Hi Jos. I have a 3 yr old paint mare. She had colic surgery as a 2yr old in March of 1999. This past summer, every month just before her heat cycle started, she would have a bout of mild colic. We treated her with bute and the symptoms would subside within 24 hrs of onset. My question is: Could this mild colic be connected to the heat cycle, as it happened every month just before she went into heat, or is it just a coincidence? As the weather here is now colder, she had no heat cycle in Oct. and Nov., and no signs of the colic, either. We are not sure if this was a "true" mild colic. The mare was in very obvious distress and pain for 12-24 hrs. every month and then would be fine, and show normal "in heat" behavior. I was not planning on breeding this mare until 2002, but if I breed her this next breeding season, will that help to "fix" the problem she is having now? Is there some type of hormone therapy that would help if I wait until her 5th year? I would rather not have another summer like the one I had this year.
Jos
Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2000 - 07:51 pm:
It is possible that this colic is associated with the estrous cycle. Most commonly if there is an associated problem, mares tend to be colicky around the time of ovulation, but from the sounds of the timing in your mare, it seems more likely to be associated with the release of prostaglandin which destroys the Corpus Luteum, which in turn causes a drop in the Progesterone levels and permits the mare to show estrus. As with humans, some mares are less "brave" about discomfort than others - or it might genuinely be more painful!
If this hypothesis is accurate, you can test it by preventing her estrus phase by using either Progesterone or the synthetic Progesterone analogue Altrenogest, which is marketed as "Regumate". These both have to be given daily and the latter drug is very expensive, but the catch is that it is administered orally whereas Progesterone is given by injection, which some people and horses are not comfortable with. There are some other methods of preventing estrus that have a mixed success rate and which is probably easiest to talk to your veterinarian about trying.
In the event that with prevention of estrus the colic clears up, then yes it is likely that she would respond favourably to being pregnant, at least as far as the estrous cycle induced colic is concerned. If she is a mare sensitive to discomfort though, the discomforts associated with pregnancy may also spark off a colic response!
If I choose to give her progesterone or regumate, will this cause problems getting her successfully bred once the treatment is discontinued?
Jos
Posted on Friday, December 08, 2000 - 04:30 pm:
Progesterone is a naturally occuring hormone and Regumate is similar in it's action. Research has shown there will be no lasting effect - except on your bank balance if you're using Regumate!! J
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