Would a hernia be that far forward?
[QUOTE=aab;5395601]
Hopefully, someone will tell me that this is all normal…
My mare seems to have a pocket of edema, about 4" wide by 5" long just behind the base of her sternum (left side), where the bottom of her belly has become decidedly heart shaped. While I do have a call into the vet, I never know when he will get back to me. She is at 293 days today and is an older, “experienced” broodmare. She has been quite large since this summer, I think a result of her body rapidly responding to hormones. I would say she is not fat at all. Just enormous. So, is this something else to get really worked up about?[/QUOTE]
Probably normal…I’ve had a couple mares, always older, more experienced broodmares, that have developed some ventral edema…some just a bit and one quite a bit. There MAY be some correlation with placentitis (esp if caused by fescue endophyte consumption) but not sure that that is a really strong indicator. Was told by my vet (the first time I saw it) that it is similar to “stocking up” in that lymphatic fluid just isn’t returning to the general circulation due to pressure on vessels or lack of activity. I guess pregnant women have feet that swell, some mares have bellies that do. My worst mare got it clear up almost to her “armpits” and was probably an inch to inch and a half thick…left impressive fingerprints in it if I pushed on it and held the pressure for a couple of seconds. Disappeared within a day after foaling. As long as she seems more or less comfortable, is eating, drinking, peeing as she should and it isn’t hot or tender I wouldn’t worry.
My vet was out about a month ago and we were talking about how, ummm, “lacking” in ribs Catnip was :lol: But not in a bad way - she’s not a terribly easy keeper but she’s not what I’d call hard keeping by ANY means. In the Summer, not in work, she maintains weight very well on just grass as her significant source of calories. So not hard keeping. So, it was a good thing she was getting and keeping good weight over the Winter.
I look at her twice a day, put hands on her side about once a week. Suddenly, yesterday morning, I felt ribs! :eek: This morning I pulled her blanket off after last night’s cold rain, and felt MORE ribs :eek: Tonight she came in acting just ravenous and scarfed her dinner down. “Scarf” has not been in her repertoire until now :lol: Eat well, yes, eat thoroughly, yes. Scarf? Not so much. Now, scarf is her favorite word.
Yes, I’m now upping her calories. But is this common? I don’t think it’s UNcommon, but I just wonder if it’s pretty common, know what I mean?
Up until now I had lost the wondering of whether I’d be able to feed her enough. Now I’m wondering again! I can feed her 3 meals a day 4-5 days a week, but not 7. Her 3rd meal can be just beet pulp since she’s already getting that. I plan on having alfalfa soon, so maybe I can just get her in earlier in the morning so she can have some alone hay (alf) time for even more calories.
[QUOTE=JB;5399519]
Suddenly, yesterday morning, I felt ribs! :eek: This morning I pulled her blanket off after last night’s cold rain, and felt MORE ribs :eek: Tonight she came in acting just ravenous and scarfed her dinner down. “Scarf” has not been in her repertoire until now :lol: Eat well, yes, eat thoroughly, yes. Scarf? Not so much. Now, scarf is her favorite word.
Yes, I’m now upping her calories. But is this common? I don’t think it’s UNcommon, but I just wonder if it’s pretty common, know what I mean?
Up until now I had lost the wondering of whether I’d be able to feed her enough. Now I’m wondering again! I can feed her 3 meals a day 4-5 days a week, but not 7. Her 3rd meal can be just beet pulp since she’s already getting that. I plan on having alfalfa soon, so maybe I can just get her in earlier in the morning so she can have some alone hay (alf) time for even more calories.[/QUOTE]
Common…one of mine is NOT a really easy keeper (not that hard of one but the rest are just air ferns compared to her)… when pregnant she will go from just fine to “what happened overnight?” at about 7.5 to 8 months. Just bump up calories (balanced of course)…I’ve been told/read to increase about 10% increase each month for the last trimester and then again for the first 2-3 months of lactation…that’s a lot of increase! For my mares it means going from about 20 pounds of hay a day (generous for their size but keeps 'em looking good) to 26-27 lbs the last month of pregnancy and then on up to 35 lbs at the third month of lactation. Good thing I have a great source of alfalfa!! They get to eat free choice the last month of pregnant and while nursing just to get that amount of food into their bellies…esp that last month as there’s not room for 2-3 big meals…I just have 'em eating all the time (I use the square 1250 lb or even 1 ton bales and set them out…it is usually so dry I don’t have to worry about getting wet and molding). Is there a manger or something you could just put an open bale out for her?
