How often are vets wrong in determining preg.

[jdomep]

Is this happen more often with minis more so than bigs? Are their any definate tests that can be done? Or is it just when you see a baby she was in foal? What tests shouldn't be done?

We had an experience last week...

My friend and I co bought a mini donk (said to be in foal) She is very round and she had a little bag with a drop of whitish milk etc. Looked like (from other pictures I have seen) to have about a month to go. Our vet comes out great girl (from an awesome vet group)she has always been great with my horses - but not very experienced with donkeys and only a few minis. She palpated Grace and said there was NO baby she's just really fat - (K and I were bummed) so as she vaccinates her we talk...I mention getting some milk...Then she moves on to donkey #2 (K's 2 yo possibly bred from the lunatic she got her from) Vet palpates Annie and says "no she is not pg, but can I re palpate Grace..." And upon this... she says "yes there is definately a baby in there I felt it move" If she would have left after the first time we would have eventually (after her quarantine period) let her out with the others. It was a VERY frustrating day. Then I go home and read that rectally palpating these small animals can cause tears

Is that a bad idea?

 

[Becky]

I've had mares both palpated and ultrasounded and I can tell you that neither is 100%! My vet can do both depending on the mare. I don't generally do either with my own personal horses unless I have a breeding problem. Mares that I sell as bred will be palpated and/or ultrasounded in foal.

 

[Loess Hills]

Unless your vet is very experienced with miniatures, and ultrasound is not always accurate. Many hesitate to palpate unless they have very small hands and are experienced. Our vet will normally not palpate unless pressured, because he is concerned about damageing those fragile organs.

We had a little mare whom we ultrasounded twice after she had been bred in June and September. Both were negative. In August she delivered a tiny bay colt for someone who had purchased her a week before! And we were sure she wasn't pregnant because she never changed in size and showed any indication of a pregnancy. We have since teased our vet a lot about his ultrasound techniques!

 

[DunPainted]

THANK YOU, MARTY......GREAT POST !

It's been an equally frustrating/confusing year for us, as one mare that looked like she was about to burst came up open....now obese. The other two that I purchased can foal anytime between now and mid-September. One minute their bags are full and getting soft in the croup.....then bags recede and croup tightens a bit.

Obviously, we all know I'm a newbie and will consider myself as such until I've had these wonderful creatures for at least 10 years.

I BEG THE QUESTIONS:

1. What method do breeders rely on todetermine if their mares are bred?

2. Do you have them blood tested 60 days after possible conception?

3. If you don't do blood test (some folks say results are not 100% accurate)

when do you ultra-sound or have them palpated?

I'm so confused about this issue that Miss Cindy doesn't know whether to scratch her butt or wind her watch (which she cannot find anyway)!

While we're on the subject, I'd like to ask our senior members (not referring to age, but experience) about the best possible method to determine the estimated due dates of the two mares Qtr Raes and I took in and are obviously bred. According to my calculations, one of the mares I have produced a foal in January/February of last year and was in the same pasture as the stallion with her foal. The other mare I have foaled out in March/April.

Living in NE Wisconsin where consistent signs of spring do not come until late-May, you can understand how concerned I am for these wonderful mares....particularly the one that may foal in December or January who was neglected so badly, that her feet are deformed. This precious mare will die on my property, not just because she's pretty, but I'm certain that she'll get passed from farm-to-farm because of her feet.

Please bear with me and the long post, but I so very much want to do right by Rose Bud......here is her photo. Then one of her before/after pics of her back hooves.

Before Hoof Trimming

After Hoof Trim

Our farrier said that it'll take AT LEAST one year to see improvement in her hooves.

Thanks for your patience and appreciate any feedback.

Cindy

 

[DunPainted]

THANK YOU, MARTY......GREAT POST !

It's been an equally frustrating/confusing year for us, as one mare that looked like she was about to burst came up open....now obese. The other two that I purchased can foal anytime between now and mid-September. One minute their bags are full and getting soft in the croup.....then bags recede and croup tightens a bit.

Obviously, we all know I'm a newbie and will consider myself as such until I've had these wonderful creatures for at least 10 years.

I BEG THE QUESTIONS:

1. What method do breeders rely on todetermine if their mares are bred?

2. Do you have them blood tested 60 days after possible conception?

3. If you don't do blood test (some folks say results are not 100% accurate)

when do you ultra-sound or have them palpated?

I'm so confused about this issue that Miss Cindy doesn't know whether to scratch her butt or wind her watch (which she cannot find anyway)!

While we're on the subject, I'd like to ask our senior members (not referring to age, but experience) about the best possible method to determine the estimated due dates of the two mares Qtr Raes and I took in and are obviously bred. According to my calculations, one of the mares I have produced a foal in January/February of last year and was in the same pasture as the stallion with her foal. The other mare I have foaled out in March/April.

Living in NE Wisconsin where consistent signs of spring do not come until late-May, you can understand how concerned I am for these wonderful mares....particularly the one that may foal in December or January who was neglected so badly, that her feet are deformed. This precious mare will die on my property, not just because she's pretty, but I'm certain that she'll get passed from farm-to-farm because of her feet.

Please bear with me and the long post, but I so very much want to do right by Rose Bud......here is her photo. Then one of her before/after pics of her back hooves.

Before Hoof Trimming

After Hoof Trim

Our farrier said that it'll take AT LEAST one year to see improvement in her hooves.

Thanks for your patience and appreciate any feedback.

