Mammary Issues

[Mooberry16]

Vet has been called… again.

Last May, my 20 year old maiden mare saw her very first foal and decided she wanted one. Ended up giving herself a slight hysterical pregnancy that lead to lactation. Since i obviously wasn’t looking for my mare to be lactating, I didn’t notice until it turned into full blown mastitis. The only symptom she had from the mastitis was a right hind lameness from kicking her teats because they hurt.

This January, I noticed that she was lactating again or at least severely bagged up and dripping liquid. Called a vet out, did a pelvic ultrasound, totally fine minus a small cyst on the uterus/ovary? that the vet was certain wouldn’t be causing the problem. The vet didn’t seem to concerned and said it was “weird but not problematic”. It’s been continually bagged up and dripping whitish liquid here and there but not bad. She’s been a bit stiff lately but works out of it within 10 minutes and I attributed it to being old, and being off her joint supplement.

Cleaned her teats today and thought I should check the liquid. Normally I haven’t been expressing it because the less stimulation the better to help it die down. Today when I milked her, it came out bright yellow and stringy clumps of pus and blood after the pus clumps. Vet is coming out asap but I’m just wondering what on earth it could be? I was researching mammary tumors to see if that could be it. We will also be checking for a hormone imbalace but I’m looking for other ideas. We also might haul her in to CSU to get the repro lab to look at it.

Any suggestions?

[keysfins]

Sounds like mastitis again? Was this how she presented the last time?

[Simkie]

IIRC, mares with cushings will sometimes lactate. She’s the right age group–does she have any other symptoms? Has she been tested?

[khall]

I would also look into cushings. My 22 yr old mare who has had foals and never really dried up from them has less of a bag than she has since having the foals after being on prascend since being tested for cushings after laminitis in 2015.

[Laurierace]

Regardless of the cause you don’t get pus without infection so at the very least you are dealing with mastitis.

[Mooberry16]

The vet just pulled blood for cushings so I’ll be waiting for those results. She shows no other symptoms though, she is actually under hairy. We clipped her in november and it is still growing back. Hopefully if it is cushings, we will have caught it quick.