Opinions needed please

[HersheyMint]

Glad the vet ruled out some stuff. Now, waiting for results = a long week

 

[Standards Equine]

Mastitis... Rotten that is. Poor girly. And the root of that could be all sorts of things. It's how soft that vulva looked that really worried me.
Breed horses, they said. It'll be fun, they said...
Breeding is hard, heartbreaking, expensive and stressful. When it's right, it's amazing!!! But there's so much that can happen along the way. Stay with us, I'm learning too! Hopefully you can have a restful weekend.

 

[BrookeB]

Mastitis... Rotten that is. Poor girly. And the root of that could be all sorts of things. It's how soft that vulva looked that really worried me.
Breed horses, they said. It'll be fun, they said...
Breeding is hard, heartbreaking, expensive and stressful. When it's right, it's amazing!!! But there's so much that can happen along the way. Stay with us, I'm learning too! Hopefully you can have a restful weekend.

Thank youand I agree completely! I gelded my last stallion shortly after she was bred, so this is it and I’m nervous because I really want this last baby, probably the last one I’m ever going to have. He couldn’t express any fluid to confirm mastitis at that point, but he said that was good that there was no fluid it seemed. I’m eagerly awaiting the results which should be early this week, so Monday or Tuesday was his guess.

 

[BrookeB]

Here’s this afternoons udder though

 

[Standards Equine]

So much better! She must be feeling relieved! Is her back end settled as well? Was she ever soft around the tail head?

 

[BrookeB]

So much better! She must be feeling relieved! Is her back end settled as well? Was she ever soft around the tail head?

She’s even more down tonight here’s a pic. Still waiting on test results, rear end is so hard for me to call I sometimes think it looks suspicious, but I don’t knowshe did have a damp spot tonight about the size of a dime right below her vulva, it could’ve been urine I guess but of course it freaked me out. The inside of her vulva was quite red tonight is that normal? I know horses get that shortly before giving birth, but can they have it at other times?

 

[LostandFound]

Definitely going down. The red inside the vulva doesn't seem to mean anything as far as I can tell.

 

[Standards Equine]

I've observed blood inside the vulva to indicate that the cervix is dilating - same as humans. But just redness inside the vulva, unless you've been watching it to compare all along, I don't think that's a real indicator. But that's only my thoughts... Glad to know everything is firm back there! That's a really good sign! They get soft like butter when they're close to delivering.

 

[BrookeB]

Ok I really need some expert opinions right now my mare is confirmed pregnant. Her progesterone is 677(see photo) he said it should be at least 1000 or more he’s putting her on regumate. My question is, does anybody know or have experience with low progesterone and what causes it? My vet is incorrect on last breeding day on my paperwork though it was actually 125 days at the time of testing
UPDATE OMG IM LIVID
I decided to call the lab that did the fetal viability testing, she was so helpful!!! She said your “total estrogens” which are just a little low are not worrisome why is your vet prescribing Regimate, which is pure progesterone to a mare whose total progesterones are 25.90, this being significantly elevated. Normal is 4-10 until very late pregnancy then it would rise to this. She said giving Regimate would have 100% caused my mare to slip her baby!
ANOTHER UPDATE
I called my vet he said he prescribes regiment when a mare is at risk of losing her baby and I said but you’re prescribing progesterone when hers is already extremely abnormally elevated, I’m shocked! So I said well why would her progesterone be this high what could cause this? He said he’s suspicious of twins now we are re-testing her levels next week. Does anyone have any experience with any of this???
***The picture on the left is the results of the fetal viability the right is the actual pregnancy test and a reminder she’s not 90 days like the pregnancy test says it should’ve said 125 days at the time of testing

 

[BrookeB]

I think the antibiotic is doing its job isn’t this so much better??? Also found this see photo. It clearly says placentitis is associated with a high progesterone level

 

[LostandFound]

It sounds like you are going to have to decide if you want to trust your veterinarian, or the lab tech. If it were me I would probably want an ultrasound. I believe they can tell if it's placentitis with an ultrasound, and I know that's how they check for twins. I did a little google search and it seems pretty common to treat placentitis with regumate but I don't have any experience with that.

 

[BrookeB]

It sounds like you are going to have to decide if you want to trust your veterinarian, or the lab tech. If it were me I would probably want an ultrasound. I believe they can tell if it's placentitis with an ultrasound, and I know that's how they check for twins. I did a little google search and it seems pretty common to treat placentitis with regumate but I don't have any experience with that.

