Mare Dried Up

[LC Farm]

We just noticed that our mare has dried up. The mare is 4 years old and her first foal. The foal is 1 and a half months old. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do for the baby and why the mare dried up. The foal does eat grain on her own and played around in the water. But not sure if she is drinking it or not.

 

[shelia]

Are you sure she has dried up? Does the foal try to nurse. Is the mare very underweight?

 

[AnnaC]

First foaling mares often dont get/retain large bags, the foal may well be keeping the bag 'slack' so it looks as though there is little/no milk.

Best thing to do for now is to get close when the foal is drinking and watch for it swallowing. Swallowing means there is milk there for it.

If you are worried then I think you need to have a word with your vet.

What exactly are you feeding the mare - does she have access to plenty of grass or is she on a dry lot or limited grass?

Anna

 

[Mona]

Your mare may seem to have dried up, but maybe has not. I have seen that in the past too, where the baby keeps the mare pretty much milked out all the time, so when you check, it seems nothing is there, however, they always grew, never lost weight, and kept nursing. These are all good indications that foal IS getting milk. But, that said, they should also be eating grass/hay, grain, and drinking water, alongside mama.

 

[LC Farm]

We tried to milk the mare and nothing, so with that I am assuming the mare dried up. Momma is in good weight if anything a little heavy. The baby does go up to mom and wants to nurse but gets nothing. The foal is at a good weight too. Mom and baby get hay and grain twice a day and has plenty of water all the time. They are on a dry lot but we are working on putting them into a pasture with letting them go out a little at a time.

 

[SNDFarms]

We tried to milk the mare and nothing, so with that I am assuming the mare dried up. Momma is in good weight if anything a little heavy. The baby does go up to mom and wants to nurse but gets nothing. The foal is at a good weight too. Mom and baby get hay and grain twice a day and has plenty of water all the time. They are on a dry lot but we are working on putting them into a pasture with letting them go out a little at a time.

I'm not sure how old the foal is, but I would contact your vet, he can give medication to help bring mom back into milk..

 

[JAX]

Domperidone is what my vet gave me for my mare. Worked like a charm! In fact had to cut the dose in half after 3 days because she was squirting everywhere even with foal nursing all the time!

 

[Jill]

If the foal has just nursed, they strip the mare so it may seem she's dried up, but not be the case. I hope that's what's happened. We've used Equidone (a brand of domperidone) in the past and it works pretty quick if she's really dried up.

How's the energy level of your foal? If she has dried up, you should notice a rapid (and dangerous) decline in your foal's energy.

Do you have foal formula on hand or a way to get some quickly?

Hoping for the best, and hope you can update with good news.

 

[Miniv]

Ditto to everything Jill just posted above.

Watch your foal's behavior and attitude. It will be the indicator if your mare has truly dried up......And be ready to step in and feed with a foal formula. With the foal being a little older and already eating "grownup" food with mom, using a bucket or dish for the formula may work, if that becomes necessary.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Pretty uncommon for a mare to dry up without being sick.

Even if she has, foal>30 days old doesn't need milk.

Dr Taylor

 

[LC Farm]

The foal is full of energy. We are gonna have the vet out in the morning. And we also have a Percheron mare that is nursing right now so we have plenty of milk of hand if we need to bottle feed her. But like I said she is eating grain and hay. And I also took a bucket out of water (besides the one they have in their pen) and she was drinking that.

 

[iowa]

Separate them for a few hours and see if there is milk after that time.

 

[chandab]

The foal is full of energy. We are gonna have the vet out in the morning. And we also have a Percheron mare that is nursing right now so we have plenty of milk of hand if we need to bottle feed her. But like I said she is eating grain and hay. And I also took a bucket out of water (besides the one they have in their pen) and she was drinking that.

Since the foal is over a month old and eating feed and hay, if the mare is dried up, its not a big deal, as like Dr Taylor said the foal doesn't "need" milk after 30 days, just make sure she has plenty of appropriate feed and water.

 

[Riverrose28]

I agree with all the other posts, and am glad you have the vet coming out to access the situation. In my opinion the foal is just draining the bag, if she is eating grain then she will be Ok as mares milk starts to decline at two months anyway. Pleas keep us posted as I'm curious on the outcome, I've never heard of a mare drying up this early. Also on another note watch the foal for loose stools, as drinking too much water at this young age can cause problems. Good thing the vet is coming, that is your first line of defense.

 

[LC Farm]

Thank you for your replys. We have never had this happen before and it sure scares us. I went to TSC yesterday and got some milk replacer and baby drank that while I kept her away from mom for an hour. After they were back together the foal nursed mom and I watched her getting a drink. Can't wait for vet to come today but I'm thinking the foal is keeping momma drained of milk. Thanks again!