Do all mares produce milk before foaling?

[Holly Chisholm]

Hello again! I am SO BLESSED to have found this forum! Our little girl, Sally, who we adopted from a rescue when she was already preggers, does not have any milk that we can express even though she is pretty baggged up. Our vet examined her on 4/14 and said we should have a baby within a month. I ordered the test strips to test her milk, but obviously haven't been able to use them. We have a baby monitor arriving tomorrow, which I hope will work from our barn. The vet said to call him when she's in labor, which makes me believe he expects problems. Since this mini birthing thing is so new to me, I am asking for any advice. I know that no two births are alike, but I would really appreciate any advice.

Here is a picture from before she started shedding and one from today. Sooooooo, is she an Assyloopy? I have never seen a horse that was steel gray with white mane and tail. <3

 

[Taz]

I'm sure the experts will be along soon to answer you, if you could get a couple pictures of her one from the side one from straight behind both at her height they can tell you if the foal looks like it's getting into position, also one of her udder if you can get down there, my knees don't like doing that anymore, haha.
I have no idea what colour she is but she's gorgeous. Assyloopy sounds good to me

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

Awww...what a sweetie....She's a pretty Silver Dapple and looks like she's still a "wide load"...not dropped yet. How old is she? My suggestion would to give her a nice grooming with a curry comb and be sure to include under her tummy. I'd also have on hand a bucket of warm water and a soft rag to gently wash her bag, including inbetween the teats. She may love it or you may need to work your way to doing it. The massaging with warm water often brings down the "milk". It's also good to wash that area for the future foal's benefit. If the vet thinks she's still a month away, but she has a bag, I'm guessing she's not a maiden mare? (Maidens don't always bag up/produce milk early.) Our experienced mares begin having some liquid in their bag about 2 weeks prior and at the very end of their pregnancy the liquid turns very STICKY.

 

[Holly Chisholm]

Awww...what a sweetie....She's a pretty Silver Dapple and looks like she's still a "wide load"...not dropped yet. How old is she? My suggestion would to give her a nice grooming with a curry comb and be sure to include under her tummy. I'd also have on hand a bucket of warm water and a soft rag to gently wash her bag, including inbetween the teats. She may love it or you may need to work your way to doing it. The massaging with warm water often brings down the "milk". It's also good to wash that area for the future foal's benefit. If the vet thinks she's still a month away, but she has a bag, I'm guessing she's not a maiden mare? (Maidens don't always bag up/produce milk early.) Our experienced mares begin having some liquid in their bag about 2 weeks prior and at the very end of their pregnancy the liquid turns very STICKY.

The vet estimated her to be about ten years old. The vet said "within a month." My hubby and I are experienced with horses; we just have zero experience with babies. She was pregnant when we got her. The rescue saved her from being zoo food. And yes, she is very sweet. Here are a couple pictures from today. I tried to get her teats, but I didn't do a very good job. Will try later.

 

[Holly Chisholm]

Here are some pictures from today of her teats and bad end. Anyone think it's soon? I need to be gone for a day, and I'm thinking of going tomorrow. Do you think I'm safe to be gone for the day?

 

[Taz]

She looks like my little one but with more udder, I'm going with mine needs another couple weeks at least. If I were you I'd go do whatever you need to sooner than later. My mother(78) lives with me so watches when I have to leave the property so I have someone to call me, (and help if I can't get back) if she starts acting like she's going into labor. Chances are she will foal at night, but it's not a guarantee.

 

[Holly Chisholm]

She looks like my little one but with more udder, I'm going with mine needs another couple weeks at least. If I were you I'd go do whatever you need to sooner than later. My mother(78) lives with me so watches when I have to leave the property so I have someone to call me, (and help if I can't get back) if she starts acting like she's going into labor. Chances are she will foal at night, but it's not a guarantee.

Thank you so much! Hubby put some lighting in her nursery room, and we got a baby monitor yesterday. So it's time to say up all night and watch the camera?

