Will my 'pregnant' mare leak at only 5 months in?

Question

My 6 year old mare is due to have her first foal, hopefully, in June. I'm not quite sure she is pregnant, but she was with a jack for about a month and I'm pretty sure she is. A few days after her first court she leaked a yellowish, gooey stuff from her milk bag. It's almost like tree sap, but only comes out when I clean her down there and I pull on them. I'm wondering if this is normal, and could be a sign she is pregnant. Tests are out of the question, I don't have the money for them. She has become noticably bigger the last few months, but I'm just worried/wondering about the leakage.

Answer 1

Probably is pregnant. Mares do sometimes leak, but it is a white/yellow liquid. One of my mares started dripping with any pressure with all of her pregnancies at about 10 months. 5 months is pretty early.
The fact that it is yellow and gooey concerns me. That sounds like pus from an infection. Does it have the consistency like pus from a zit? Is that area noticable warmer? Is there any hard bumps on the milk bag near the teat? If the infection is in the milk duct, you might not be able to see it.
If she does keep this infection until the baby is born (and doesn't get sick) the baby will most likely not be healthy because the milk it is drinking will be infected.
If you are not going to see a vet (which if you dont have money, you shouldn't be owning a horse) you will need something to help bring that infection out, IF it is possible. Wash the area 2x a day with warm soap and water- keep it very clean. You need something to pull the infection out. A betadine solution may work, or we have had success with a paste of bread and warm milk on the area. Apply whatever twice a day. Keep trying to squeeze out the pus. I have never heard of an infected milk bag, but I am sure it is possible.
I strongly urge you to go to, or at least call a vet (phone calls are free!). Depending on where the infection is, she may need antibiotics. They may need to insert a drainage tube if the infection is very deep. If the infection gets into her blood stream, she will go septic (Septicemia) which usually means death. If caught early enough, a septic horse can pull out of it with thousands of dollars of surgery and treatment. Any bills now will be less than in this senario.

Please at least call the vet and get their opinion. They may be able to tell you something different, but it sounds like pus (and thus and infection) to me.

Answer 2

i think of the two your vet isn't stable at reproductive artwork, or you probably did no longer understand her in any respect. Endometrial cups are long exceeded by using greater or less one hundred forty days. in case your mare is 8 months or greater pregnant, she won't have them anymore. The vet ought to be waiting to be a hundred% specific no rely if she is in foal or no longer if she's over approximately 21 days alongside, is she has scanned the mare. Are there any yearling colts around? many human beings do no longer are conscious of it is not uncommon for terribly youthful stallions of a year or so old to cover a mare. i'm unsure what you mean by using "she has dropped". i'm assuming you mean her abdomen is initiating to hold down? that can ensue whilst a horse is purely fat. whether she's showing, she ought to be months away. i think of you could desire to ring the vet, and ask her to describe issues slightly greater needless to say to you, so which you recognize what's happening. Mares will often foal 11 to a minimum of 365 days after the breeding date, 11 months 10 days being the conventional. until now than 11 months is untimely, and later than 365 days is getting dangerously previous due.

Answer 3

A mares teats will swell and leak a bit before plugging up as they get closer to birth, but 5 months is very early to see hat happing. And it certainly would not be yellow and gooey. That sounds more like an infection and that will need to be checked by a vet. If the teat is warm, or only one teat is swollen, then an infection is more likely. This is something that needs to be checked, especially if the mare might be pregnant.

You really need to get a vet involved. I know you mentioned that money is an issue, but this is your horse's health. As her owner, you need to make sure that she gets medical care if needed, and if you think she's pregnant, then having a vet check her to make sure that she's healthy is a no-brainer. This is your reponsibility.