Maiden mare milk test--is something wrong? UPDATE: He's HERE!

[Chestnut_Run]

So, I have a call in to the vets, waiting for them to call me back. In the meantime, can someone reassure me?

Details: Maiden mare, normal pregnancy so far, but now at day 358. Edema for the past few days on bottom of belly and chest. (We’ve had several mares do that, and vet said not to worry about it, some mares just do that late in the pregnancy).

I’ve been milk testing her since there was anything to test, so 10 days now.

Milk test results
Day 1 Ca 200 pH8
Day 2 Ca 250 pH7.4
Day 3 Ca 250 pH7.2
Day 4 Ca 250 pH7
Day 5 Ca 250+ pH7
Day 6 Ca 250+ pH7
Day 7 Ca 250+ pH7
Day 8 Ca 300 pH7
Day 9 Ca 300 pH7
Day 10 (today) Ca 500 pH7.8

So her Calcium says “woohoo, soon” but her pH went UP? And of course, I ran out and got another sample, enough to run 3 more tests: one with the normal distilled water, plus one with tap water and one with spring water. All ran 500 calcium, distilled and spring water ran 7.8 pH and tap was 8.4 pH (but the natural pH of our tap water is higher).

So should I be worried something is wrong? Everything else seems normal. Milk went through a clear, to yellow, to greyish clearish, to now white milky. She’s been under constant supervision since she started to bag up 10 days ago.

Thanks!
Sheila

(she’s my favorite mare, so I may just be being overly cautious, but…)

Editing to add–vet called back, said relax. She’s not ever seen the pH go up like that, but said maidens are really odd sometimes, and as long as all else seems fine, just watch her, that with 500 calcium, she should go soon.

[Jim_R]

I’m glad your vet got back to you.
I was overwhelmed reading all those numbers, but you explained it with , favorite mare maybe being over cautious .
Watch her to close and she will hold on to that baby as long as she can.
Good luck

[Chestnut_Run]

LOL Didn’t mean to overwhelm with the numbers. I keep track of Calcium levels and pH levels with milk testing. Just hadn’t heard of the pH levels going back UP after having started going DOWN.

I did go out and buy a wireless foaling camera today though. I’m tired since I’m the only one doing foal watch, and since this one apparently needs more “cooking” time, I felt it had reached the level of “must have” instead of “would be nice to have”.

[Jim_R]

Started out with old VHS cameras and wires running to the house.They didn’t have those nice little cameras back then. They had microphones on them and would wake from the water breaking sometimes. Learned to sleep with one eye open. Getting a foal monitor system sure made sleeping a lot better. We used the surcingle type, a few false alarms and once had a baby with no alarm but it sure did a good job for us.

[camohn]

^^LOL this is what I have! It broke this year, so finished up the year the old fashioned way…in person. I have tried wireless ones but with a stone bank barn a lot of em didn’t work…at least not years go when I got this one and wireless ones were a newish thing…don’t stress out over the milk test…

[cherham]

Funny we just literally installed our old VHS camera in our foaling stall yesterday. With the cable hooked to the house across the back lawn. The audio is sooooo much better then the new wireless camera’s and we can position the old camera with a much wider view of the entire stall. I think these are the best systems on the market for foal watch. FYI I don’t put much faith in the milk testing kits…they were way off last time I used them. Mares can be so unpredictable

[Laurierace]

I don’t know how you collect your samples but I always took a squirt out of each side as I found alternating sides gave differing results.

[Chestnut_Run]

Thank you all for replying.

Laurie, I usually let the first drop or squirt or two (depending on how much milk the mare actually has) go to the ground, and then put the next however many drops or squirts into the cup. Then repeat on the other teat.

Still no baby, and now day 362. I talked to the repro specialist at our vet’s today, and he said as long as she is acting normal, milk is coming in, and so on, he doesn’t worry until they hit 370 days. Especially if we had a hard winter. So, since she’s doing fine other than being grumpy we are just hanging out.

I will say, I LOVE having the camera. I wish I had gotten one last year. I just got a Swann wireless from Walmart for $199. Our barn is almost 300 feet away from the house. I get perfect reception in most of my house, and decent reception in my bedroom, which is on the side of the house farthest from the barn. It’s absolute joy to have the alarm set for once an hour, I just roll over, look at the monitor, and go back to sleep. I turn the sound up too, so I can hear if anything is going on too.

Sheila

[Chestnut_Run]

Well she finally foaled early this morning–1 year and 1 day gestation. Poor baby definitely needed the extra time “in the oven”. He’s tiny and bony, and a little on the weak side, but otherwise healthy. Mom had a few issues, and we had to have the vet out afterwards, but is doing fine now too.

If anyone wants to see, here’s pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/sheila.zeltt/media_set?set=a.10152833687400922.1073741879.576450921&type=3&uploaded=25

And in regards to her milk testing, her calcium steadily crept up, her pH bounced around up and down between 7.8 and 6.8, and then two days out dropped to 6.2 and on the second day at 6.2, foaled.

[Didi]

CR - He is precious!!! I love the names you chose, as well. I vote you keep them! Jingles for Sis and Marley!!!

[cherham]

Just keep him eating and hydrated and give him lots of fresh air and exercise, he should be just fine. Our foal two years ago was born at 13 months and 2 days…he was also very small and weak at birth but “healthy as a horse” and had a great appetite. He could not stand up unassisted for a full week but we kept a close eye on him and after a few weeks just handled him as any other foal born closer to the normal 11 month mark. I remember thinking even though he was quite small how much hair he had…a full thick mane and tail. Which he still does to this day. He is going to be a big boy and great personality. Sometimes the good ones just take a little longer to arrive. The mare was fine…at the 13 month mark I was a wreck. But all ended well.

[Chestnut_Run]

[QUOTE=Didi;8099907]
CR - He is precious!!! I love the names you chose, as well. I vote you keep them! Jingles for Sis and Marley!!! :)[/QUOTE]

Thank you, Didi! I did decide to go with the names I picked. He just seems like a Marley to me.

@cherham;8099988

Just keep him eating and hydrated and give him lots of fresh air and exercise, he should be just fine. Our foal two years ago was born at 13 months and 2 days…he was also very small and weak at birth but “healthy as a horse” and had a great appetite. He could not stand up unassisted for a full week but we kept a close eye on him and after a few weeks just handled him as any other foal born closer to the normal 11 month mark. I remember thinking even though he was quite small how much hair he had…a full thick mane and tail. Which he still does to this day. He is going to be a big boy and great personality. Sometimes the good ones just take a little longer to arrive. The mare was fine…at the 13 month mark I was a wreck. But all ended well.

He’s already perking up. I’ve been going out every 1 1/2 or 2 hours to make sure Sis is letting him nurse. By this evening, she was standing just fine for him, even without a halter. He has a VERY good appetite. After the third time he saw me coming with the halter, he started nickering and jumping up everytime I came out. Like he was saying, “Oh, yeah, the milk bar is opening!”

He’ll get plenty of exercise, fresh air, and sunshine. I’m a big believer in not keeping them stalled any more than I have to for really inclement weather or injury/illness.

Thanks for the jingles and well wishes. All seems to be well, and I’ll be very happy to get a FULL night’s sleep tonight.

Sheila

[Justice]

Oh my word, what a precious little pookie! Congratulations!