Mare's progress toward foaling slowed if not halted – common?

[JoZ]

I have foaled out a lot of mares, but this situation is a little bit different. At around day 310 the mare started to look ready to foal. All the classic signs, and believe me I’m used to looking at them. Her butt is like Jell-O, and I have never seen a more prominent tail head. Any sharper and it could be used as a weapon! She also started developing wax at day 312. Tested her milk, and found the calcium around 500 and the pH around 6.4. We were worried about how early it was, but then again it seemed too late to be an imminent placentitis abortion. So we resigned to a very early foal and all that might entail.

It’s now day 318. Calcium still at 500. PH seemed to have dropped to about 6.2 or lower but hasn’t changed again in the last 48 to 60 hours. No more wax. No more contractions and restlessness. Just a normal fatty mare hanging out eating.

If it weren’t so early, I would say that she just had slightly different stages of labor than other mares I’ve seen. And I would expect her to go in the next day or so. But once upon a time I had a young mare who got sick while pregnant, and she did the same thing. The vet at that time told me she was preparing to lose the baby. And then all of her symptoms went away, and she carried the baby for another month (and foal was fine). So I’m wondering if that’s a possibility in more cases than just that sick filly. Could she have been “considering” giving birth early and now is going to go longer? I know that sounds silly, I don’t mean that she thought about it and discarded the idea!

I guess I’m just wondering if she really could be regressing away from impending birth for a longer gestation term… a holding pattern as it were. All things being equal, I’d like it if she at least made it over the 320 day mark. I wouldn’t be sorry if she waited another couple of weeks! But I don’t know whether that will be possible or even desirable based on what she’s already gone through in terms of signs. And if her milk is already at the “ready to foal” stage, will it stick around and still have colostrum if she does wait a few more weeks?

I think I’ve written more coherent posts in my life… sorry! Being SO totally sure about her progress, my friend and I have spent a few sleepless nights on foal watch. Maybe my question should be, can I get a full night’s sleep LOL? Apologies if I really was too tired to be writing this. Thanks.

[Laurierace]

Back before I started testing for pH I had one test in the birth imminent reading on chemictrics for two weeks! Same mare held out 80 hours at 6.0 pH. With the chemictrics foal she did acrobatics the whole time, pawing, kicking belly etc. Next thing you know, she is munching quietly on hay and I see feet! So she acted like she was foaling for two weeks right up until she did foal then stopped. As long as she isn’t streaming she should have colostrum when she does foal.

[horsetales]

I had a mare that was similar. Everything said foaling was imminent with full wax and dripping at 331 days. I am so, so grateful for my vet as my DH was undergoing cancer treatment and during the day I had nobody to watch her while I took him to treatment. My only option was to call vet and just ask for an emergency apt. to check on her. My vet said she could come. Unbeknownst to me she came right after I left and she to felt the foal was coming any minute (she palped the mare as well). She was so sure, she cancelled her appts and stayed with my mare until I got home (and wouldn’t charge me). And based on your post, you guessed it, next day no dripping wax disappeared and 16 days later she foaled.

[Cindy_s_Warmbloods]

I had a maiden do that to my last year. Started a small bag around day 270. I had the vet out to check for placentitis but nothing appeared to be amiss on the ultrasound. However, to be safe we decided to treat. By day 300, she had a decent sized bag but not huge but she was dripping wax all over her hindlegs. She dripped wax for 10 days and I was on pins and needles the whole time. Around day 310 she quit and looked to regress a bit and didn’t wax from day 310-320. Around day 320 she started again, milk came in and she starting dripping milk day 324. Foaled on day 325 a perfectly healthy filly. Placenta looked great, IgG was great just a REALLY weird foaling pattern. Not sure if it was just a maiden thing or what was gong on. I am also REALLY hoping she doesn’t repeat it this year, too much stress for me! She is currently at day 233 so I guess time will tell.

[Personal_Champ]

You guys are going to give me nightmares. LOL.

Maiden mare, started bagging up at 288. Steadily increasing in size but now I am having horrible thoughts of her stopping and hanging onto the baby until June!

[whitney159]

[QUOTE=Personal Champ;7475621]
You guys are going to give me nightmares. LOL.

Maiden mare, started bagging up at 288. Steadily increasing in size but now I am having horrible thoughts of her stopping and hanging onto the baby until June![/QUOTE]

I’m there with you! Maiden mare, started bagging up at 285 (worried about placentitis), now at day 323. Bag goes up and down, teats aren’t full, what I get out is clear and straw colored, then the other night I noticed, “wow, what are those hollows on her croup next to her tail that I"ve never seen in this mare before?”. I’ve never seen a mare change THAT much and always discounted the old “softening around the tailhead” as being something subtle…not on this one. And I’m nervous and thinking “so what does this MEAN???” All it means is we are closer to foaling today than we were yesterday right?

[BaysofourLives]

Glad I’m not the only one! Mare this year (this will be her 8th foal) started bagging up around day 290, by day 318 udders were 80-90%, calcium shot up overnight to 200…and then it all stopped. Udders are now less than 40% and floppy, calcium is down to 75. However, her belly is all but dragging the ground. Still needs to soften up more around tail head and hoo ha. damn mares

[khall]

Must be the year for uncommon foaling patterns. My maiden led me on for 3 weeks, started bagging at 296, finally foaled 341 perfectly healthy filly that needed two sets of hands to get her on the ground. Tight squeeze but thankfully all was fine.

[HorseKrazy]

Mine is holding in a steady ‘getting giant’ pattern, lol. Had the vet out on Monday for shots and she predicted we weren’t going to go early-I guess that means I can relax?

I dont think I can reliably use tailhead softening (where you can lift her tail straight up) or haunches loosening (taildhead starts protruding and muscle relaxes) because she has always let me lift her tail sky high and her butt muscles are already soft-but maybe they get softer?? I can also express fluid from her bag, but it’s always kinda been there and been clear. I guess I’ll just keep checking that… I can’t imagine being on the cusp of foaling and then having the mare decide to keep holding out! I would go crazy!