Foal Watch 2021 - 'Tis the Season!

Glad you’re OK.

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Arielle’s varicose veins continue to be increasingly irritated, I assume by the increased blood flow as she gets close to foaling. The amount of blood she’s losing isn’t at alarming levels, but it for sure woke me up this morning to find three very obvious spots where she’d laid down last night.

Even more dramatically, her vulva has lengthened and swelled tremendously since yesterday.

This photo was taken on March 13th (day 311):

And this one was taken this morning (day 327):

I’d say we’re getting very close, yes? Her udder still isn’t full, and her milk is still thin and not testing at anything noteworthy. But I will for sure we keeping an even closer eye on her now!

Any updates?

Marching steadily towards foaling here. Her udder is close to being full, and she is even looser behind now. Ca still somewhere between 100 and 250 ppm, and ph is around 7.2, with the center of the square trending a bit lighter.

We have a freeze warning tonight and a hard freeze warning tomorrow night, so I really hope she holds on until at least Saturday. I think she will, but you never know.

The bleeding from her varicose veins is also increasing again, notably when she lies down at night. I talked to my vet today, and he wants to see her in a couple of days if it continues/gets worse. :frowning:

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Hoping for the best for you and your mare.

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She is completely over this pregnancy, but, man, her coat looks fantastic! :star_struck:

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Mares always have the most amazing coats the week before and the month after foaling, don’t they? Mine get beautiful dapples and bloom. There is truth to that “motherly glow!”

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Loving all the baby pics. The little red devil is certainly cute and proud of himself, even if he is a pain in the butt.

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DISCLAIMER: Not my horse. Not my barn. I know it’s on shavings. I can’t do anything about it.

Born April 1st. A colt. He sleeps a lot. She’s a good mom.

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Ufff poor gal looks miserable

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Is sleeping a lot normal? Hopefully doesn’t have an umbilical stump infection. Adorable colt. Best wishes

@Gesaffelstein, it’s even more impressive from the front view. Poor little thing!

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Holy hippo horse!!! I love her big feet-sweet girl

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Thank you, @Gesaffelstein! I love her substance, too - she may only be 13.2, but she is not dainty by any means. And she’s an absolute pocket pony; so, so, so sweet.

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What is her breeding, Arab?

Yes, she is an Arabian - Al Marah bred: https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/sas+arielle.

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Not a breeder, irl or on tv. Why is having a foal on shavings bad? Just curious.

Loving everyone’s foals so far! My favorite time of the year.

Two reasons, really. One is that shavings/sawdust stick all over wet newborns, including in their mouths, nostrils, umbilical stump, etc. The other is that wood products tend to harbor certain bacteria that are especially dangerous for young foals. Straw (or hay) is a better/safer choice for foaling due to these factors.

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Oh, gosh, Arielle! We all feel for you, girl!

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Looks like Arielle has finally decided to kick it into gear. After hanging at 100 ppm Ca for weeks, the strip started to look like it was trying to turn a bit yesterday and was at a definite 150 ppm this morning. pH is still high, of course, but I think we’re on our way in the next several days. She’s at 340 days today. :smiley: I’m scheduled to get my second COVID shot on Wednesday morning, so I REALLY hope she goes before then.

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