Using Regumate on a possibly pregnant mare

Kari · Dec 8, 2008

Hello,

I have a maiden mare who's having some breeding problems (A tight cervix and irregular heats). She let the stallion hand breed her ONCE, while I was at AMHA Worlds (end of Sept/beginning of Oct). I have her under lights 16 hours a day now, and plan to send her back to the same stallion at the end of Feb. The vet working with us advised putting the mare on Regumate 10 days before I take her there. But... on the chance she took that one time, would Regumate hurt the fetus???

Thanks,

Kari

mizbeth · Dec 8, 2008

I think you need to ask the Vet more specific details on this one. I have also been instructed to wean them on to it and well as wean them off of it. Starting with small dose, building up to full dose and the reverse bringing them off of it. I cannot remember how many days in each direction tho.

Good luck,

Beth

Riverdance · Dec 8, 2008

I have a mare on Regumate. She is 20 this year and to play it safe, once she was US in foal I put her on it. She gets 4ccs 1x a day. When she was 18 I had her on it too for the foal she was carrying then.

I have never weaned her on it or off it. Just one day she started the 4ccs. then when she was ready to foal, took her off of it. Some say that taking her off of it will make her start to foal, so they can pinpoint when their mares will foal. At 18 she had a beautiful chestnut pinto colt, no problems. Now I am hoping for a dilute foal, preferable filly,

as I bought her as an 18 year old with the gamble I would get some foals by her and my stallion Windchaser.

The vet has you giving it to her before she is bred to get her to cycle properly and drop an egg. I do not think that regumate would hurt the fetus. But, if you are concerned that she may be pregnant, have her US or blood tested first before you waste your time taking her over.

Miniv · Dec 8, 2008

Definitely get her preg checked before you put her on it for the Feb. breeding............

Nathan Luszcz · Dec 8, 2008

Regumate is a synthetic progesterone, which is the "hormone of pregnancy"... the 10 day protocol is used by some vets to help "jump" the mare into spring transition by stopping all folicular activity (by making her think she's pregnant) then stopping it, hopefully causing her to START folicular activity, start cycling, and ovulate. Adding regumate to a pregnant mare's diet will do nothing more than reinforce her thoughts of pregnancy.

Kari · Dec 9, 2008

Ok, thanks for the info folks. I'll talk with the vet some more, too.

I really don't think she took, but on the chance she did, I don't want to make her abort or anything!

Kari

HGFarm · Dec 9, 2008

I dont believe that having her on regumate while she is pg. will make her abort, nor taking her off, if her own hormone system is working correctly. I too, would follow your vet's advise and probe there with further questions. They can give you more in depth how it works, etc.. and why. I had to use it on a mare once many years ago, and the vet just said to take her off a couple of weeks prior to foaling..... she foaled about a month later!