I’m so lost with this I dont know what to do other then worry

 

[BrookeB]

It sounds like you are going to have to decide if you want to trust your veterinarian, or the lab tech. If it were me I would probably want an ultrasound. I believe they can tell if it's placentitis with an ultrasound, and I know that's how they check for twins. I did a little google search and it seems pretty common to treat placentitis with regumate but I don't have any experience with that.

They won’t do wand internal ultrasounds on mini horses it’s to risky. He said i could ask the equine hospital if they would, she’d have to be sedated as well, not sure stressing her out would be a good idea either. He also said at this stage of pregnancy a twin could easily be hidden behind the other baby. I feel so limited!

 

[LostandFound]

How big is she? it can be hard to find a vet willing to do it on a smaller mini. I've got a vet now that will do it on mine, but she has small arms and my girl is B sized. Most of the breeders I know get their mares ultrasounded so I know it's done. At this point you might be best off calling the hospital. At least you could get a second opinion. And if you are lucky maybe you can get some real answers.

 

[Standards Equine]

It's conceivable it's a combination of the two situations as well. Shoot. After losing a pregnancy of one of my favorite mares to twinning, I invest in ultrasounding now. Especially when it's to an outside stallion.
My heart is with you. It's so difficult when the answer is wait and see and you don't have any action to make changes to help the situation. Know we're all thinking about you and your little girl.

 

[BrookeB]

It's conceivable it's a combination of the two situations as well. Shoot. After losing a pregnancy of one of my favorite mares to twinning, I invest in ultrasounding now. Especially when it's to an outside stallion.
My heart is with you. It's so difficult when the answer is wait and see and you don't have any action to make changes to help the situation. Know we're all thinking about you and your little girl.

Wow sorry to hear thatI have a different vet coming tomorrow, going to redo the bloodwork and a second opinion which I feel like I need and I guess I’ll just go from there

 

[BrookeB]

How big is she? it can be hard to find a vet willing to do it on a smaller mini. I've got a vet now that will do it on mine, but she has small arms and my girl is B sized. Most of the breeders I know get their mares ultrasounded so I know it's done. At this point you might be best off calling the hospital. At least you could get a second opinion. And if you are lucky maybe you can get some real answers.

She’s pretty small about 30 inches. He said the wand is horse size that’s why he won’t do it, they don’t have Mini Horse wands. I use another vet as well, last year when we had a pregnant mare they wouldn’t do an ultrasound either. Yeah I’m sure there’s lots of vets that do it in different states, which is so awesome. I think I’m probably more limited where I live and what their expertise is. I live in a big city in Southern California so not in a wide area of horse properties. I called a different vet office they’re coming tomorrow to redo the blood work, I’m hopefully getting that second opinion that could be really helpful, so frustrating.

 

[HersheyMint]

I hope you find some answers

 

[LostandFound]

I had plenty of trouble finding one to do it here, and my mare is much bigger. I'm sure it's next to impossible with her so tiny. I'm hoping you get some good answers from the different vet.

 

[BrookeB]

Thank you so much for the kind words I had a vet come out today that I’ve never met for a second opinion, it was such a bad experience she was awful and so rude and she knew nothing about the hormone levels in pregnancy and then threw it off to “I’m not a repo vet we don’t take care of Mini’s that much” Well then why did you come here I told you what it was about when I made the appointment. She kept saying we need to run a full metabolic panel because your mare is fat and I was like I don’t need a metabolic panel and she’s just a little chunky but thanks. I admit she could lose a few pounds but it’s because she lives with other minis and she’s the fastest eater. Her whole focus was on anything but her pregnancy, hormones and placentitis. My mare must’ve sensed something as well because when she went to take blood she started rearing up it was really scary, I stopped the vet and said I’m done leave her alone you’re literally stressing her out and she’s going to flip backwards. The whole experience was like nothing I’ve ever had in my life with a vet. So needless to say, I didn’t get labs taken again but here’s two pictures. The first one is the newest udder pic from tonight and the second one is what it looked like before the antibiotic about 10 days ago. I’m almost wondering if I should just leave it alone, keep her on the antibiotic and hope for the best for now??? Really at a loss with this.