| Author |
Message |
    
Carol Poulin-Taylor
Neonate
Username: Espritec
Post Number: 3
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 07:18 am: | 
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I have a mare that at an early preg check was found to have twins. The vet was unable to pinch one because they were together. At a 30 day preg check one fetus looked healthy with a heart beat and the other showed no heart beat and no bone structure and was assumed dead. Two days ago she started dripping milk. Today she is 299 days pregnant. She's at the vet clinic being monitored. They did an abdominal ultrasound and found the deteriating twin and the live fetus. The heart rate on the live fetus was 76 which at this time I was told should be around 90 so the thinking is that the fetus is in stress. They put the mare on Pentoxyphiline to increase circulation and thus oxygen to the fetus. They also have her on SMZ's incase she has placentitis, there were a couple of areas that there was thickening of the placenta. Of course this started Friday night, but they did pull blood to send off to run a CBC and also to check for Lymes but we won't hear on that until Tuesday. Jos, is there anything else we should be doing? What is the eariest that you've heard of a mare foaling and the foal suviving? |
cathy Cook
Breeding Stock
Username: Razmacat
Post Number: 200
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 08:52 am: |
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Wow good luck. By rule of thumb I use the month out as my marker for premature foals but have seen them survive beyond that. Is your mare also on double Regumate, isoxuprine twice a day, banamine and ventipulmin also twice a day? I have found the addition of those to help too. Another thing I have done when the twins are too close to pinch. I starve my mare. I put her in a stall with fresh clean water, she gets no feed, no hay, just on flake of grass hay a day. Thought behind this is the weak foal will die off, this method has worked for me several times. |
Jos
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 1254
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 12:49 pm: |
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Use of Banamine as a prostaglandin-release inhibitor may be a valuable addition and is normal therapy. Regumate value at this point is questionable, but if used should be discontinued in about 10 days. Isoxuprine has not been shown to be beneficial (it has not been shown to do harm, but is not beneficial) and Clenbuterol (Ventipulmin) will not have any impact in assisting uterine quiescence after about the third dose.
300 days is generally considered to be the earliest that one is likely to have a live foal - there have been some instances of earlier than that, but by 300 days the lung development is greater and therefore there is a better chance. Be aware of course that it is quite possible that you will have a premature foal (note - the terms "premature", "post-mature" and "dysmature" all relate to the neonate condition, not the gestational duration, so you could have a premature foal at 365 days of gestation!), and as such you should have your vet "on deck" for neonatal intensive care. As there is a possibility of uterine pathogenic presence, you would also probably be well advised to treat the foal with a course of antibiotics at birth as well as it will be likely to be a high-risk candidate for neonatal septicaemia.
For future reference, there are techniques for twin reduction after 30 days - intra-cardiac injections and cranio-cervical dislocation. The nutritional deprivation process may work but is not as reliable as the other techniques, and as you now know, you don't want maintained twins! the other alternative if faced with touching twins is to monitor to day 28 and if there is no indication of natural reduction by then, give prostaglandin and start all over again. That is probably the best route to go...
Good luck! |
Lindros
Weanling
Username: Lindros
Post Number: 22
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 05:06 pm: |
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Well, as far as starving the mare goes... We had a mare who had colic surgery a few days after she was bred. Luckily the surgery went well. When the mare came back to the farm and was ultrasounded at 16 days post breeding, not only was she in foal, she actually had twins!! |
Carol Poulin-Taylor
Neonate
Username: Espritec
Post Number: 4
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - 07:46 pm: |
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So my mare isn't dripping milk any more. They did another ultrasound today. The heart beat on the fetus is up from 76 to 80 but still lower than the desired 90. We're now at 301 days pregnancy. She is still on SMZ's, pentoxyphiline and banamine. They will ultrasound her again on Friday. The bloodwork looks normal. So she's hanging in there and I'm checking off the days. |
Carol Poulin-Taylor
Neonate
Username: Espritec
Post Number: 5
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 08:33 am: |
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Unfortunately my mare foaled April 24. The foal was born alive but was premature at only 308 days. Despite excellent care at the vet clinic the foal stopped breathing 26 hours later. Oddly enough there was no sign of a twin but the placenta was very abnormal showing signs of placentitis. |
Dianne Edwards
Breeding Stock
Username: Mamaedwards
Post Number: 343
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 08:47 am: |
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Carol I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Hope your mare is doing okay. She has been through so much already. My thoughts are with you and her as well.
(Message edited by mamaedwards on April 26, 2007) |
Colleen Beck
Breeding Stock
Username: Gypsycreations
Post Number: 169
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 09:33 am: |
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My thoughts and prayers are with you Carol. Its so hard to lose the little ones. I'm so sorry.  |
Jan Owen
Breeding Stock
Username: 1frosty1
Post Number: 252
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 09:59 am: |
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Carol,
I am so sorry for your loss. It is really hard. Hopefully your mare will recover fully and you can look to the future. |
Pita
Weanling
Username: Pita
Post Number: 45
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 12:04 pm: |
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SO sorry for your loss |
Marilyn Lemke
Weanling
Username: Marilyn_l
Post Number: 38
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 01:35 pm: |
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Oh my gosh, that's horrible! I'm so sorry Carol. |
Em Taylor
Weanling
Username: Dressagegurl
Post Number: 24
Registered: 09-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 09:21 pm: |
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I am sorry to hear of your loss.. |
Coetta Buckallew
Neonate
Username: Cody
Post Number: 1
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 08:25 pm: |
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Mare pregnant with twins, one has been pinched on the 27th day after breeding. Vet says that they were smaller than they should be and he thinks they that the mare is absorbing them. Hoping since he pinched one that the other will pick up, he wants us to bring her in in 30 days for another ultrasound. I have always wanted to raise a foal and I have been so excited. But today was sadness, having to pinch one and then not knowing what is going to happen. What does absorbing mean in that sense? Why does this happen? I am trying not to get to excited now, since we don't know what is going to happen. I will take any kind of help. This will be my first foal to raise!
Thanks!}} |
