| Author |
Message |
    
Stormy Rood
Yearling
Username: Stormyrood
Post Number: 75
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 07:10 pm: | 
|
I have spent most of the afternoon calling local vets about my 375 day pregnant maiden mare. I am getting so many different responses. Half say they have NEVER seen a horse go this many days so she's probably not pregnant, which I KNOW she is, or I'm probably going to lose her or the foal or both. Then I finally reached one who had experienced a longer gestation of 380 days. This vet said she should be fine so long as she's eating, drinking and then expelling the contents (peeing/pooping) She said she would not recommend inducing, which I didn't want her to do anyway! She said just watch Missy closely and see how it goes. I am going to try to get a vet out to take a look at her between now and Wednesday. Until then, can you please help to ease my mind a bit?? Are the vets I talked to just idiots? I found your "overdue" article to be helpful but now I'm just plain scared! |
Jos
Board Administrator
Username: Jos
Post Number: 10604
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Monday, April 24, 2006 - 10:11 pm: |
|
If you look on the front page of this site, you will see an article about two mares from Australia that this last foaling season had pregnancies of 445 days with healthy foals.
I personally am acquainted with pregnancies that went well into the 400's with no problems - we just had one foal at over 375 days yesterday.
As long as there is not a possibility of endophyte toxicity (fescue etc.), and the mare is happy and appears healthy, it would be extremely unlikely that there is a problem.
Need I say more? 
Afterthought - you may be surprised at how small the foal is at birth when s/he finally arrives - it is common for prolonged pregnancies to result in small foals - let us know!
(Message edited by Jos on April 24, 2006) |
Stormy Rood
Yearling
Username: Stormyrood
Post Number: 78
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 12:14 am: |
|
Thank you Jos! Maybe now I can get some sleep tonight. I know I have not fed fescue hay. She is in the pasture but I don't think we have fescue here (Northern CA). There wasn't any grass to speak of until recently, after all the rain we've had over the past few months. As far as the foal goes, besides being "small" do they usually have health problems due to the longer gestation? I will keep you updated. BTW- I am sure she's pregnant, but all of those "vets" have me second guessing myself even...so until the vet comes on Wednesday, is there any way I can tell for sure? I have lots of pics posted on "369 days" Everyone says she's smaller than their mares but she is a maiden...thanks |
Megan A Brown
Weanling
Username: Fabmeg
Post Number: 32
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 02:19 am: |
|
This won't help unless she's not pregers and comming into heat but if you have a stud around tease her up a little. My maiden mare looked really pregnant in december so we didn't have her rechecked then with about a month to go, she started showing to the stud, needless to say she sliped sometime when we weren't looking, and had just got chucky on extra rations. I think your mare shows the asymtry you usually see in a pregnant mare, but this would give you somthing to do untill Wednesday. Sorry I'm not more helpful, good luck with your mare. |
Jan Owen
Nursing Foal
Username: 1frosty1
Post Number: 20
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 09:22 am: |
|
Stormy,
3 years ago my maiden mare went 377 days before she delivered a healthy SMALL stud colt. He was so tiny! But healthy! He is now gelded, under saddle and a dream. Hang in there. I drove my vet crazy with phone calls and visits and he just patiently assured me. We were absolutely certain with our breed dates since she only had two "dates" with the stud two days apart. This year a friends horse went 381 days. Hang in there! and good wishes. |
Jos
Board Administrator
Username: Jos
Post Number: 10606
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 01:04 pm: |
|
Be aware of the fact that fescue is found in every State in the US, and that once dried, endophyte-infected fescue hay is more toxic than grass.
There goes your sleep pattern again!  |
Stormy Rood
Yearling
Username: Stormyrood
Post Number: 81
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 - 01:40 pm: |
|
Thanks to everyone for your responses! Jos, the grass in the pasture hasn't dried out (I don't know if there's any fescue in there or not since I don't know what it looks like...)and I have never fed fescue hay so I am hoping we're ok on that standpoint! I actually did sleep well last night. The sleeping pill helped a little, especially since my mare doesn't live with me! I'm hanging in there. My husband's great advice to call a bunch of vets and talk to them just made things worse so I guess I'll just blame it on him {hehe}  |
Stormy Rood
Breeding Stock
Username: Stormyrood
Post Number: 375
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, June 08, 2006 - 04:35 pm: |
|
Hey Jos,
Do you know of anywhere I can find in depth information on prolonged gestation? I have read your overdue article and the front page listing of the forum on the record breakers but finding more info than that has been difficult to say the least! What I am mostly curious with are what these mares looked like before they delivered, did they take longer (and exactly at what stage or day)to show the signs of udder development, vulva lengthening, and relaxing of the ligaments around the tail head....
