delivery?

From what I have read, the most common causes of red bag deliveries are placental infections, fescue toxicity and stress. Obviously I am no expert, (any of you experienced ladies please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong!) but I don’t think that would mean there’s a correlation between the way a mare carries and the chances of having a red bag delivery?

 

[Taz]

I thought you meant when they carry high there's a bigger chance for red bag delivery?

No, so sorry. How they carry has nothing to do with it. Something about the ph in their milk doesn't drop before foaling when they have an infection that causes a red bag. You don't need to worry.

 

[Taz]

Hahahaha no I think you are doing great! I haven’t heard that about red bags. That’d be interesting (and helpful) if you could predict them. She’s looking good! And ph dropping sounds hopeful!

It was a comment in one of the videos from I Am ranch. They had a red bag and were talking about the mares milk hadn't tested low like another one they had that was also a red bag. I don't know if anyone has looked at a correlation but it would be great to get feedback about it from anyone with red bags who is testing ph. Anyone looking for foaling videos, these are the best!

 

[Jodie]

It was a comment in one of the videos from I Am farms. They had a red bag and were talking about the mares milk hadn't tested low like another one they had that was also a red bag. I don't know if anyone has looked at a corrolation(sp?) but it would be great to get feedback about it from anyone with red bags who is testing ph.

Absolutely it would be a very worthy study to conduct! While I’m sure that breeders are very vigilant anyway, I imagine it would help to be more mentally and physically prepared if you were able to determine the likelihood of a red bag happening.

 

[elizabeth.conder]

It was a comment in one of the videos from I Am farms. They had a red bag and were talking about the mares milk hadn't tested low like another one they had that was also a red bag. I don't know if anyone has looked at a corrolation(sp?) but it would be great to get feedback about it from anyone with red bags who is testing ph.

I love I Am ranch. I don’t know there’s ever been a study done but that would be fascinating.

 

[Jodie]

On a different topic, there has been absolutely zero change in Rosie. The more time goes on the more I think either a) the vet made a mistake or b) a little funny business happened on the way to/at the auction when she was in with the mini stud lol
Another strange thing is happening though - my other rescue mare is growing in the udder department! Not sure if it is a similar thing my pintaloosa went through but I noticed when checking for ticks that she has edema in front of her teats and visible swelling in her udder. I didn’t get her preg checked when the vet was out as she was very thin when she was seized so I assumed she wouldn’t be in foal as I didn’t think her body would be able to support a pregnancy. Not saying I think she is in foal as I don’t believe she looks pregnant, but it’s something I will be keeping an eye on just in case. It just so happened that I had a picture of her udder back in April as I compared it to Roxy’s when she was going through her false pregnancy/sympathy symptoms/whatever it was, so it’s a good reference point of “then to now”.
I’ll attach some pictures so you can see what I mean!

 

[Taz]

On a different topic, there has been absolutely zero change in Rosie. The more time goes on the more I think either a) the vet made a mistake or b) a little funny business happened on the way to/at the auction when she was in with the mini stud lol
Another strange thing is happening though - my other rescue mare is growing in the udder department! Not sure if it is a similar thing my pintaloosa went through but I noticed when checking for ticks that she has edema in front of her teats and visible swelling in her udder. I didn’t get her preg checked when the vet was out as she was very thin when she was seized so I assumed she wouldn’t be in foal as I didn’t think her body would be able to support a pregnancy. Not saying I think she is in foal as I don’t believe she looks pregnant, but it’s something I will be keeping an eye on just in case. It just so happened that I had a picture of her udder back in April as I compared it to Roxy’s when she was going through her false pregnancy/sympathy symptoms/whatever it was, so it’s a good reference point of “then to now”.
I’ll attach some pictures so you can see what I mean!
[/QUOTE
I know you've said this before but when did you get Rosie? I thought you had felt kicking? Any new pictures of her? Still could have been your father in laws 'gelding'. Is your other rescue a mini, those don't look like you're talking about your big bay mare? Any other pictures of her? Sorry, lots of questions, I think I really am loosing my mind right now, hoping it gets better after foaling

 

[Taz]

And again I managed to put a reply inside a quote. Click the expand above please.

