horse pregnancy (continued)?

Question

a horse we have just bought is pregnant. Today she started lactating. does this mean she is due soon? We haven't had a scan done yet. its booked for friday next week, but could that be too late?

i also saw her lift her tail a couple of times this evening. and the foal was very active around mid day

Answer 1

A mare who is forming an udder is not an indication of foaling. Also simple movement of the foal will cause the mare to raise her tail. When foaling is getting closer the mare can show signs of colic and should be fed several times a day not just your typical 2 to 3 times a day. Typically if a mare is going to foal w/in the next 24 or 48 hrs the udder at the tips will be waxed, mare might go off feed, pacing, pawing, reluctant to lay down, nipping at side, the croup area is soft and relaxed, the vulva is long and the tail moves away easily when manipulated. At times there is a bloody show which is the plug that seals the cervix and once they start to dilate the plug lets go. Also the udder at times will drip milk which is a real good sign. Monitoring her temp. at the same time every day and when a temp. drops is a sign of close foaling. Has her belly dropped and drifted back? Its not just one or two of these signs that indicated but a series of these signs. Keep a close eye on the manure....small amts and frequent is common right before delivery. Milking the udder and seeing the type of fluid is a good indication as well though once a mare reaches a certain stage in milk production it can change to the next stage w/in minutes. If you really feel this mare is in foal then you need to prepare and get a book and a vet to advise you properly. Get ready for sleepless nights and be well aware of time spans for differant stages w/the foaling...placenta dropping...and foal behavior. Dont get caught unprepared.

Answer 2

I had run into the same thing. I bought a mare that was pregnant, and they told me that she was not due for 2 months. Ha yeah right. I bought her on a tuesday, and she foaled on that saturday. She started lactating on thursday, and her teats were not that waxy. She also lifted her tail when she was having false contractions, on thursday night. Just remember, she might hold her foal in until she wants to let him go. I would call your vet and have her scanned tomarrow or if they cant, look for other vets.

Also, from first hand experience, don't get nervous when she starts to foal. She knows what she is doing. So when it takes a while for her to push 'em out, she is taking her time and leave her be so she can be a momma.

Best of LUCK!

Answer 3

A mare can begin to get a bag (udder) 2-4 weeks before foaling. If she's that close to foaling, I don't see the point of doing a scan. That's usually done early to confirm pregnancy. Watch for her teats to "wax". This is a waxy deposit on the tips of the teats just a day or two before foaling. She will also become mushy feeling around her tail head and the muscles of the croup on each side of the tail will look sunk in a bit those last couple of days. This is her body's way of loosening things up to be ready for the passage of the foal. There is a milk test that will accurately predict foaling within 24 hours. Ask your vet about it. Good luck and happy foaling!

Answer 4

Signs of labor are waxing over the teats, soft on the back of the hips on the group area, horse can be sweating and starting to look for a nice area to lay down in. (Breed and watch my mare foal).

However, my mare didn't show these signs right away. Mostly at last minute, some mares can be "selective" about it.

I would call your vet up and schedule to fit your horse in with in the next day or so.

You should of been told by the previous owner when this mare was breed and had the owner schedule ultrasound prior to buying.

Answer 5

If milk is actually coming out of the teats call the vet a.s.a.p, this is not meant to happen, if you can't tell the difference between waxing(normal, yellowish substance on teats) and actual lactating, call the vet... and push up her scan to tomorrow if you can...her health isn't worth the risk of waiting...
ttfn ;o)

the fact you bought her while pregnant worries me, she really shouldnt of been transported, any undue stress she's put under could have caused her or the foal harm her previous owner is a complete tool!

Answer 6

The horse we had foaled 2 days after it started weaxing so, yes get the vet out.

Answer 7

first off....why the hell are you having a foal if you can't answer these questions yourself?? don't you know that over-population of horses is a very serious issue in the US?? I am so sick of "back-yard breeders" who continue to let their "run of the mill" horses reproduce and then send em off to auction when they can afford them anymore.....and then they most likely go to slaughter.

ok sorry for the vent, but it is a VERY serious matter!!! Sings of soon foaling are wax over the teats, wxing is like a hard yellowish-whiteish residue on the outside of the mares teats, a "Ved" belly which means the foal and turned around and gotten into position and looks like the mare's stomach is sunken down and not really showing from the sides, excesive sweating especially around the flank area, uncomfortableniss....i mean the list goes on and on.....

Answer 8

When you see wax or milk dripping, she will foal within 24 hours. The baby gets extremely active while settling down in the birth canal. Watch her closely but don't let her see you. They do like this to be private.

Answer 9

There are breeders manuals available, you should have learned all of this sooner. Your mare sounds like she is about to foal. I hope you know what to do and when to call the vet.
Please phone your vet and ask for advice.

Answer 10

All of my broodmares are additionally making use of mares. they are ridden and run (barrel racing) in the previous being pregnant, for the time of preganancy and after foaling. the significant being that they are saved in an identical actual shape all in the time of the preganancy. The final month in the previous foaling we pass into opposite to driving bareback at a walk/trot 3-4 cases a week. No driving whilst foaling is iminent, and no driving for a week after foaling. Then 3-4 weeks of walk/trot and legging up and by making use of the time the foal is 4-6 weeks old, we are on the line returned. All of my mares have elementary, effectual deliveries. The vets characteristic this to their precise actual concern. besides the fact that, i do no longer take an out of shape pastured broodmare and start up driving her stressful. If we mandatory to apply one, we'd slowly leg her up and convey her into shape, yet she might by no skill get used on an identical point because of the fact people who run.