She seemed to start into stage 1 of labor around noon/one o'clock when she started to paw, urinate/deficate often, gassy, sweating around shoulders, and showed colic signs. She laid down around 3ish and stood up around 4:20 and has been eating since.
Her pH is where it needs to be, milk is a sticky, cloudy yellow, baby is up in the flanks finally, vulva is relaxed, etc. Everything is perfect, and still no baby.
I also messaged a few large horse breeders and asked them some questions, and they said that she's not ready if her milk is yellow still and they wondered if I was testing properly. Input?
I know on two of our mares their milk turned a cloudy white within hours of delivering. Another mare I checked at 9pm, her milk was amber color. Minimal looseness in vulva. She woke me up at midnight foaling. I've heard people who have tested their mares milk as ready and the mare didn't foal for two to three days later. Just hang in there.
Kicking/biting belly, rubbing tail, pooping and peeing often, etc. Appetite has not changed.
I do have a question on her urine. Since she's been urinating more often, her urine has a very strong ammonia smell. Is this caused by her going so often?
Milk also seems like its a lot less yellow in my hand, kinda like its clearer?
Pictures:
pH from this morning. My phone is crap and for some reason the color doesn't show well. It is 6.2, it was a very light orange in person.
From the picture looking from behind, baby is still very much sideways. She needs to get more slab-sided. Might be why she is kicking/biting at sides because baby is trying to move into position.
Okay, sides have fallen in again so her rolling has worked.
Pics:
pH pictures:
Earlier this AM it was yellow, 6.2. This afternoon it was BRIGHT RED, 8, and now its turning red and trying to rapidly change color and is turning white. Input?
Her milk I think has lightened up and has more of a creamier look to it.
Her pH is back to where it was earlier this week where it was red, nor was it orange.
I can also tell physically that baby has shifted. Before hand I had a decent "shelf" right before her udder where I could lightly push on and baby would move/react. Now, the shelf is completely gone.