JB, I’d ask what you’re feeding to think of additions, but you already know more about nutrition than I do :lol:. Could you try giving her more food at once to let her kind of nibble on it over time? Or is she turning into a such a piglet that she’d eat it right away? That’s what I do with my mare… she has free choice hay, but it’s not really possible to feed her grain more than once a day, so she gets it at night in her stall and she can eat it as slowly as she wants
LOL, yep, sorry, this wasn’t really about “omg what do I feed her NOW??!!” :lol: I was mostly just wondering if it was common to literally overnight become a bit on the thin side. You wouldn’t look at her and go “wow, don’t you feed that horse??” But she went SO fast from “ok, yep, there are your ribs” to them being right there. She’s due 3/11, but gosh her body has changed shape in the last week too! :eek:
She gets basically free choice Orchardgrass hay right now - I put out about 45-50lb twice a day for 3 horses. She’s not a hay hoover though, so while she’s getting “free choice”, I think she’ll have to have a couple hours stall time in the morning to have some alfalfa for more bang for the buck.
I’ve just upped her Progressive Grass Balancer to 4lb - 2lb 2x a day. I’ve just upped her beep too. Honestly, this weight loss (maybe she’s just stretching? :lol: :lol:) was so sudden! I just wasn’t prepared. I’d been leary of using a “mare and foal” feed because in the past she’s had such a relatively low cutoff point of volume of food she’d eat in a sitting, that I had to first make sure the nutrition was there, hence starting right with the ration balancer. But, if I think she’ll eat it all in at least 2 feedings, I’ll be happy to switch to Progressive’s Growth formula to get more calories. Or half and have RB and Growth.
Anyone have a PN Growth bag handy to see how many lb the recommend for a late-term mare/early nursing?
But anyway, at the rate she’s scarfing down her meals now, I can increase her beet pulp by quite a bit I think. We’ll see how the morning goes with yet another small increase
The one good thing about starting off with a fat mare is you have some room to figure things out when their needs start increasing :lol:.
Just wanted to let y’all know that my Riley pumpkin has milk. Lots of milk. And I managed to not keel over at the discovery. I need to get test strips (tomorrow!), but does anyone want to speculate on how long before Baby Blip arrives? Mare’s due at the end of the month. BO is in NYC and we’re expecting her flight home tomorrow to be cancelled. I’m supposed to be out of town this weekend (not gonna happen if BO’s not back), but I’m hoping for an excuse to stay and keep watch.
Anyone else have more pregnant mare photos? I love seeing the mares progress. 
Now that we’re plowed out, I’m hoping to pop out for a few minutes (in the bitter, bitter cold) and get a few.
I have pics and an update. Riley pony has milk, a relaxed dock, but her tail head is still moderately tense. Due date by u/s is end of the month. Any one with a psychic hat wanna take a stab at that?
Pics from early pregnancy to last night (viewable to all and her backstory is in Off Course–the Riley $50 CL pony thread):
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=413807&id=789305028&l=1df5e56bae
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=471302&id=789305028&l=d986ac21ed
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=608352&id=789305028&l=117618ec45
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=613767&id=789305028&l=534c6164e2
[QUOTE=JB;5399658]
She’s due 3/11, but gosh her body has changed shape in the last week too! :eek:[/QUOTE]
If she’s due 3/11 she could drop anytime from about 2/19 or so (two weeks away) and be within “normal” gestation. Some mares get a lot softer/looser than others and in some cases much earlier than others even with the same due date. One of my mares would drop muscle tone over her back/butt/ribs a full month (almost overnight and almost to the day) before foaling…she’d be nice and round and full muscled and suddenly look like she hadn’t eaten all winter…back bone, shoulder blades, hip bones, ribs…all suddenly just showing up and the muscles she did have felt like pudding in a bag. Not only did she look awful she stayed that way as long as she was nursing…and would tone back up two weeks after weaning and look fine. Darned mare drove me nuts (and I took to putting her in the back pasture as she looked just terrible…big huge pregnant belly and no back/butt!). I have one now that tends to do the same but not quite as dramatically. Both of these mares were snarfing down 30 pounds of good quality alfalfa plus 8-10 pounds of grain a day…didn’t look like they were getting 10 pounds of crappy hay!! If her body changed shape she’s getting that foal lined up…he’s probably getting turned over, front legs extended and his butt will drop into her belly (she may end up looking like someone dropped a bowling ball in her belly!). Some mares will be restless during this (they have Braxton Hicks type contractions just as we do)…some even look like they are in labor complete with sweating, up/down, looking at their belly and generally scaring the snot out of owners. Have fun!!!
