Maiden mare expressing liquid from teats

[going_gray]

Hi, all. I’m hoping to glean some knowledge from those who have mares. Last week (Wed. morning) DH had my 20 year old maiden mare on the crossties in our barn at home. While grooming her, he noticed a small amount of liquid dripping from both of her teats.

After putting her out to pasture, he came in and told me about it. I asked him about the color and he said that the liquid was fairly clear, with no pinkish or reddish tint to it at all.

That evening I brought our horses in for the night and then took a good look at the mare. There was no swelling, no heat. I could express some liquid from her and her teats were not sensitive to the touch. She’s eating fine. This week we have not noticed anything at all. (I did send my vet a question on this but he has not gotten back to me.)

I do what I always do and that is to go to the Internet. I found that this can occur during a mare’s estrus and that it is not serious. But should I be worried? Get my vet involved?

Thanks for any thoughts you all may have. It was very weird. (I’ve not seen this question come up before on CoTH.)

[dudders]

I came to search for this exact issue. My 25-year-old maiden pony started lactating significantly last week. Vet drew blood to test for Cushing’s. Results still pending but went ahead and started on pergolide. I’m expressing her minimally once a day to relieve pressure but feel bad as she’s clearly uncomfortable and I’m worried about mastitis and/or colic.

I never would thought Cushing’s for her as she is lovely and shiny and dappled, but cresty and a bit potbellied, despite drylot and ration balancer management.

[going_gray]

Thanks, Dudders, for your post. I hope treatment will help your mare. I wouldn’t have thought that Cushings would be her problem either.

My mare is a big girl, half draft, and has had a cresty neck her whole life. (We’ve had her since she was a baby.) She does not have a bag at all and is not dripping this week or last week at all. I’m waiting for my vet to send me a return text with his thoughts.

Please post again and and let me know if your mare’s blood work tells you it’s Cushings. I will also think about getting blood work done to check for Cushings.

[BravAddict]

I always post when this comes up, which it often does. My elderly mare’s teats get swollen and then leak when she has any fluid pooling on her belly (ventral edema). There is something about her circulatory system that causes the edema, and then the fluid just follows gravity and the path of least resistance. I’ve gotten varying advice: strip it if she’s uncomfortable, or leave it for her body to reclaim eventually. Her tissue, including her teats, has stretched from previous instances. She doesn’t usually get to the pitting stage, but she’s a TB so I assume her heart and circulatory system are not ordinary. She tends to get edema during warmer weather, when she’s confined, and/or when she’s being harassed by flies.

[SonicWithNoRings]

My friend’s older mare (19-year-old) had the same problem. If there is no blood, swelling, and pain mastitis will not be the case. Cussing’s on the other hand is very common in older mares, and that was a final diagnosis. In this case, mares produce hormones that cause milk production. The appearance of the milk in these mares can range from clear to white to honey-colored. did you notice an increase in water intake?

[Cat_Tap]

I was told by a vet that new rich spring grass can cause this.