Rescue Dandy keeping us on our toes - Pregnant?

[iperu87]

Ive gone back and forth about whther to post here or not for the past several months This mare, as im seeing is a general trend, has really made us doubt our sanity lol we bought Dandy from a feedlot in NC on June 23 2020. They said she was pregnant and ive since inquired whether they test and they said no they go off what seller tells them. So here it is almost a yr later and no baby. Wed almost given up hope when I checker her udders and got quite a spray of clear liquid!

After several days of checking small amounts of milk w ph test strip ( made sure container was clean but didnt dilute w distilled water) hardness saying 700 to 800+ and since then its gotten even higher. Ph though remains around 8.0. Wed also felt and seen what we believed to be fetal movement . after a FB post and one of my horse ppl saying she might just be in heat, I videotaped it to further prove I wasnt crazy lol

We never saw sign of miscarriage although she did get rather large last August then mysteriously shrink back down a little. Im wondering if that was a reabsorbed pregnancy or just finally being fed right. Also we obv r terrified we gave her fescue as our trainer says most hay around here has fescue. Theres no equine vet locally and the only one we could find never showrd. Very unprofessional so I nvr called them back either.

By my math unless shed gotten pregnant JUST BEFORE coming to feedlot....this is too long for her to be pregnant isnt it? Not as much movement lately buy she does the tummy suck in thing that looks almost like contractions she can hold that belly in so tight. She runs and is very slender and fit. Part of me hopes she a maiden mare and just hiding a baby well, also not playing by rules...my son has CP and the baby was supposed to be his therapy pet to raise :/ what do yall think ? Sorry so long lol
This is Dandy around April 21st with alot of her winter coat still coming off.
And may 17th I believe but both pics (above and 2 below) of her shedded ate SAME DAY. Lol just shows how diff she can look in one day

Last her udders the day we got liquid. Everyday since we can still get some even though its been over a week which is why we dont think its from going in heat. Ill get a pic that shows the edema in front of her udders also..
I can send video to anyones email if they want to see a iffy quality but what i believe is a convincing video of movement. Thank you for reading! Oh and I forgot to mention she has b

 

[JFNM miniatures]

Welcome to the forum !
This is a great place to ask questions, everyone is very helpful as you will soon see !
First, about the date. If she was bred just before you got her from the feedlot, then technically, she would be VERY close to her due date, as horses have a approximate due date of 11 months.... although it doesn't mean all mares respect that. Some will go over 11 month... others even over a year, but it's more common with draft horses.

About her hiding the foal. From the looks of her, if she is pregnant, she's either (and most likely) a maiden mare, or she's part of the group of mares who hide all their pregnancies. I'd expect a little bit more udder formation however before knowing she is going to foal, but things can change very fast.

It is excellent that you are taking pH levels ! If you are at 8.0, I'd say there is a good chance she is pregnant. Normal pre-foaling secretions are around 8.5 - 8.0. That is, before they start dropping. Keeping monitoring her pH, that's the best way to know when they come close to foaling.

And yes, if you see little kicks, than there a good chance there's someone in there ! If you put you hand just in front of her udder, you could feel definite kicks, especially if she is almost due.

Do you have a foaling kit ready, just in case ? And some way to watch her at night ?

 

[Taz]

Welcome to the insanity! Thank you for rescuing her, she's lovely.
I think my mare is pregnant and she's at 374 days today, so yes, they can go longer. I could be completely wrong though and getting no sleep for no good reason.
Unfortunately if she is in foal you won't know definitely without a vet ultrasounding or palpating so it would be best to treat her like she is. The one picture looks like her belly could be a little lopsided, that would be a sign of a foal hanging out on that side that day. If she's on fescue hay you might want to switch her to hay cubes(soaked) to be safe. Get a foal kit together, watch videos(I Am Ranch has amazing foaling videos and info), read as much as you can(great articles here) and ask as many questions as you want. If you can put a camera up to be able to keep an eye on her at nigh that would be great. Good luck!!!!!

 

[iperu87]

Welcome to the forum !
This is a great place to ask questions, everyone is very helpful as you will soon see !
First, about the date. If she was bred just before you got her from the feedlot, then technically, she would be VERY close to her due date, as horses have a approximate due date of 11 months.... although it doesn't mean all mares respect that. Some will go over 11 month... others even over a year, but it's more common with draft horses.

About her hiding the foal. From the looks of her, if she is pregnant, she's either (and most likely) a maiden mare, or she's part of the group of mares who hide all their pregnancies. I'd expect a little bit more udder formation however before knowing she is going to foal, but things can change very fast.

It is excellent that you are taking pH levels ! If you are at 8.0, I'd say there is a good chance she is pregnant. Normal pre-foaling secretions are around 8.5 - 8.0. That is, before they start dropping. Keeping monitoring her pH, that's the best way to know when they come close to foaling.

And yes, if you see little kicks, than there a good chance there's someone in there ! If you put you hand just in front of her udder, you could feel definite kicks, especially if she is almost due.

