Can a mare be heavy in foal & show strong heat?

[wendyluvsminis]

We sold a bred mare last fall, and due to a very serious automobile accident that injured 5 members of the family (prayers needed), we received her back two days ago. She is rather thin. I can see her ribs and backbone and her butt is not as large as previously. She either has a baby in there, or a big wormy belly. She would have to be due this month, if she is preggers. But, her belly is not as large as when she had her previous two foals. So, is she in foal? During the day,I put her in a pasture next to my stallion and two yearling stud wannabees, and yesterday she ignored them. Today, she squealed, squatted and squirted---the triple S's! The boys were very excited and all curled their lips up at the same time! (Wish I had a picture! My stud is 30.5 inches, the horse yearling is 34.5 inches, and the third boy is a yearling Jack with super long ears! The three stoogies!) So I figured she is in heat and not bred. When I brought her in tonight, her bag is really filling up and getting hard! Her belly is very solid feeling, compared to my fat broodmare that already has her baby--her belly is like a big empty pumpkin, hollow sounding! She is really thickening in the flank area. I have the vet coming on Monday morning to check her, as I am concerned that if she is so wormy, she might colic. Is it safe to worm her if she is due soon? (My guess is no...)Tonight, she is not eating her grain or hay and keeps looking at her belly! She has pooped very recently, so not colicking. Has this happened to any of you?

 

[Matt73]

I would start her off with a Safeguard or Panacur (fenbendazole) 5-day, double dose purge for sure. It's very safe for mare and foal.

 

[Becky]

Sounds like you could be having a foal within the next few days if not tonight. I'm guessing she is pregnant and not just thin. If it were me and I thought she was really close to foaling, I would probably hold of deworming for a few days and worm her after she foals.

 

[chandab]

Tonight, she is not eating her grain or hay and keeps looking at her belly! She has pooped very recently, so not colicking. Has this happened to any of you?

pooping doesn't rule out colic. and, the lack of interest in feed could mean that she is due to foal anytime now. sprained mr wrist today, sorry about typos and short answer

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Now she is biting her belly. Hubby is trying to set up the camera for the foaling stall and of course, it isn't working! She has foaled right in front of us once before. Is it weird that she would show just strong heat and be in foal? Where she was, there were no stallions. I am not going to believe it until I see a baby or legs coming! Too many false alarms this year, and three foals didn't make it. This would be the only foal to make it by our stallion this year..

 

[ohmt]

We have many mares who are in foal show heat-especially when they are getting close to their due dates. All the crazy hormones

 

[Little Bits]

Hi

Yes they can show heat while they are in foal. I used to tease mares for a breeding farm. What your mare did was called a temper wash. She probably squealed because her hormones are fluctuating because she is due to foal. Mares when they are not in heat but squeal and pee are basically doing the same thing. Any boys will curl there lip for a sniff of urine. Some breeders believe you should still tease your mares up to 60 days. That was the norm where I worked. Some mares like to be hussies and not be in foal and some love to be preggers. But yes it is perfectly normal for them to be in heat or show heat and still be prego.

It sounds as if you will be having a baby any time now. She will start again eating after she foals. You should worm her with panacur or Strongid 1 week after she foals.

Best of luck.

 

[Matt73]

Didn't realise she was so close. Yeah, wait until after she foals then. Make sure you get the foal wormed after a month as well (and on a good program).

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Thanks for all the good info! No baby yet. We got up and checked her a number of times during the night and she stayed on her feet, biting her side. She has had 4 foals previously, with no problems. She is a very sweet, gentle mare, and I sold her only because she is a little stocky. Next year, we will breed her to our donkey Jack. Stocky is good for mules!

 

[Shadows Fire]

I know with big mares its not abnormal for them to look much thinner than they are just before foaling. All the muscles go a bit slack so they can get that big ole foal outta there. And usually they don't look as big right before foaling. I hope that is what is going on in your case. Fingers crossed, prayers sent.

Hoping to hear a new foal post in the next couple days.

 

[garyo]

I am not trying to alarm you at all but I am very glad the vet is coming Monday. We had a mare who was full term and stopped eating. Everyone including our vet tech thought she was going to foal any minute. After a few days of reduced food intake she developed hyperlipidemia. Despite heroic medical intervention and 9 days of hospitalization at UF's large animal hospital we lost her foal and her. I will never wait to have the vet come out for a few days ever again. I still wonder if I had called the vet out immediately we could have put her on antibiotics and not lost her.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

I am not trying to alarm you at all but I am very glad the vet is coming Monday. We had a mare who was full term and stopped eating. Everyone including our vet tech thought she was going to foal any minute. After a few days of reduced food intake she developed hyperlipidemia. Despite heroic medical intervention and 9 days of hospitalization at UF's large animal hospital we lost her foal and her. I will never wait to have the vet come out for a few days ever again. I still wonder if I had called the vet out immediately we could have put her on antibiotics and not lost her.

