what is your experience

[Westwood Farms]

I have had mares that get pinched nerves when they get close to foaling. They hobble around, and generally speaking, they clear up as soon as they foal. they have since gone on to have more lovely foals.

I have a mare now, that foaled a week ago, and got that pinched nerve. he hobbled around for about 2 weeks before foaling. She is still hobbling around, with the rounded backand its been right at a week. . This is her second foal, and had no trouble having the filly. How long does it generally take for them to get better in your experience? She is a great mom, but I am considering petting her out. What do you think? SHe was an exensive mare, and hate to loose her, but, I hate to see her in pain. She is getting small amounts of banamine to make her comfortable, but not to give her ulcers. Vet says wait and see...

thanks ahead of time!!

 

[JWC sr.]

I agree with your Vet., we have had them take as long as 6 weeks. Our Vet prescribed limited exercize as in keeping her is a foaling stall and banamine for the pain and as a muscle relaxer.

Good Luck,

 

[h2t99]

We had a QH mare get a pinched nerve, 3rd foal and she was hugh!! We thought this baby must be really big, well it was the smallest baby she ever had!!

but she did continue to have problems with the nerve for about 6 weeks. She had 2 more foals and never showed any problems with the nerve!! So I would not say pet her out, if she has problems again then I would consider it. Our vet told us the it was just the way the foal was laying!! Good Luck!!

Heidi

 

[Westwood Farms]

thanks Heidi and John. I just hate to see her in such pain. Poor gal.

 

[pepperhill]

I had a mare do the same thing. She couldn't even get up for 24 hours. Then she only got up when she absolutely had to. Unbelievably, she lifted her leg while laying down to let the foal nurse. Vet said he had never seen anything like it!

She recovered in about 4 weeks and went on to have many, many more foals for us, without ever having the problem again. Don't pet her out just yet!

 

[Lisa Strass]

I'm experiencing this for the first time with one of my mares this year. She started hobbling around about 4 weeks ago. Then she foaled on Sunday, and I'm hoping she gets to feeling better soon.

Her belly was HUGE before foaling, but the foal was average size.

 

[Westwood Farms]

Well, hopefully she feels better soon. Lisa, good luck with yours, and thanks pepperhill, I appreciate you sharing your experience, too

 

[iowa]

We had a mare last year that had a pinched nerve when the foal was too big and the vet really pulled on it. She even used a calf puller, which I didn't think you were supposed to do with a mare. The foal was dead and when the mare tried to stand, her legs splayed out so bably in the back she could barely walk. The vet said to keep the back legs together with hobbles or something to keep them from spreading. We did this for over a month and she finally started to come out of it. It took an awfully long time for her to walk a straight line in the back, but seems to be O.K. now. We did not breed her back and I am afraid too, but it sounds (and the vet also said) that future pregnancies would probably not be affected. Hope that it true. Our stallion was only 29 inches and the mare about 31 so I don't know why the foal was so big. We had a great deal of trouble around here with big foals, early foals, backward foalsl, etc. last year at more than one farm. Never could figure out what was the problem.

Good luck with your mare.