Mare with early bagging now dripping milk at 275 days

[REO]

Wow, she looks and sounds ready to foal tonight (or soon) to me! I'm glad you're there watching her.

I have my fingers crossed that the baby will be just fine! (Please oh please!!)

 

[sedeh]

Her bag sure looks like she's ready to go! I'm praying your dates are off and you have a healthy foal. I don't think you're going to get much sleep tonight!

 

[MountainMeadows]

Hi Shauna

I am sure that there are many of us who are hoping that the dates are off and that this morning you have a healthy baby - please check in and let us all know.

Stacy

 

[Becky]

Yes, anxious to hear how things are this morning. Hope to hear there is a healthy baby!

 

[kaykay]

Sending good thoughts for a full term foal!!!

Kay

 

[wc minis]

Sending good thoughts to you and your mare.

 

[ShaunaL]

No baby yet!!!!!!!

My husband got the Equifone working when he got home so that was awesome. She was fairly quiet with some pacing and yawning until about 3am then OMG the Equifone went off every 5 or 10 minutes until almost 5! She would go down and get right up over and over and over. Wow, I am exhausted LOL Around 5 she quieted down again and has been pretty calm ever since.

She looks about the same but she's not dripping as heavily.

There will be drops on the nipples and if I wipe them away they come back but not the steady drip drip of yesterday. Udder still very full and warm.

I have to leave for work when my sitter gets here but I can watch her on camera from my office (5 minutes from the house) and the alarm will alert me if she lays down. It hasn't gone off since 5.

I'm feeling a little better about things because I found some posts online where mares dripped milk prematurely and with enough Regumate and various other meds held off until their foals were viable. Only a few that I could find but it gives me hope.

I still need to find a source of colostrum because with all the milk she's lost in the past 24 hours and is continuing to lose I think we might need it. I'll call some more breeders today but if anyone knows a source??

Thanks everyone! I'll keep you posted and hopefully she keeps her legs crossed!

 

[Joanne]

Your veterinarian should have a colostrum replacement. Some are given orally and some are given IV.

Check with your veterinarian and make sure he has some.

 

[Charlotte]

Try this:

Sandys Nursemare service has a Colostrum Bank and ships Fed X anywhere in the USA.

[email protected]

http://www.equine-reproduction.com/index.shtml

Charlotte

 

[ShaunaL]

My vet can do a plasma transfer but may not have frozen colostrum on hand. I'd feel better knowing the baby was getting colostrum right away.

Thank you Charlotte! I'm emailing them right now.

 

[CheyAut]

There's a shetland on marestare that hasn't foaled yet. I"m going back in her thread as she's been dripping for awhile...

Jan 22 she started with some wax.

on Jan 24 a lot of wax

Feb 1st she started dripping milk

Still no baby yet... so here's hoping for yours!!!

Jessi

 

[palsminihorses]

I'm feeling a little better about things because I found some posts online where mares dripped milk prematurely and with enough Regumate and various other meds held off until their foals were viable. Only a few that I could find but it gives me hope.

I'm a little late in posting this, but I wanted to let you know that one of our mares was dripping milk at 296 days last year. I thought that it was way too early (now I know that earlier foals have lived). I started giving the mare SMZ's. I didn't know to also give her Regumate. She stopped dripping milk, and her udder actually went down in size. She continued to carry her foal to 349 days!! Her foal was still very tiny. But he made it just fine and is now a fiesty yearling stallion!

Sending prayers your way for a healthy foal! I'll be checking each day for updates.

Pam C.

 

[ShaunaL]

I tested her milk tonight. The squares changed very quickly with the hardness reading dark purple (very high, 1000) and the pH being very light orange (low 6.8). These were the Pool Time 6 way Test Strips. How accurate do all of you find these tests? I've never used them before but I tested twice with different samples and got the same result.

She's still dripping milk. I've been trying to collect some to freeze and not having a lot of luck. I got some though. We are ready to do a plasma transfer regardless.

So, I guess we keep watching and waiting and hoping. Thank you for the posts on mares that have dripped milk like this and held off - they make me feel so much better!

She is eating her dinner right now so maybe that will keep her busy for awhile. Just a few hours til 277 days, let's hope they just keep ticking by.

 

[Cavallini Farms]

Sending good thoughts, I hope she holds on awhile longer!

 

[Miniv]

Interestingly, my husband just added an information page about this on our website.......

http://www.miniatureventures.com/using_milk_test_strips.html

The Ph test is much more sensitive in our opinion......and if yours is 6.8 it probably means you have a day to two more to go.

Your mare is going through so many classic signs and steps, it really does make me wonder if she wasn't bred earlier than you think. I sure do hope so.

 

[ShaunaL]

Interestingly, my husband just added an information page about this on our website.......
http://www.miniatureventures.com/using_milk_test_strips.html

The Ph test is much more sensitive in our opinion......and if yours is 6.8 it probably means you have a day to two more to go.

Your mare is going through so many classic signs and steps, it really does make me wonder if she wasn't bred earlier than you think. I sure do hope so.

Thank you! That page was very helpful. The strips I have must be the cheaper model LOL the lowest on there is 6.8. So I won't know if it's lower with these I guess. The square was lighter orange than the chart one. Well, that's kind of a bummer, next time I'll make sure to buy strips where the pH sensitivity goes down to 6.2 or so.

On the bright side, Whitney and I will know each other VERY well at the end of all this

 

[mizbeth]

Hi

Good to hear she is holding on. I'm with Maryann though and feel that she must have been bred earlier. Also have heard that as a mare ages, her gestation time gets shorter?

Keep us up to date. How does her milk feel, the consistancy of it? Is it sticky? If very sticky , to the touch almost immediately and feels very syrupy she will foal soon. If not sticky (although I cannot imagine that, since her milk is so yellow), it could be a while - as in days. I personally do not care for the strips. I think milk testing - fingers is more accurate for me. I have friends that swear by them though, so I guess it is just what you feel comfortable with?

 

[Basketmiss]

I just found this thread, how is everything going??

 

[ShaunaL]

Milk testing fingers - I love that Beth! Yes, her milk is very sticky. She had a quiet night, seemed more comfortable than the other night.

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Oh Shauna. I pray she holds out for you!! I keep checking in every hour or so to see how she is doing. Hugs to you both!! Praying for a safe birth and a beautiful healthy baby!!