Becky
Well-Known Member
Anybody use it before their mares foaled? If so, when did you start and how long did it take for your mares to bag up? Any problems with them dripping milk and losing colostrum before foaling?
Domperidone
- Thread starter Becky
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palsminihorses
Well-Known Member
Becky,
I used domperidone on our mare that just foaled in January. She wasn't making milk the way I thought she should. I had enough left in a tube from last year to give it to her for ten days. She was at 310 days when I started. Within two days of me giving it to her, she developed an udder!! She foaled at 321 days and never leaked any milk. She had plenty of colostrum too.
Pam C.
I used domperidone on our mare that just foaled in January. She wasn't making milk the way I thought she should. I had enough left in a tube from last year to give it to her for ten days. She was at 310 days when I started. Within two days of me giving it to her, she developed an udder!! She foaled at 321 days and never leaked any milk. She had plenty of colostrum too.
Pam C.
Jill
Aspiring Cowgirl
I used it per one of my vets advice prior to foaling in 2008. They both bagged up very quickly. One foaled within a day or two, and the other a couple days later. The one that foaled a couple days later, I do think she leaked out her colostrum. We had to have her filly get 2x plasma transfusions. I would be much more hesitant to use it prior to foaling in the future and would probably get the opinions of the other vets in the practice, vs. just one. Plus, it was the first season we had mares really foaling and I'm not sure we (us and the vet) didn't jump the gun with the mares expecting them to have more of a bag than they normally would.
It is something I keep on hand in our foaling get. I think it's Equidone brand. It has a long shelf life and isn't very expensive. It does bring the milk in pretty rapidly.
It is something I keep on hand in our foaling get. I think it's Equidone brand. It has a long shelf life and isn't very expensive. It does bring the milk in pretty rapidly.
Becky
Well-Known Member
How have you dosed it? The tube says 1 cc per 220 lbs body weight. Were you giving that amount or more?
palsminihorses
Well-Known Member
I gave my mare 1.5 cc. She's 30 inches, but fat!
Becky
Well-Known Member
Pam, thanks for the info. I appreciate knowing what your experience has been.
Jill, sorry you had problems using it and it is a tough call as to whether to use it or not. I think if the choice is whether to have a mare foal with no udder - no colostrum and no udder for the foal to nurse at all, I would opt to use it and take my chances.
Jill, sorry you had problems using it and it is a tough call as to whether to use it or not. I think if the choice is whether to have a mare foal with no udder - no colostrum and no udder for the foal to nurse at all, I would opt to use it and take my chances.
Anne ABC
Well-Known Member
Becky, the only time we used it was when we had mare's aborting and dicovered we had Fescus on our pasture (just moved, new pasture).
I started giving Equidone to all mares due to foal in the next 30 days and it did save our foal crop that year.
I believe I gave 1cc daily until they foaled. All the mares were 32" or less. They had plenty of colostrum and milk and the foals did great.
Also, moved all the rest of the bred mares off the pasture three months before they were due.
Learned a hard, expensive lesson that year and won't forget it anytime soon.
I started giving Equidone to all mares due to foal in the next 30 days and it did save our foal crop that year.
I believe I gave 1cc daily until they foaled. All the mares were 32" or less. They had plenty of colostrum and milk and the foals did great.
Also, moved all the rest of the bred mares off the pasture three months before they were due.
Learned a hard, expensive lesson that year and won't forget it anytime soon.
We also have only used Domperidone because we had the fescue endophyte in some hay we bought, and it was a "quick fix". It's been a few years back........... We also keep oxytocyn stashed away...... Both are used carefully with our vet's knowledge and advice. We've never had the need to give Domperidone to a mare PRIOR to foaling.
Becky
Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone for the information. I greatly appreciate it!
WOW- I am shocked at some of these answers! Just my experience I guess though. First of all you can overdose a mini with domperidone. If you overdose your mare she may turn very mean and agressive towards you or the foal. So be careful.
2nd -we use it ONLY after the mare has foaled. It has a hormone stimulant in it to help increase milk production (and some vets say help stimulate ovulation). I will have to check with our repro specialist, but it may have actually caused your mares to go into labor early, hence why we give it after foaling. It works rather quickly. We had a mare last year foal with no bag (an old mare). We gave the foal oral IGG and colostrum for 24-48 hours and let her continue to nurse on the mare. We gave the mare domperidone and within just a few days the mare's milk was in and all was fine.
