Could I get some opinions please

[Taz]

I have a mare who had/has a very slight chance of being in foal for mid April/early May. She was bred (by my newly gelded experienced older stud) for 3 days in mid May. She had a bit of clear fluid from her teats for a year before since being weaned. As far as I know that is pretty normal. 3 days after he stopped breeding her(she was still in standing heat for 2 days and he wasn't interested) she dried up completely and didn't come back into season again. I've been checking her and haven't felt or seen anything, no changes in her udder and have decided not but am still checking on and off. This morning I got a handful of fluid. Covered my palm, dripping between my fingers on one 'pull'. Is that just spring or am I back to maybe? Also everyone is on reduced hay this time of year and her winter hay belly hasn't gone away like I thought it would but she is a really easy keeper. Ideas??????????

 

[elizabeth.conder]

So she never came back into season? How far after gelding did this happen? Normal hormones can definitely cause fluid. Sounds like you have either a maybe or possibly a false pregnancy. I’d get a vet check to be sure.

 

[Taz]

It was 6 weeks after gelding. I thought there was no chance but asked two vets later and they both said 'Could be, you'll know in the spring.' I have a few good vets here but none who want to ultrasound with the little ones.

 

[Dragon Hill]

Sperm can live longer than that in storage (epididymis), but I'm not sure how long it lives once it's in the pipeline (vas deferens). This is where your chance of pregnancy comes from.

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

She could be. I'd check her about once a week to see if her bag is developing and if the liquid is changing consistency.

 

[Taz]

Sperm can live longer than that in storage (epididymis), but I'm not sure how long it lives once it's in the pipeline (vas deferens). This is where your chance of pregnancy comes from.

They're tough little buggers! I did some research after all this and found a couple places where they said sperm could be viable up to 3 months with an experienced older stud, later confirmed by two vets. So much for the 2 weeks I was always told, hahaha.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

What are you thinking Taz ? Are you leaning towards a yes or No ?

 

[Taz]

I'm solidly at absolutely no clue. I might have felt something very faint if I squint my eyes and look at it sideways, or it could just be wishful thinking. I need another like a hole in the head but I would LOVE to have another baby this year. I have to take my phone out and get some pics of her belly, I keep thinking it's gotten bigger this week even though she's not getting more to eat, could just be me slowly going nuts . She showed almost nothing with her foal 3 years ago and I only felt something occasionally. I don't have a camera up for her but will probably give in and do that soon just in case and so I can check whenever I wake up but I'm not planning on doing 2 hour checks unless she gives me something. She hasn't come into season yet this spring like everyone else.

 

[Pitter Patter]

It was 6 weeks after gelding. I thought there was no chance but asked two vets later and they both said 'Could be, you'll know in the spring.' I have a few good vets here but none who want to ultrasound with the little ones.

Why don't vets like to use ultrasound? I'm beginning to think they just don't have the machines! Ugh!

 

[Dragon Hill]

Traditional ultrasound requires the vet inserting the probe into the rectum fairly deep by hand. On a larger mare this isn't usually dangerous, but with minis it can be.

 

[Taz]

I've thought about trying to get an external ultrasound but the only person I know who's had that done had it miss the foal twice at 2 months and 1 1/2 months to go. Doesn't fill me with confidence.

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

I don't trust external ultrasounds AT ALL. Traditional ultrasounds are only good when a vet knows what he or she is doing. (When a vet doesn't want to do one and has the machine, it's probably because they don't want to admit they DON'T know how to do one very well.) When a mare is very early pregnant it's hard to locate the fetus, but a knowledgeable vet will recognize a "pregnant uterus". And when the mare is in the last part of her third trimester, the foal often has "dropped", so is difficult to see. The BEST time to do an ultrasound is during the MIDDLE trimester. When we lived in Bend, OR our vet there taught us a lot of stuff so we wouldn't need him so much....(weird, eh?) He even was teaching me how to do ultrasounds on our mares.......mostly because he thought he could sell his old machine to us (which we couldn't afford.) BUT, I learned A LOT.
Now? Over the years we've learned what to look for to identify a pregnancy. Much of it is subtle stuff. And at about 6 months gestation we start touching at feeding time. And of course it's how they are carrying during the last trimester....plus their bag development. BTW. I HATE maiden mares because it's all a blank slate, a total unknown.

TAZ! Take pictures of your mare from different angles ONCE A WEEK and start comparing, including her bag. You won't notice the subtle changes daily until the final week or so.

 

[Taz]

Planning on taking pictures when I can remember to take my phone out, it's not surgically attached to me . The pregnancy she had 3 years ago (an experienced mom before I got her) didn't show AT ALL until 3 weeks before she foaled when her belly was huge overnight, never a change in her back end and only a very small bag, no milk for the first 3-4 hours. If she was 'normal' and helpful I'd know whether she is or not by now. Such is the way things work around here, Haha.

 

[Pitter Patter]

So what are you thinking now, Taz? Is she with foal?

 

[Taz]

I'm closer to being hopeful that she is. Still haven't felt anything but she has some changes going on with her udder. I'm putting up a camera as soon as I have a chance to watch her in case. I don't even know if she really is but the bad baby dreams have already started and I need to be able to check her at night to make sure everything is fine.

 

[Taz]

So the last two days her 'udder' has had a bit more fill( not really a bag yet) and the fat in front of it has been moving back so I guess some of it is edema. Tonight she had a bit more instead of it going down through the day and less in front. She didn't have much of an udder last time so I got out the pool strips just to check since I don't have a camera up yet and sort of panic. The results were 9, or as I thought about it, 'you *****, are you sure you think she's in foal?' OMG, the craziness has started already and she might not even be in foal.

 

[Taz]

The camera's up and not working well in that stall of course. I spent the night watching the half of her stall she mostly wasn't hanging out in. Researched and ordered one that should give me a better view. Her udder (well no bag so full teats?) is a bit more each day. She had cloudy and very slightly yellow fluid today, not sticky. I'm hoping that's a positive sign that she's in foal and hiding it well and not of something else. If she's in foal she's at 311 days. Time will tell.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Heres hoping Taz

 

[Taz]

Baby gurus, please tell me one of you has a crystal ball and will take pity on me? I'm going back and forth a few times a day on whether she's in foal or not. She doesn't look it at all. No baby belly but didn't have one last time until 3 weeks before. Her teats are filling a bit, going down some days, some days one goes down, back up by morning, increasing a tiny bit some mornings. Had a very small udder last time just before foaling. I've felt lots of breathing and digestion, maybe a couple of kicks but VERY slight. At night she swishes her tail quietly now and then with the odd nose to belly bump or soft cow kick. She's been trying to sleep on her chest not wanting to role onto her side. Her last foal was 11 days before her breed date which is May 16 this time. I'm leaning towards yes but it could just be wishful thing. I'm sure you'll say 'could be, keep watching her' but this going crazy person would love to hear what your thinking.

 

[Taz]

Oh, one thing I've been wondering. If she is in foal does the foal being really quiet mean anything health wise for it?