My pony mare, due to foal mid May, has funny swelling in front of her teats. Not hot, not sore but very odd elongated swelling alongside her belly line on both sides. Doesn’t seem like foal pressure edema (she had that last foal). What could this be and when do they typically start to bag up ? Vet worthy concern ?
60 days? Wasn’t that sometime last summer?
I think she means 60 days from foaling?
Could she be getting too much protein? That can cause edema like swelling in front of the udder.
sounds like belly button edema, normal when they’re starting to bag up but 60 days out from foaling is really early
May I ask when was your mare’s last breeding date? Are you sure you are 60 days out? Not being a smart a$$, just wanted to be sure as to what you were using to base her due date on. I have pony mares that foal “early” as compared to horse mares. How many days pregnant is she?
sorry, meant to say 60 days from foaling
She was AI’d June 18, 2012 so baby due this mid May. Ultrasounded positve at 21 days and rechecked negatively for twins 10 days later. She is on a 10% protein sweet feed, gets beet pulp, and mare plus sup 2x daily. I was just thinking about upping her protein in this last stretch but hadn’t yet other than the occasional flake of the TB’s alfalfa. This is a 13.2 welsh cross who has never been thin a day in her life and certainly isn’t now ! My hesitation w upping protein would be increased founder risk, though she is 18 and never has. Tonight when I went out for pm hay and blankets, I spent some time under her with a headlamp and the belly line lumps are diminished but her bag seems fuller. Luckily my vet is coming tom for spring shots so she can check her out.
I have a broodmare due about the same time as yours who is absolutely huge, and has started filling in front of her bag. My vet was here yesterday and looked at her and his comment was “she may go before 340 days”. There is no discharge, she has been checked for twins, and there doesn’t appear to be any problem. I have a maiden who began bagging at six weeks out. She is also huge, checked for twins, etc., and looks like she might go earlier than 340 days. Watch them fool everyone and hang in there to go the distance. 
mine is doing the same thing! and she is due around the same time - may 20th… she has the same type of “swellings” altho her udder hasn’t yet changed…
<yikes!!! i am getting nervous!!! hold my hand!!!)
Both of ours, due early - mid May have the edema in front of the udder, with no udder development as of yet.
Thanks sooo much !
You guys have been very reassuring, thank you so much. Vet visited this morning and said these are edema’s from decreased circulation due to baby’s size and weight. I’m to monitor her for true bag filling and vaginal discharge indicating placentitis - yikes ! We will not up the protein unless she begins to drop weight near the end. She is much bigger, much earlier than last year so hoping that means a big ole “boy” bun in the oven ! Now available for hand - holding, mine and yours all you other “expectant mother’s” !
this may or may not mean a thing–quit scaring the pony mare owner. I have mares that start to bag a bit a couple months out, and even are leaking a month out. Then I have others who show nothing until 24 hours before delivery, then boom, milk city.
just feed her grass hay to keep her weight. If she is fit and healthy, don’t get crazy with the protein. A nice grass/alf mix works just fine for 90% of the mares. Let Mother Nature take over here–she probably knows more than most of us.