Do you have a foaling kit ready, just in case ? And some way to watch her at night ?

Thank you and yes this definitely seems to be the place to come! Weve been on foal watch so long its not even funny ...lol unless I misheard the lady that helped get Dandy into the back of the car ( interesting experience 2/10 would no recommend lmao) I believe she said she heard foal sounds im assuming heartbeat or basically just something other than regular digestive noise.is a heartbeat monitor even feasible for horses? We do have a foaling kit and a great camera setup. although im sure im forgetting so ill be visiting that thread next

 

[Taz]

Here's hoping there's a healthy baby for you, me and PaintMeAMini soon(and everyone else I'm forgetting unintentionaly ), we're both there with you thinking maybe and hoping for a foal.

Oh, keep up with checking her pH, her hardness will go up more before the pH comes down if she's going to get an udder before foaling.She's already giving you better readings than mine who doesn't bag up until after foaling, at least that's what she did before.

 

[JFNM miniatures]

Thank you and yes this definitely seems to be the place to come! Weve been on foal watch so long its not even funny ...lol unless I misheard the lady that helped get Dandy into the back of the car ( interesting experience 2/10 would no recommend lmao) I believe she said she heard foal sounds im assuming heartbeat or basically just something other than regular digestive noise.is a heartbeat monitor even feasible for horses? We do have a foaling kit and a great camera setup. although im sure im forgetting so ill be visiting that thread next

Great that you are ready and waiting ! Keep taking pH levels. It really works well... and read about dystocias and red bags... things like that. Even if it's scary, memorize the procedures for each dystocia. And keep the document in a plastic slip in your foaling kit for quick and easy reference.

Hoping for happy foalings and healthy babies for you and all the other foal watchers !!

 

[Pitter Patter]

WELCOME!! I never would have made it through pregnancy and foaling if not for these great people! I also don't seem to have a responsive vet anymore and the others are booked up. So, Taz was and remains my go to person , along with all the other nice folks here. So knowing absolutely zero about pregnancy, etc. I waited over a year! Turns out previous owner was wrong about her being pregnant at purchase, but she then got pregnant by my stallion. She had her foal on April 22nd.Your girl looks like she could be pregnant. Try taking pictures from the same angles every day. My mind was always playing tricks on me, but a photo rarely lies and you can see the progression this way, with dates and all so you don't have to remember. Get your foaling kit ready. I only ended up using one towel to sit on and baby's blanket (actually dog coat), but felt I had everything at the ready just in case. Couldn't get near the foal as mama was VERY protective and it became dangerous. So, unfortunately unable to give any shots, enema, etc. Baby is perfect, thankfully and birth was fast and text book. And vet STILL hasn't come! Educate yourself, be as prepared as you can be. Hopefully your girl is pregnant and you are in for quite the experience! You can ask anything on this site and most often you will get at least one great piece of advice, but probably a lot more. You might even get help watching cameras! So, I haven't yet heard about "hearing" a foal, so that's interesting! My vet palpated my girl and said she was 3 months along, if that. If that were true, her foal came 3 months early. In hindsight she was more like 6 months along. Keep us posted and keep the pictures coming!

 

[Taz]

If anyone knows about 'hearing' a foal I'd be interested to know about it?

 

[Taz]

Oh, I just noticed in one of your pictures. Are you feeding dry hay cubes? Hay cubes are great but can cause choke. If she eats them when you give them to her instead of saving some for later you might want to add some water to them. Just an idea..... The worst choke I've had to deal with was from dry hay cubes and she asperated and needed antibiotics to get through it, sometimes antibiotics aren't enough.

 

[elizabeth.conder]

I do not believe you can hear a foal. At least from everything I have read. Maybe with a very specialized machine. Usually the mares heart and gut sounds are too loud and the foal too deep. If she was bred the day you brought her home that would put her 338 days today. Normal ph is 8.0+ so not much happening there yet. Definitely a good plan to keep watching just in case. I find it a helpful when feeling for movement to let them out and get them running a bit. That will wake a foal up and make it easy to feel. Foal movement especially at that stage is quite clear usually. You can also do it while they are eating. I agree with Taz, hay cubes, especially the big ones, need to be fed soaked. They definitely work, but expand so much it is important to soak them to avoid issues.

 

[Pitter Patter]

Two weeks ago I found some "nice" treats. Low carb, no sugar, etc. They were actually dry alfalfa cubes! I didn't realize they would be a problem until 3 of my minis starting coughing immediately! Luckily that's all that happened. Throwing them out. I could soak them, but can't take the chance that other family members might be tempted to give a treat.... It's scary when It looks like they are going to choke! Thanks for the info!

 

[Dragon Hill]

It's awful when the do choke! I've had several horses choke on pelleted feed. Fortunately only one required vet intervention, the rest were mild enough to be resolved with massage. Older horses are more prone because they don't produce as much saliva.