| Author |
Message |
    
Lisa Z
Nursing Foal
Username: Megagain
Post Number: 12
Registered: 06-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 10:59 pm: | 
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How hard is it for a novice to detect the fetal heartbeat at around eight months?
I had my older (23-year) mare bred last September on a hope and a prayer, but at 17 days the "egg" in the ultrasound turned out to be a cyst... no change in size. But in the last few weeks, her stomach seems to have dropped a bit. Hay belly from new grass? Or a renegade foal?
I hate to call the vet to diagnose a haybelly! So I am wondering where I should try listening for a heart beat and if it is normally easy to find. |
Donna Harris
Weanling
Username: Matdonna
Post Number: 37
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 11:17 pm: |
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i'm new to all this but they were talking about this on another thread and they said it is hard to find because the gut sounds are so loud...hope this helps |
Marci Nadler
Neonate
Username: Shadowsfire
Post Number: 4
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 01:02 am: |
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I know its one thing to call himout if there might be a foal but it would be most embarrissing to call them out for a stinking hay belly.
i would be interested in hearing about this too. Hmm maybe I will do a search and see if I can find anything...
Well I found this...
And to dispell another myth, you CANNOT listen with a stethoscope and hear a fetal heartbeat. Only way to detect fetal heartbeat without using an ultrasound is a highly sensitive EKG (electrocardiogram) in a quiet mare. The EKG will often times display both the mare's and the foal's heart tracings.
Here's a great link: http://equineestates.com/development.html
(Message edited by shadowsfire on May 18, 2006) |
Lisa Z
Nursing Foal
Username: Megagain
Post Number: 13
Registered: 06-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 10:11 am: |
|
Thanks so much Marci! And Aw Shucks! I know when I bought the mare last summer, we had her vet checked in foal and when I had asked how the heartbeat was I recall now that he said you really cannot check that. So I guess the only option is by palpation at this point.
There is such a LOOOONG shot that she could be bred after one breeding and two ultrasound checks that I have to attribute it to a rich diet. But just to be sure, I measured her belly last night and will do it again in a few weeks. I wonder how much a hay belly can grow in a month? ;-) |
