Foaling Help-UPDATED 11/8

[minifreishorsefarm]

It really varies, it can be hours to days. Everyone is different.

Marsha

 

[rabbitsfizz]

She does not have to drop, put up a bag, visually dilate or relax her vulva. That is all in a book and mares cannot read. She can and most probably will just have her foal!!

You need to talk to your Vet about having something on hand to stimulate the milk in case she has been on Fescue, though.....

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

We should teach her to read! I am starting to get nervous about her.

 

[hoofhearted]

The minute you stop fretting, there they will be! Works every time around here. I ought to name them something like Second Cup, and CoffeeTime.lol

 

[minifreishorsefarm]

Her hoohoo seems to be getting longer/looser. But holy cow, no bag to speak of. But my maiden mare looked like that about a week before foaling, she filled up that quick. I think she is getting closer. How relaxed are her muscles around her tail?

Marsha

 

[rabbitsfizz]

You really do need to talk to your Vet- there is a medication whose name eludes me that will bring the milk in if it fails to arrive naturally....

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

Marsha her buts like jello! I can bounce my hand on it all day long!

Jane, I've talked to him, he keeps telling me to relax because shes not a maiden mare and her milk will come in, Well...he MIGHT be right but I've seen it happen before. I DO have powdered milk and powder colstorum on hand just in case but I am going to ask for the shot any way. Its Oxytocin... i think is how its spelled. He did however tell me if she doesnt have a bag he wants her in the clinic to monitor the mare and foal.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

No it's not oxytocin- there is something specifically for mares that have no bag- I'll go and try to do a search for it. Your Vet needs to wake up, everything may well go fine, and we all hope it does, but s/he needs to be aware that it may not- if the mare has been on fescue her bag will not come in without help, he should know that!!

ETA Domperidone: Oxytocin will not bring the milk in, it only stimulates the womb action and could be dangerous just after foaling as it could cause a prolapse- milk can only be "brought in" if it is actually there- if that makes sense to you! Domperidone will actually start the milk even if there is none present.

Your Vet needs to get this in for you just in case.

 

[cretahillsgal]

Jane, it is called domperidone. But you have to be careful to NOT use banamine immediately after foaling if you have to use domperidone to bring in the milk.

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

thanks ladies! We decided if she hadnt foaled by halloween or showed good improvement we're getting a second opnion.

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

what do you guys think?

 

[minifreishorsefarm]

I think she has time yet. I know they can have jello butt for a couple of weeks or so. By looking at the pics I'd say you have time yet. The milk isnt changing anywhere near where it needs to be and her bag looks like she has a month or more to go. Do you know if she did have fescue or just guessing because she isnt getting a bag but has other signs? I really think I'd have the vet do an ultrasound.

Marsha

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

I dont know, Ill call the girl tomorrow and ask. I talked to another vet this evening and he told me that they can do a transultrasound (outside of tummy) but he reassured me not to panic as she could go a whole 365.Shes had that same size bag since Sept! He said its 185 to do the test and hes 1.5hrs away. Hes the only vet around that can do this too. But he did tell me not to worry so much. Her PH test tonight was 7.8 high 7.5

 

[rubyviewminis]

Missy's milk test strips slowly went up then frustratingly fluxuated for about 5 weeks. She foaled 6 weeks past the breeders active breeding dates and estimated foaling date.I nearly lost my mind waiting. That last morning samo samo on the test strips and small barely there bag. It was a battle to get even a drop of milk, and we don't have a *stalled barn* here so not being used to bedding stalls I got tired of cleaning mats from nighttime messes. So that last afternoon I kind of got frustrated with her and told her she could just sleep in her dry comfy pen because I was exhausted and tired of waiting for her to foal lol. But for some reason I lifted her tail and finally her teats were fuller and pointing down! She just looked at me innoncently batting her long eyelashes. I got out the small strips and for once didn't have to struggle to get a drop of milk. The strips had jumped in 6 hours to the high end for foaling lol. Mares! What an adventure!

 

[BriarwoodAcres]

WOW Becky! Thats starting to sound like Shiloh, but Its super easy to get milk from her, shes just not filling out yet. Maybe she'll foal this weekend? haha

 

[happy appy]

The one thing that I have noticed is that they get really pointy in the rump. Almost like they are very underweight in at area and the belly really drops and almost like it's being pulled down their sides from their spin.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Well....they can do and they can go straight up to foaling with an apple bum.

Trouble is as we all know mares do not read or go by the book. When I can buy a book on foaling that was written by a mare I'll pay attention!

I have yet to be able to use the milk strips as I have yet to be able to express milk (and I once drew milk from a mouse for a bet!!!) from any of my pre foaling mares. Once they have foaled I need a bucket and a milking stool- I could start a dairy- but before- nope, not a thing, and they do have "normal" (as in "define normal") bags.

 

[Tremor]

In our last few years of breeding I was in charge of foal watches and what not. My mares were so used to my presence and my hands running ther bellies, lifting their tails, and cleaning their udders. We had our first foal in 2006 and from that point on they all had to deal with me! Lol.

However, out of all of our mares we've only had one mom are who wasn't textbook. She ended up foaling in our dry lot with the herd.....in the rain.

Our other mares have been so textbook it's ridiculous. I didn't even have to check for milk or anything; there were numerous times I would go just by looking at my mare and tell my parents; "Suzy's going to have a foal by tomorrow." That mare ended up having a colt the next morning.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

My original Arab mare, Amira, would not foal unless I was actually there- she liked an easy life- so I could get a good nights sleep, go out around sixish, give her a pat and a small feed and have a foal within half an hour. She never waxed, she never threw a totally full bag, she just virtually tapped it out in morse code that she was going to foal. One year I even went on holiday (she was with a very experienced breeder, her breeder in fact, for the duration) she went a month over her due dates that year (I was not away for a month!!) and had the biggest foal she has ever had! All well, though, and, again, good nights sleep and we went out at five and sat with her and she had her foal- once I started to help,anyway, she never beleived in pushing too much if there was someone to pull

 

[Tremor]

Oh gosh that is funny!

We've only had to help twice; both with the same mare.

My mare who the slide show is about was SO good at foaling. She was a SPEEDY mare too! I narrowly missed the birth of her last foal in 2011 because it literally lasted about a minute and a half. Her fully literally landed in my lap. It was impressive. Mind you this was her fifth full term pregnancy too.