 

[Jodie]

Lol no worries. I got Rosie on September 20th 2019. I thought I had felt kicking but I could definitely be mistaken. Yes those pictures are my big bay mare, Dora. Here are some pics of both girls taken today, and Rosie’s non existent udder (just swelling in front) from this morning I don’t really know what vulva elongation/relaxation looks like so I’ve added a picture of Rosie’s back end for your thoughts.
ETA: I don’t know why the pictures of Rosie came up sideways or how to fix it!

 

[Taz]

Dora is lovely! In her udder pics it looks like she's had a foal, I think, she could be getting some edema from the heat and not be developing an udder. I'd watch to be safe but not panic on that one. That's what I'm doing and thinking about the little one I did panic about a while ago. Not Izzy, she was supposed to be in season again this last week and didn't even bat her eyes once at the boy, I'll know in Dec or so when I can start feeling for kicks.

Rosie, well......I think it looks like she is thinking about starting an udder, but I said that about her last pictures too. Doesn't look like she's elongating at all. Can you get a picture of her from behind? I'm going with she's in foal BUT what do I know. I'm pretty sure by Nov you'll know yes or no and about when she was bred. How's her weight? I have a large mini /small pony gelding who is VERY fat(he came that way, I didn't do it) and he looked more pregnant than a lot of the mares here and even has a v even after loosing some weight.

This pregnant mare business is CRAZY!!!!!!

What does everyone else think??????

 

[Jodie]

Thank you, she is an absolute darling. With everything she went through it amazes me what a beautiful soul she is and how she hasn’t given up on humans. I’ll attach a picture of what she looked like when she was seized. But yes I wonder if the heat had something to do with it, or even maybe she’s one that gets some swelling when she is coming into season, but absolutely I will keep an eye just to monitor things in case there are any significant changes that could indicate something being up with her (not meaning pregnancy as such, but other issues that could possibly present themselves down the line). That’s the thing with owning horses hey, you almost need to have them for a full year to figure out what their “normal” is.
I can get a picture of Rosie from behind when I do my evening check. I’m sure she has to be in foal given what the vet saw (I imagine a big black blob of fluid containing what appeared to be a head would have caused her some health issues by now ), but she likely has a ways to go - if she did in fact get bred around the time of the auction, or even by Barney after being gelded then she wouldn’t be due til around August. Hahaha well given that we live in Manitoba, I sure hope it doesn’t end up being a November baby, or Rosie and foal will be moving into my house! Ugh isn’t it just, major kudos to those who do this on a yearly basis!

 

[Taz]

Poor girl, she looks like one I have, went through auction like that, people should be shot.
I thought you'd seen something on ultrasound. She might not even get an udder until she foals or just before. Some don't even show until just before. Welcome to crazy land, you could just find a foal Just to give you an idea, this is Izzy from 2 years ago. The second picture was about 3 weeks before she foaled, the first was what she looked like the night before the second was taken. They can fool you and change very fast. She also had an udder that looked about like Dora's now. It went up a bit at night, down through the day. A few days before foaling it doubled and didn't go down. She didn't have a real udder until after foaling and she is an experienced brood mare.

 

[Taz]

Nothing to report tonight, I couldn't get even a tiny bit to test, everything looks the same. We'll see.

 

[Jodie]

I agree, I don’t know what goes through some people’s heads when they’re cruel to animals.
I can’t believe the difference in those pictures!! That’s such a huge change from one day to the next!
Here’s a picture of Rosie from behind tonight. Of course I couldn’t get her to stand with her back legs square lol but it gives you an idea at least, though I feel she is bigger in real life than the picture shows (although not overly huge).