From what I understand of prolonged gestation (without the presence of fescue) is that there is a delayed period of development in utero. I'm not sure if I'm right on this but wouldn't that mean that the mares who endure prolonged gestation take longer than average to progress? I am so confused these days that I don't think I even worded that right but in example, a mare at say 400+ days of gestation may not show the same signs as a mare at 340 days who is experiencing a normal gestation...if that makes any sense to you at all? Wouldn't the overdue mare be taking longer in order to make up for the time progression paused or stopped earlier in the pregnancy, therefore explaining why she has had such a prolonged gestation? I know in my mind what questions I want to ask but don't know how to get them here in writing...sorry  |
Beth Nesbitt
Neonate
Username: Ponygirl
Post Number: 4
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 09, 2006 - 11:09 am: |
|
Stormy,
I have a friend whose TB maiden mare foaled at around 400 days. She was huge from 340 days but never a big bag. The foal was a good sized filly.
No one was there for the birth and the foal did not get to nurse on time and had to have the antibody IV. But both mare and filly are fine now. I don't know if that info helps any. |
Jos
Board Administrator
Username: Jos
Post Number: 10758
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Friday, June 09, 2006 - 11:22 am: |
|
I don't really know of anywhere that it's catalogued in research. Probably the best thing is to either search on Google or contact your local veterinary teaching university, as they have access to lots of research articles. |
Stormy Rood
Breeding Stock
Username: Stormyrood
Post Number: 383
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 09, 2006 - 01:45 pm: |
|
Thanks. Google hasn't been much help but maybe I'm just not looking in the right spot. I never thought about the teaching unviersity. That is a good idea though! 
Hey Jos, what is the longest gestation you have seen personally? |
Jos
Board Administrator
Username: Jos
Post Number: 10759
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Saturday, June 10, 2006 - 08:26 pm: |
|
415 days |
Gynna Meiller
Breeding Stock
Username: Jw_kings_excalibur
Post Number: 141
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 10, 2006 - 10:10 pm: |
|
I think what they are refuring to is that the mare may have been prego longer but the foal was slower to develope in utero( its the foal that dictates the onset of stage one delivery) and that many of these long term mares have had smaller foals..not larger ones.
I personaly think that in many cases it may be a show or competitive mare that has slowed fetal developement do to working stress levels. But thats just my opinion.. I would go NUTSY cOoKoO waiting that long..
I had been told that an older broodmare will go longer as well and most maidens go early..we thought so ..until this year. Our 15 yr old broodmare( was her 8th foal, all live healthy foals by the way) foaled a COLT( they say they come later as well)At 336 days, that she needed help with as he was so wide in the hips..He was over 120lb at birth!! My 350 hubby could barley get him up on his long and I must add restriced rear tendons on his pasturns! This was out of our 14.3 stallion and 15 mare..seems all FOUR of his colts out of brood mares this year came early and the maiden foaled her colt( yeppers..all boys..all born on consecutive sundays!!!!) two weeks later then her 340 due date..
Our mare has usualy gone 350 to 356 days gestation with three different stallions.( yah I keep track folks)so this one threw us for a loop.
Even stranger was the fact that this mare has ALWAYS foaled in a pasture( hates being stalled) without attendance or assistance and between 2 and 5 am..this time..she let me know that I was NOT leaving at 5pm like I would normaly do( we have a special enclosure for foaling mares) and bout broke out the gate when I walked out our main gate to let someone in..thats when I knew something was up..She seemed to know she was going to need some help...
