Stopped regumate, created a monster!

[SugarCubes]

My mare has been on Regumate since last spring (was on depo prior) and after speaking with my vet decided to leave her off it over the winter as soon as I ran out, which was two days ago.

OMG has she become a monster. She is usually super quiet and sweet but today she is spinning in her stall, kicking the walls and just seems so edgy and unhappy.

Is this normal? How many days can I expect this to last? Anything I can do to help her through the transition? Or do I just put her back on it and keep her on it year round?

This is my first mare in over 20 years so I apologize for all of the questions! Its really making me appreciate my gelding at the moment

[SuzieQNutter]

HI would put this under listen to your horse. You spoke to the vet. You did not ask your mare.

[jherold]

Why was she on regulate to start with? If her heat cycles are difficult, it would probably be more cost effective to remove her ovaries and be done with it. I would ask your vet how long until her hormones are back to “normal.” But who knows what’s normal for her. Some mares cycle all winter and some don’t.

[SugarCubes]

She’s very distracted and unfocused when she’s not on hormones but doesn’t necessarily have difficult heat cycles. Given her quiet nature I was hoping to be able to stop the hormones now that she’s home and not at a barn with 20 other horses, so I was simply asking if there is usually a “withdrawal” type period after stopping Regumate.

So let me rephrase, is this similar behavior to what others have observed or is this something unique to her?

[Aleuronx]

What you are seeing is how she handles her cycle au natural. Regumate can/is used to ‘quick cycle’ mares for breeding purposes. Put the mare on a short time dosage (I want to say 5-10 days but don’t quote me on that I’m not a repro vet) then stop and the mare will ovulate once off the Regumate. Great for scheduling insemination.

If you can afford to keep her on it year-round then do that or spaying is an option if you are not interested in breeding capability. You could wait her out a month and see if the next cycle is less dramatic but if you are planning on putting her back on it for the season then you’d be starting that end of February/March anyway.

[endlessclimb]

Did you just bring her home? Or has she been at the new place for awhile? Maybe too many changes at once.

[Scribbler]

I had my mare on Regumate one summer when she seemed extra cranky. When she went to pasture in September I stopped, and she came into a big heat right away. But interestingly after that her heats were less noticeable and I never went back to it.

If you can, I’d give her a week or so to work through her first heat in years and then see what you’ve got over the winter.

[S1969]

Having been on hormones for pregnancy prevention as well as fertility treatment (years later) - I can attest to the fact that changing hormones is hard. It doesn’t mean you should put her back on them now - in fact, even 48 hours is enough disruption it might be worse to start it again anyway.

I would definitely give it some time. I think a week is probably too short of a time to know what you’re really in for, but a couple of weeks should give you a better idea.

[SugarCubes]

@endlessclimb

Did you just bring her home? Or has she been at the new place for awhile? Maybe too many changes at once.

No, she’s been home for 5 months now. But, like I said wanted to take her off hormones over the winter since it’s just her and my gelding here. I don’t have any problem keeping her on it year-round, and do plan to breed her eventually so spaying is not an option. I did order her a new bottle, but will give her a week or so and see if she adjusts!

Thank you!!

[sdlbredfan]

Steroids of any and all kinds are supposed to be tapered off, not stopped cold turkey. Maybe the Vet forgot to caution you?

[jherold]

I’d give her a month or two to see if she smooths out. Can you toss her outside and not stall her? Also, a gram or 2 of bute might be worth a try to see if she’s a monster because she’s cramping a bit.

[Dutchmare433]

Did you wean her down from a full dose to nothing? Or just off cold turkey? Best to wean off, but live and learn!

Some mares come off it fine, some have a rough time coming off of it. You can end up with funky cycles, super strong cycles, or anovulatory or persistent follicles. None of which are a fun time for you or the mare.

[Pico_Banana]

I took my mare off regumate in October right before I moved her home. She definitely had a bit of a withdrawal. She then had two raging heat cycles despite being only around another mare. But that seemed to be it. Totally fine now. So maybe just give her some time?

[SugarCubes]

@jherold

I’d give her a month or two to see if she smooths out. Can you toss her outside and not stall her? Also, a gram or 2 of bute might be worth a try to see if she’s a monster because she’s cramping a bit.

She’s normally out 12 hours a day, but we got an ice storm last night so was stuck inside today, which I’m certain didn’t help her mood. I was wondering about giving her a little bamamine or bute, I have noticed she’s pretty sensitive around her flanks at the moment. She seemed much more relaxed and back to her usual self this evening so I’ll wait and see how she is tomorrow.

Thanks all for the input and advice, very helpful!

[S1969]

@SugarCubes

I did order her a new bottle, but will give her a week or so and see if she adjusts!

Definitely check with your vet if you want to put her back on - you may want to wait longer than a week or you may end up with persistent follicles/cysts. Once you take away the hormones, she may start cycling even though it’s winter.

[SugarCubes]

@S1969

@SugarCubes

I did order her a new bottle, but will give her a week or so and see if she adjusts!

Definitely check with your vet if you want to put her back on - you may want to wait longer than a week or you may end up with persistent follicles/cysts. Once you take away the hormones, she may start cycling even though it’s winter.

Good to know, thank you!

As of yesterday, she has been back to her normal self so I’m hoping I can keep her off of the hormones (I really don’t need to be handling them!). I am thinking about trying Mare Magic instead if she starts getting moody/distracted again once spring comes. Has anyone had good results from that? It is USEF legal, correct? I couldn’t find raspberry leaf on the banned substance list so I’m assuming it’s fine to show on?

[Julesandmel]

@SugarCubes

I am thinking about trying Mare Magic instead if she starts getting moody/distracted again once spring comes. Has anyone had good results from that?

I’ve used raspberry leaf with success. I found it very effective at first and then they seemed to develop a tolerance to it (when given daily). I then developed a routine where I gave them a loading dose when they were expected to come into heat and then daily for about a week, if I remember. That worked for my mares. Also, MagRestore helped one mare a lot. Is not cheap, tho.

Also, you can find raspberry leaf in bulk and it’s much cheaper than Mare Magic.

[showy]

I took my mare off regumate this fall after she was crazy ON it. She needed a 2 week cool down period. I basically kicked her out in the paddock as much as possible and didn’t ride her for 2 weeks. She’s been great with no regumate ever since.