In our experience - just because you think your mare is past her due date- doesn't mean she is. They ahve their own clocks that us humans cannot control or predict. The best way you can tell of her status is by her milk production- in very rare cases will you have a mare foal without any signs of milk production. Oxytocin will help a mare produce milk as well- however that is the same drug that will also induce a mare and cause her to go into labor. So- as noted above- it is not wise to stimulate milk production prior to foaling. There are plenty of ways to supplement a live healthy foal until milk is produced after the foal is born.
Also- our farm is all fescue grass. The trick to having bred mares on fescue is to have it grazed heavily and mowed so that it doesn't get too tall. The endophytes grow in the low dark and cool ground level - so if the grass is kept low- then it is not a problem. A bigger question- is what kind of grain were you feeding your mares when you had a problem? Too much protein will cause mares to abort approx 1-2 months early (or absorb even earlier- depending of time of year and duration of pregnancy). It has nothing to do with the fescue, but instead with ascending placentitis.
I recommend anyone with mare management and foaling questions like these to make plans to attend the Little King Farm Seminar March 27th. We go thru all these scenarios and answer all these kind of questions.
Hope that helps. Robin-LKF
2nd -we use it ONLY after the mare has foaled. It has a hormone stimulant in it to help increase milk production (and some vets say help stimulate ovulation). I will have to check with our repro specialist, but it may have actually caused your mares to go into labor early, hence why we give it after foaling. It works rather quickly. We had a mare last year foal with no bag (an old mare). We gave the foal oral IGG and colostrum for 24-48 hours and let her continue to nurse on the mare. We gave the mare domperidone and within just a few days the mare's milk was in and all was fine.
In our experience - just because you think your mare is past her due date- doesn't mean she is. They ahve their own clocks that us humans cannot control or predict. The best way you can tell of her status is by her milk production- in very rare cases will you have a mare foal without any signs of milk production. Oxytocin will help a mare produce milk as well- however that is the same drug that will also induce a mare and cause her to go into labor. So- as noted above- it is not wise to stimulate milk production prior to foaling. There are plenty of ways to supplement a live healthy foal until milk is produced after the foal is born.
Also- our farm is all fescue grass. The trick to having bred mares on fescue is to have it grazed heavily and mowed so that it doesn't get too tall. The endophytes grow in the low dark and cool ground level - so if the grass is kept low- then it is not a problem. A bigger question- is what kind of grain were you feeding your mares when you had a problem? Too much protein will cause mares to abort approx 1-2 months early (or absorb even earlier- depending of time of year and duration of pregnancy). It has nothing to do with the fescue, but instead with ascending placentitis.
I recommend anyone with mare management and foaling questions like these to make plans to attend the Little King Farm Seminar March 27th. We go thru all these scenarios and answer all these kind of questions.
Hope that helps. Robin-LKF
Becky
Well-Known Member
Here are a couple of links regarding Domperidone use in horses that have been grazing fescue.
Domperidone - The Answer to Fescue Toxicity?
Domperidone and its use in the Broodmare
Domperidone - The Answer to Fescue Toxicity?
Domperidone and its use in the Broodmare
ddeeva
Active Member
Ii HAD A MARE GO OVER 365 DAYS. Ii HAND BRED HER ONE DAY ONLY & SENT STUD HOME ,THEN Ii HAD SURGERY, SO, Ii WAS SURE OF BREED DATE. I USED DOMPER. AFTER SHE WENT ONE YR. SsHE BAGGED QUICKLY AFTER ONLY 2 DAYS THENI I HELD OFF FOR3 DAYS BECAUSE I WAS HAVING SURGERY AGAIN, TtHEN STARTED HER BACK ON IT & SHE FOALED AT DAY 384!!!!. fOAL DID NOT BREAK SAC & WASNT BREATHING. I HAD TO BREAK SAC, DO CPR, & EVENTUALLY CUT CORD, BUT I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL TINY BUCKSKIN FILLY! MY VET TOLD ME SHE NEVER HAD A MARE GO MORE THAN 2 WKS ON THE DOMPER.
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