 

[Taz]

Oh that's wonderful!! I'm sleeping with the camera running into my tv with it on all night. I was given the idea of drinking a glass of water before going to bed. You'll be up in a couple of hours to run to the bathroom and can check on her then and drink another glass. Between that and my panic over not being there for her I'm waking up more often then that to check but not trying to stay up all night yet. If her sides get flat, her milk starts running, she waxes, her vulva gets really droopy or she gets hollow at the top of her tail I'd be up all night watching or at least taking turns sleeping. I've only done this once before with a different mare but she didn't give me any of those signs when she foaled, I only saw her going into stage 1 labour because I was checking on her all night. Easy fast delivery with a healthy colt. I'm hoping this one decides to play by the rules more but I don't trust it enough not to be checking constantly.

You are not going to believe how cute and how much fun the little ones are!!!!!

 

[Holly Chisholm]

We can't wait! My husband and I are going to take shifts watching the monitor. Since I don't know her history, or even who the daddy is, the vet wants us to be be very careful.

 

[elizabeth.conder]

Definitely a silver dapple but looks like she has appy too with the mottling. Have you been able to test her milk or have you seen what it looks like? She looks like she is getting closer!

 

[Holly Chisholm]

Finally got a little bit tonight - not ready Are these very accurate?

 

[elizabeth.conder]

Finally got a little bit tonight - not ready Are these very accurate?

they definitely can be. What brand are you using? What did she test? It can change very quickly so keep a close eye. Is her udder going down during the day?

 

[Holly Chisholm]

THANK YOU so much for replying! I use Maybe Baby. Last night, her milk was between 7.0 and 7.2. Our experienced neighbor got the drop of milk out of her. We pretty much check the udder at the nighttime feeding. What am I looking for in the difference between morning and night? I'll check her this morning.

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

Her bag will stay large both in the morning and at night when she's really getting close. And I agree with Elizabeth Condor that the mottling is usually an Appy characteristic.

Taz -- Do you know Stacy Score of Mountain Meadows? She's the one who told me about drinking the water....and it's been a godsend! We've slept through clock alarms after several bleary nights of "mare stare", but when you gotta pee - you gotta pee! LOL!!!

 

[Taz]

Maryann, LOL, it works great!!!!
I don't know Stacy.....you told me about it and I'm very greatful that you did, I'm getting to the sleep through anything stage and I think I have some time to go yet. It's the best, can't sleep through it

 

[Ryan Johnson]

She looks like she is getting close. I'd be watching for the centre line on her udder to disappear a little. Is it staying about the same size throughout the day ?

 

[Holly Chisholm]

Her bags stay full. Hubby and I are taking shifts watching her on the baby monitor. So, are the Baby Maybe test strips pretty accurate? If so, maybe we could sleep at night Here is a pic of her at 3:00 am. She's been getting up and down, but mostly she is resting like this.

 

[Holly Chisholm]

I just took this picture. Does she looked dropped? She had kind of a restless night. She's eating now.

 

[Taz]

I'm trying to compare the top picture to this one, she could be hanging a bit lower? Maybe? Hopefully? Are her sides any flatter? Being uncomfortable and restless at least on and off is normal, my other little one had false labour for weeks before she foaled, it was most nights at the same time she ended up foaling. I haven't used the test strips but a friend of mine did a few years ago(don't know which brand), they said no baby tonight and she had a foal in the stall the next morning. One of the things that keeps being said here is things can change really fast. I figure if you stay up and watch every night she will go by the book and you could have slept, if you sleep thinking she won't foal yet she'll have it then. I'm napping and watching all night. I've known lots of people who never watch and just find what they find in the morning but I couldn't stand it if something happened and I wasn't there. I'm sleep deprived and binge eating chocolate. Hope they both decide to pop soon!!!!!

 

[Holly Chisholm]

Hubby just got a drop of milk out of Sally, and she's still testing about 7.1 ph on Maybe Baby. Does that mean we can go to bed tonight? At the same time?