I found out about a month ago, that the pony mare we bought last fall is pregnant. The vet estimated about 2 months to delivery. I've heard about, read about, and attended a mare care/foaling clinic which talked about the milk test strips (foaling test kits) inwhich a few drops of milk is mixed with distilled water and you look at the color change on the test strip. Suppose to measure the calcium and magnesium in the milk and is suppose to indicate labor within 24 hours and is 98% accurate. The one vet that did the mare care/foaling clinic promoted the use of these test strips. But in speaking with my vet, he strongly cautioned against this method because he said by infrequent milking of the mare even a little, you break down the mucus milk plug and it could lead to infection in the udder (unlike a nursing foal, the milking is frequent). Do you have any thoughts on this? Is it safe or not?
Jos Posted From: 4.156.228.177
Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 09:27 am:
The problem you suggest is seen in cows, but has not been identified as an issue with horses. OTOH, it is extremely important that a person be present when a mare is foaling as if there is a problem, it can bad quickly, whereas that aspect is less critical in cows.
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