So sorry to hear about your mare and foal! How awful! Babe is eating again. And feeling really well. I have been putting her in pasture by herself, so no-one else will bother her, and my hubby put her in a pasture with a mare and two month old colt. Babe and the colt were running side by side! So, I think she is feeling good...Her bag is bigger today than yesterday. I won't call it full yet, but I know some mares foal and then finish getting their bag. With her past two babies, she developed a full bag and waxed, before she foaled. Not there yet, but I wonder if her less than ideal physical condition will make her foal sooner...

 

[garyo]

So sorry to hear about your mare and foal! How awful! Babe is eating again. And feeling really well. I have been putting her in pasture by herself, so no-one else will bother her, and my hubby put her in a pasture with a mare and two month old colt. Babe and the colt were running side by side! So, I think she is feeling good...Her bag is bigger today than yesterday. I won't call it full yet, but I know some mares foal and then finish getting their bag. With her past two babies, she developed a full bag and waxed, before she foaled. Not there yet, but I wonder if her less than ideal physical condition will make her foal sooner...

I'm so glad to here she is doing well.

Ruth

 

[Margaret]

Yes This can happen.. Here is a personal experience of mine.

One lady who brought her mare last year to be bred by my stallion told me that near her due date this year, the mare had lost her pregnant look, and was peeing for their gelding just like she was in heat!.

after a week or two passed, this same lady determined that her mare must not be pregnant, as she was looking much slimmer too..

Then shortly after that,- she wrote me and was delighted to confess that she was wrong,- as her mare had a foal standing next to her that morning..

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Wow! That is amazing! Yesterday, my mare, Babe, was in a pasture adjoining my stallion. She wasn't squirting, squatting or squealing, just standing near him and discussing the weather. He reached thru the fence and grabbed her tail! My husband yelled at him and headed toward him, and King jumped in the air and kicked out, no where near my husband, but I think King thinks he is 1)really a hottie 2) turning into a Lippizan! We moved him to a different pasture... Babe didn't make any additional progress on her bag today. The vet comes to see her tomorrow a.m. Her belly is quite a bit wider than her butt. I will try to get some pictures tomorrow. I really hope she doesn't have the foal while we are away at a show for three days, starting Friday!

 

[Margaret]

Ive learned that some stallions will think a mare is comming into heat when they are close to foaling, and will chase or herd them due to this.

So her time may be approaching soon.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Ive learned that some stallions will think a mare is comming into heat when they are close to foaling, and will chase or herd them due to this.

So her time may be approaching soon.

That's very interesting! There is so much to learn about breeding! Thanks! That is re-assuring!

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Well, not a really happy outcome here. The general consensus of the vet and my farrier (who saw her 6 weeks ago, when her belly was HUGE, and today) is she had a foal, that must have died or been born dead (who knows) , shortly before I got her back. And the folks who had bought her, didn't tell me. She is loosing her milk now. She might have been in foal heat when I got her back. Her belly was big because she had just foaled, skinny, because she was not well cared for. Makes me not want to ever sell a bred mare again! I sold 4 mares in foal last year, and none of them had a foal that survived! One was due to a problem in birthing, and not the new owners' fault. I am sure they took wonderful care of her. But the other three were all in poor condition by the time they foaled. And I really thought all of these people were caring, good horse owners. I kept in contact with them now and then. Makes me heart sick!

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

Well, not a really happy outcome here. The general consensus of the vet and my farrier (who saw her 6 weeks ago, when her belly was HUGE, and today) is she had a foal, that must have died or been born dead (who knows) , shortly before I got her back. And the folks who had bought her, didn't tell me. She is loosing her milk now. She might have been in foal heat when I got her back. Her belly was big because she had just foaled, skinny, because she was not well cared for. Makes me not want to ever sell a bred mare again! I sold 4 mares in foal last year, and none of them had a foal that survived! One was due to a problem in birthing, and not the new owners' fault. I am sure they took wonderful care of her. But the other three were all in poor condition by the time they foaled. And I really thought all of these people were caring, good horse owners. I kept in contact with them now and then. Makes me heart sick!

i'm so sorry to hear this

i have never bought/sold a pregnant mare, but i have heard quite the amount of horror stories about it. alot of it has to do with nutrition and people not being there for the birth, people think that foaling is cake and you just breed and let nature take its course. they have no remote CLUE how difficult it truely is. perhaps this is why i've seen more "will be available after foaling" on alot of mini sites?

 

[wendyluvsminis]

i'm so sorry to hear this

i have never bought/sold a pregnant mare, but i have heard quite the amount of horror stories about it. alot of it has to do with nutrition and people not being there for the birth, people think that foaling is cake and you just breed and let nature take its course. they have no remote CLUE how difficult it truely is. perhaps this is why i've seen more "will be available after foaling" on alot of mini sites?

Thank you. I have bought a number of mares in foal, with good results. A nice, easy and often inexpensive way to get a different bloodline in the herd. But it just seems too risky to sell any of my bred mares, after this has happened. A donkey breeder I know (is the "d" word allowed on this forum?" hahaha!) says she never sells bred jennets, because if she felt strongly enough to breed a female to a particular male, then she wants to see the result, if it is a good cross or not.