My underweight minimare

Not to worry. Udder growth is most certainly like "**** growth" in pregnant humans. That can be a bit uncomfortable, and I would say the sweating was a reaction to a little discomfort. Just monitor her for any discharge to be sure there is nothing running down the backside and showing up between her back legs. But barring that, I'm sure she's just doing fine!

I think the change to the mare/foal feed will make some tremendous differences in her, and give the foal a wonderful chance of gaining strength. Hopefully you have a couple of weeks to go, but with these mares that start out in bad condition, it's hard to "guess" on a delivery date. But the more days she's getting the good protein, the better she will be and the foal too. I have VERY high hopes that baby will be strong at birth and just fine.

 

[stephmanietta]

Very loose stool now! Her bag didn't get as big as is was yesterday morning but her vulva is loose and looks a little puffy/swollen.

As of noon today she will not eat any grain. She refused her mid-day meal. It is still sitting in the stall.

 

Nearing foaling would generally have her cleaning out her system, so poop gets a bit mushy and looks like a cow-pie when dropped and there are normally many in a short time period.

I wouldn't worry about her non eating -- generally that's not a sign of imminent foaling. Some mommas have foaled with hay still in their mouths, lay down and foal, and get right back up to eating. So, if she is not showing any other signs of foaling, she may just be having a bit of tummy upset. Watch for the puffy vulva, take a peek inside and see if it looks redder than normal or still a salmon pink.

Praying for a safe and uneventful foaling of a healthy lttle one if she's decided it's time!

 

[AnnaC]

Just in case she is getting ready to have her foal, please make sure either you or someone else is with or close to her at all times (24/7) as she may need help giving birth.

But, as Diane says, it is quite possible that she is just feeling a bit uncomfortable right now.

 

[stephmanietta]

She does seem pretty loose. She is doing a lot of biting her sides, kicking her belly and tail swishing, but the flies are bad today. I have sprayed her several times. She seems more bothered by them than the other horses but I guess irritability comes with the territory.

Inside is still light pink. She had serveral loose stools over a few hours, 4 I think, but I am honestly not sure how many are normal for her in a certain time. I didn't think it would be something I needed to know.

She is rubbing her but a little but also not that unusual.

I will be watching her close but hopefully we still have a bit.

 

[AnnaC]

Maybe she's feeling a bit off due to the baby moving into its 'final' position - might explain the biting of her sides. If so she should settle down again for a few more days or a week or so, once baby has moved. Here's hoping she will give us a little more time.

 

[stephmanietta]

Just went back to check on her after giving the kids a bath. she layed down and stood up twice in the 5 minutes I was outside. She is yawning to, like long yawns like her mouth doesn't want to stop and keeps at it. Does that make sense?

 

[chandab]

Yawning is often a sign of discomfort in horses, so keep an eye on her. She might be ready or might just be uncomfortable as the foals shifts positions.

I'm sure someone more experienced than I will be here shortly to give more advice.

 

[stephmanietta]

She has milk/fluid tonight, Her udder is huge. I only got a few drops, it is clearish yellow, way thicker than milk but thinner than honey and very sticky when I rubbed it between my fingers. I don't have test strips yet. Is that what colostrum is like or is it just the clear liquid before the colostrum?

 

[AnnaC]

Sounds as though she's very close to foaling and could go any time now! Please dont leave her unattended for ANY reason - she may not have the strength to get this baby born quickly. Dont forget to be ready with some nice 'mushy' feeds for her pretty soon after she has the foal as she will need some 'wet' food to start her system going again plus she is going to need to regain some of that strength that she will have lost.

Good luck and safe foaling!

 

All good advice and very important she not be left unattended as she may need some assistance in birthing this special little one!

Can't wait to read your updates! Safe foaling!

 

[stephmanietta]

No baby yet! Her bag is still full. Its warm but not hot. She seems a little restless. I am watching her like a hawk! I will post updates as they happen.

 

[stephmanietta]

I read somewhere that in maiden minis not to bother with the test strips because being able to extract enough milk to test is the same indicator as a low ph. As in if they have enough milk to test then they are within 24 hours. Is there any truth to that? I am watching her close but am still a little skeptical that she is going to do anything..she just looks so small it is hard to believe she could REALLY be ready to deliver.

 

[stephmanietta]

This is just a few minutes ago. Her udder has been like that since 8pm last night. It didn't go down when I let her out this morning! She looks super loose and relaxed to me, I am not an expert though. A friend that breeds minis came by and looked at her today. She was out about 2 weeks ago when Molly first started to get a bag. She said the back end is VERY soft and sunken. And will milk present she thinks tonight! I am watching her around the clock...so she will probably keep me waiting till October, lol.

 

the milk strips TEST the pH. That's what they do.

It is not true that if they have enough milk to test they will foal within 24 hours. I don't know where you heard that, but put it out of your mind., Many mares can test for weeks and we watch the pH go up and down. With maiden mares, they can hide their foals very well, so they sometimes not even look pregnant, and then suddenly there's a baby standing there!

Keep us posted!

 

[targetsmom]

She sounds VERY close to foaling. At this point I would not even worry much about the pH of the milk because I would be watching her like a hawk anyway! But if you do find that the milk is sticky, you can tell us and we will all get excited for you! Hope you have a happy announcement soon.

 

[stephmanietta]

The milk does seem sticky, like compared to the milk in my fridge. Its not stringy though. And not super thick like honey but thicker than water.

Just did the test strips and the Ph is high 7.8 but the calcium is over 250. Whatever that means lol

 

Well, here we've had one momma go from a 7.8 to foaling all within 24 hours! We used to not get excited until the pH strips got down to around 7.0 - but we've all learned that the pH can drop rapidly!! So, keep watching her and keeping us posted! We're all here for you and getting excited more and more! Milk doesn't have to be "stringy" but it is generally sticky and thicker than the cow's milk you drink, So it all sounds very good!

 

[stephmanietta]

So what do you ladies know about waxing? Is it actually significant, or is it just dried milk, and therefor means nothing more than the milk dripping does? Molly seems to have "wax" She is not really acting weird tonight though. Very calm and quiet. She is not laying down. Not sure if she is sleeping but she is standing still with her eyes open. She was pacing all afternoon. I have alarms set to go every hour and check on her. I will test the milk again in the morning.

 

[AnnaC]

If a mare does 'wax' it looks like a solid 'stream' of candle wax, up to an inch long hanging from the end of her teats. It normally happens within 24 hours of foaling and you cannot mistake it for anything else. However due to the fact that it is 'solid', it usually breaks off as the mare moves around and can therefore be missed by those keeping an eye on the mare. Not all mares produce wax.

Please be warned that hourly checks are not nearly often enough! Ten minute checks might work at this stage, but are a bit pointless as you wont be getting any rest anyway! She needs you or someone sitting right alongside her ALL the time to be safe, which is why we all become punch drunk, zombiefied, exhausted, out of our minds and usually very short tempered at foaling time! Welcome to the 'fun' of foaling mares. LOL!!