Cindy

 

[DunPainted]

THANK YOU, MARTY......GREAT POST !

It's been an equally frustrating/confusing year for us, as one mare that looked like she was about to burst came up open....now obese. The other two that I purchased can foal anytime between now and mid-September. One minute their bags are full and getting soft in the croup.....then bags recede and croup tightens a bit.

Obviously, we all know I'm a newbie and will consider myself as such until I've had these wonderful creatures for at least 10 years.

I BEG THE QUESTIONS:

1. What method do breeders rely on todetermine if their mares are bred?

2. Do you have them blood tested 60 days after possible conception?

3. If you don't do blood test (some folks say results are not 100% accurate)

when do you ultra-sound or have them palpated?

I'm so confused about this issue that Miss Cindy doesn't know whether to scratch her watch or wind her butt!

While we're on the subject, I'd like to ask our senior members (not referring to age, but experience) about the best possible method to determine the estimated due dates of the two mares Qtr Raes and I took in and are obviously bred. According to my calculations, one of the mares I have produced a foal in January/February of last year and was in the same pasture as the stallion with her foal. The other mare I have foaled out in March/April.

Living in NE Wisconsin where consistent signs of spring do not come until late-May, you can understand how concerned I am for these wonderful mares....particularly the one that may foal in December or January who was neglected so badly, that her feet are deformed. This precious mare will die on my property, not just because she's pretty, but I'm certain that she'll get passed from farm-to-farm because of her feet.

Please bear with me and the long post, but I so very much want to do right by Rose Bud......here is her photo. Then one of her before/after pics of her back hooves.

Before Hoof Trimming

After Hoof Trim

Our farrier said that it'll take AT LEAST one year to see improvement in her hooves.

Thanks for your patience and appreciate any feedback.

Cindy

 

[Sue_C.]

I have had the blood testing done between 90-120 days and it has been 100% accurate for us so far. I don't like the idea of palpating a mini unless it's really necessary, and I haven't heard too much accuracy here on the ultrasounding...so just wouldn't bother.

 

[Crossbuck Farms]

After disappointment with breeding we went hi tech and now 6 confirmed pregnancy for spring. We did ultra sounds.

 

[justjinx]

We just had our mares ultrasounded and got to see the baby (yes, only one settled, as we expected, of the 3) on the machine! it was very exciting.

Cindy, as for due dates on your mare and and Donna's, my vet told me that she does an ultra-sound of the foal and they measure the EYE to determine when the foal is due. she supposedly is with-in 2 weeks on her predictions! she has been doing this for quite awhile though. Best of luck with the mares! they are beautiful!

jennifer

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I really do not bother to test any more. A mare ultrasounded in foal at a month can reabsorb, you still pay the fee!!! If she starts to bag up around Christmas- January, I am pretty sure she will have a foal. Worked for me for forty years so i guess I'll stick with it!!

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

Back in the "old days" in the early 1990's, we had 10 mares ultra-sounded. Five were plus & 5 were minus. Guess what? Turned out the ones said to be in foal were open & vice versa!!!!

Cost us more than $400 for this misinformation.

Now, unless a mare to be offered for sale, or there's another sound reason to know what's what, we just wait & see.

 

[Miniv]

Cindy,

I agree that the blood test doesn't seem to be as accurate. Neither do the external ulta Sounds. Internal ultra sounds and rectal palpations are only as accurate as the the vet who performs them. (Of the three, we have preferred the internal ultra-sound.)

Consequently, we rarely have any of the above done unless we are selling a mare that is guarranteed in foal. Instead we rely on watching heat cycles and recording them and breedings on a calender. We also watch the mares the next Spring.

Your pretty little mare's feet made me cringe. I would agree with your vet that it will take AT LEAST a year before they are close to normal with lots of corrective trimming.

Wish you all the best with her.

MA

 

[ThreeCFarm]

Miniv is right, the ultrasound is only as accurate as the person using it.

We internally ultrasound all of our mares approximately 18 days after breeding. We did that with the big horses too, and our vet has always been 100% accurate. That isn't to say that she won't make a mistake on down the road. Yes, they may lose the foal later, but at least we know she did indeed get in foal, and when. Our vet also checks for twins, so we don't have that worry.

 

[Crossbuck Farms]

The vet we used is used by a big breeder and she is an expert and is 100% right with them.

 

[Charlotte]

I honestly think a vet's accuracy rate depends on their level of experience with the type of horse they are checking and with the equipment (if any) that they are using.

We are very fortunate to have a vet with a very large miniature practice. He also does a number of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse breeding farms. So far, since 1998, he has been 100% here. We mostly have ultrasounds done early on in the pregnancy, but he will palpate mares in later stages of gestation when they are too far along for ultrasound.

Charlotte

Oh, I forgot, DunPainted, Bless you for taking that lovely little mare in and being willing to work with her feet. I have seen such as that make dramatic improvemenet. she may need more frequent farrier work the rest of her life, but she certainly found the right home!

 

[Tammie-C_Spots]

We have ultrasounded each year for the last 13 years and the vet was always correct using internal ultrasound.

Tammie

 

[Dona]

I have tested my own mares using the Pregnamare test for years now....and have had 100% accuracy with it!

The only time I bother ultrasounding, is if I sell a mare & the buyer wants it confirmed in foal by ultrasound.

Dunpainted.....that mare IS lovely, and very lucky to have found a wonderful home with you!