Haven’t read ALL the posts here, but for those of you mentioning that your mare has “lots of milk” but you don’t have test strips yet, …
milk out about a teaspoon into your hand. Look at its color, consistency and transparency. It will go from
clearish yellowish
to thicker clearish yellowish and very sticky,
to thick and clearish with a hint of white to
solid white with just a tinge of yellow.
When it reaches this last stage, foaling should occur within 12 hours.
I don’t mess with strips anymore. Just look at the milk.
[QUOTE=Sonesta;5400682]
Haven’t read ALL the posts here, but for those of you mentioning that your mare has “lots of milk” but you don’t have test strips yet, …
milk out about a teaspoon into your hand. Look at its color, consistency and transparency. It will go from
clearish yellowish
to thicker clearish yellowish and very sticky,
to thick and clearish with a hint of white to
solid white with just a tinge of yellow.
When it reaches this last stage, foaling should occur within 12 hours.
I don’t mess with strips anymore. Just look at the milk.[/QUOTE]
Yes! It changes taste too (come on…lots of cultures drink mares milk…it won’t likely kill you!!)
Another check point…vulva will relax, loose the wrinkles and get long/lax…and inside coloring (when standing) will get darker pink as circulation gets a bit congested (will be dark pink when laying down due to pressure but if it stays pretty darkish pink when up she’s getting close).
if mares are on turn out and have a herd they will often separate from the herd taking one buddy with them. If you sit and watch for a long time you can see when they are having contractions…usually their head comes up, they stare into the distance and they do some fairly gentle tail wringing…lasts maybe 30 seconds and then the head goes back down to grazing, their focus is back locally and the tail is quiet. Repeats in 4-10 minutes depending on how far she is.
I know I know I know, please don’t make me any crazier than I already am! :eek: :lol:
One of my mares would drop muscle tone over her back/butt/ribs a full month (almost overnight and almost to the day) before foaling…she’d be nice and round and full muscled and suddenly look like she hadn’t eaten all winter…back bone, shoulder blades, hip bones, ribs…all suddenly just showing up and the muscles she did have felt like pudding in a bag.
She did this about 3 weeks ago - suddenly got quite A-frame looking in her back end when viewed from behind. She’s definitely got the literal “pulled down” look
If her body changed shape she’s getting that foal lined up…he’s probably getting turned over, front legs extended and his butt will drop into her belly (she may end up looking like someone dropped a bowling ball in her belly!).
Too much to do yet, too much to do! LOL
Have fun!!!
Wanna come live with me for a few weeks?
This made me smile - and you know, after all these years, I still sometimes think ‘why did I do this??’.
I remember really well my mare being in foal with my first foal.
I innocently bought Blessed Are the Broodmares to read up ahead of time.
(It was just Sept but we OCD types need to be ready)
That book just might be the most frightening thing ever written, and I immediately changed my mind about having a foal … too late.
Good luck everyone.
My best advice is to stay calm, remember what needs to be done, and most important, try to make sure the mare does not foal alone.
Mare at 6 months
Today, 308 days
6 months
Today - warning, NOT a flattering shot, makes her look totally post-legged, and I promise she’s not LOL
[QUOTE=Fred;5401126]
I innocently bought Blessed Are the Broodmares to read up ahead of time.[/QUOTE]
I’d heard that it was frightening. I bought it anyway thinking that I was tough, medically-inclined, and could handle it. OMG!!! :eek: Immediate panic attack! Totally convinced that momma, baby, and peanut gallery (probably me) would all die! Then dove into some wine. Seriously though, how does anyone ready that book and think “Gee, this is gonna be fun”? :lol:
[QUOTE=JB;5401087]
Wanna come live with me for a few weeks? :D[/QUOTE]
Would probably love to but have 9 of my own coming (starting late March) plus a litter of kittens (ragdolls, due Valentines +/-) and a litter of pups (Aussies, due late March). Seem to have been hit with a fertility virus around here…good thing I’m in my 60’s or I’d be worried.
You’ll do fine.
Oh pshaw, you’ve got plenty of time to come visit early March! :lol:
Valentine’s Ragdolls? swoon
You guys got me thinking, and I have a question: if a mare went early the first time (she delivered almost 3 weeks early, I was not at all prepared and we walked in the barn to find the little one standing there!), does it mean she will have a tendency to always go early? Now i’m wondering if I should start panicking even earlier:-)