(Message edited by Jw_kings_excalibur on June 10, 2006) |
Heather Kutyba
Breeding Stock
Username: Heatherck11
Post Number: 249
Registered: 01-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 12:54 am: |
|
I would probably be requiring medication if one of my mares went that long. I'd never last..........I was rather spoiled this year, since my mare went 327 days, delivering a 125 lb. colt. It will be interesting to see if she does the same next year...and I REALLY hope she does! |
Peggie M
Yearling
Username: Peggie_m
Post Number: 57
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, June 15, 2006 - 04:27 pm: |
|
Jos - Just a question about weaning:
Our colt is 11 weeks and mom is 17 years. Both are doing very, very well... . We plan to have the colt gelded at about 5 - 6 months (testicles have dropped). He and mom are sharing morning and night grain so we are going to start creep feeding. My question is this: If we are not planning to re-breed mom and we are already doing some groundwork with the colt, is it necessary to put them through the stress of weaning? Will mom do this herself, naturally? What are the reasons for "forcing" the weaning process. (I've just really been putting some thought into it) and I'm wondering why we do it if we are not re-breeding or needing to ride/show/work either mom or babe? Thanks Jos. |
Jos
Board Administrator
Username: Jos
Post Number: 10794
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Thursday, June 15, 2006 - 09:01 pm: |
|
Some mares will not wean the foal, and it will be still nursing 12 months from now... while the mare is looking like a hatrack as you cannot get enough feed into her to maintain her weight... 
There is no "standard" rule. It's a case-by-case basis. |
Megan A Brown
Breeding Stock
Username: Fabmeg
Post Number: 156
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 16, 2006 - 07:17 pm: |
|
In my experience it is also better for the colt. My aunt and uncle had two colts out of full sisters by the same stallion. The filly’s mother died and they raised the baby on a bucket of milk replacer in a creep feeder. The other colt and his mama lived in the same pen as the orphan filly so he had the same access to the creep feed and milk bucket as she did. They let the mare "naturally" wean her colt and he was nursing up until eight moths old. The mare is a fatty in general, but after 8 months she was looking a little on the thin side. Now as three year olds the filly outweighs the colt by at least 150lbs and his yearling full brother that we weaned at five months is less than a hand shorter than him. |
lynn Westmont
Neonate
Username: Giddyupcaballo
Post Number: 6
Registered: 06-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, June 17, 2006 - 04:18 pm: |
|
I Have a question for jos! If my mare lost the baby as I was told when they did the palp. The vet said her uterus was soft and sponge like.Why is she so sensitive on the right side. She tries to kick me when I touch her there. This is the area that We felt movement before. She would be at 367 today and a maiden mare. She still looks pregnant, but it could be out of shape. She does breath heavy which I guess could also be from the weight. I am just concerned about the protection of the right bank flank. |
Jos
Board Administrator
Username: Jos
Post Number: 10798
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Sunday, June 18, 2006 - 10:46 am: |
|
She might just not like you poking her... Sensitivity is not commonly associated with positive identification for pregnancy status.
Have your vet check your mare again by rectal palpation/ultrasound to find out for sure. |
Kim k
Breeding Stock
Username: Kimk
Post Number: 644
Registered: 04-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, June 18, 2006 - 08:49 pm: |
|
Peggie,
I want to tell you that over the many years of breeding we find it much easier to wean at a later point in time(as long as mom and baby contiune to do fine). We have shown with baby in tow, camped with baby in tow. It seems as long as we teach the mares to accept the seperation situation with showing, riding, things like that, that most babies and moms do just fine. The babys still have their safty blankets --mom , yet get to grow and explore, learn herd manners(some good, some bad !)and experience life at the side of mom. Mom can teach the baby alot about being a horse, and hopefully a good horse.
Good luck
Kim |
Kristen
Neonate
Username: Sgtrebelk
Post Number: 8
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 07:57 am: |
|
Hi jos, I have a question for you. I just took my horse to the Vets to get her checked so that I could breed her this year ( last year she lost the foal Reaborbed but went threw everything a pregnant mare would) The aultra sound was good showing she is ready to breed. The vet also did a colcher on her becouse of last time and her assistant called me yesterday and said the results were in and that she has Acinetobacter. We are going in monday morning to get her cleaned out and they will put an antibotic up inside her. I know we will loose this onemonday ( we have been breeding her this past week) My question to you is have you ever heard of this Acinetobacter befor? I have been looking it up on the internet and it shows lot of people getting it threw hospitals but i can't find alot of horses getting it. And how they get it. Alot of what I have read shows it as a Bio chemical agent in wars??Any information you could give he would realy be helpful for me.. Thank you |
