UH OH! Are we prego? ---AHEM, YES!!!!

[ahf]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;5784080]
As long as she is getting an appropriate amount of ration balancer and her diet is good, I would not change her diet. Best of luck to you.[/QUOTE]

I’m sorry Laurie, but I just don’t agree. She’s in a drought-stricken part of the country (crispy-crunchy - her words) for all I know she’s getting fed coastal hay, and 4 lbs of ration balancer is not going to do it. THe picture I saw earlier was not very helpful, but her topline already looks compromised (from what I could tell) and if it is that is a clarion call for protein deficiency.

Because she’s a maiden, and a full-grown horse, she will be able to mine her own body to support the foal for a lot - so I’m less worried than I would be than if she was multi-parous.

As we all know, if she is pregnant, the foal is growing at this point one pound per day. Protein is the building block for growth. That needs to be supported. If this were my mare, addressing her nutrition would be my biggest concern.

And OP, it’s been my experience that most vets are NOT nutrition gurus.

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=Hillside H Ranch;5784245]
I’d still go with at least a palpation. I’m sure this isn’t the case in this situation, but you’d be amazed how many people bring mares to us and SWEAR they’ve seen the foal moving and the mare turns out to be open. They usually don’t believe us when that happens![/QUOTE]

Sure palpation is fine. I just didn’t want her having visions of human ultrasounds where you can see the baby sucking it’s thumb and such.

[Ladybug_Hill]

Yes, the mare did not look like she had any reserve really. I would slowly increase her feed appropriately. If she is normally an easy keeper I think you will do fine.

Ultrasound would yield nothing helpful but I would have her palpated. Although a vet can’t really give you a good time frame based on palpation either. I would just go with your expected dates.

I have had great luck with FoalWatch Chemetrics kit. Or you can just express fluid from her udder each morning and night and observe the changes. It will go from clear yellow to thick yellow to more whitish. Any time it is opaque, she is close to foaling. I would not bother doing this until it is easy to express fluid. I would do this each am and pm as things can progress rapidly (or you could be stuck watching for another month). Her udder does really look on track for the dates you mentioned.

I think your vaccs are ok too. I don’t routinely worm anymore but there is good research for worming at time of foaling.

I would not contact the stallion owner at all. Frankly there is too much crap that goes on in this country–blaming everyone else for everything. What will either of you gain??? You will have a foal that you didn’t expect but if all goes ok I think you will enjoy this adventure. I am sure there are things that you each could have done better. So just move on and do the best you can. Hopefully you will keep the foal or find the right home for it depending on its type and movement. No point in registering it. If it is a colt, I recommend castrating while still nursing and during the cool weather.

I do hope that this ends well and safely for all involved. I do really want to see pictures. Sometimes unexpected events bear the sweetest rewards… No the foal will be no Olympic horse, but perhaps someone’s good friend/favorite horse.

[ClassynIvansMom]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;5784329]
Sure palpation is fine. I just didn’t want her having visions of human ultrasounds where you can see the baby sucking it’s thumb and such.[/QUOTE]

Can ultrasounds tell gender for horses? If not, I guess I’ll skip it. I just thought it would be cool to have ultrasound pictures. I don’t care if you can’t really tell what you’re looking at… I can never really tell very well with human baby ultrasounds either, but knowing the gender would be neat. Haha, I’m already planning a baby scrapbook for the foal and my mare…

[Signature]

Yeah, I think the baby is so large that you’d be looking say at an eyeball or a hoof, not the whole foal which would only be visible in entirety on the u/s screen probably at less than 90 days? You can sometimes sex the foal between 60 and 65 days. But a vet should easily be able to feel such a late term baby via palpation

[ClassynIvansMom]

[QUOTE=ahf;5784265]
I’m sorry Laurie, but I just don’t agree. She’s in a drought-stricken part of the country (crispy-crunchy - her words) for all I know she’s getting fed coastal hay, and 4 lbs of ration balancer is not going to do it. THe picture I saw earlier was not very helpful, but her topline already looks compromised (from what I could tell) and if it is that is a clarion call for protein deficiency.[/QUOTE]

Increasing her feed and adding a mini bucket of soaked alfalfa cubes and beet pulp should be fine right? I was going to go ahead and grab 50 square bales of alf/tim/orch mix for her before the prices jump. They’re still in the reasonable range when I last checked. She actually hasn’t been getting hay because I didn’t know she was prego, but we’ve got 25 open acres (probably 5-10 wooded) of mixed grasses that all 8 ponies stay fat on. Her topline is definitely not built up, but she is an easy keeper and I think she’ll be able to pick up the weight easy enough as long as I take it slow and safe.

@ahf;5784265

As we all know, if she is pregnant, the foal is growing at this point one pound per day. Protein is the building block for growth. That needs to be supported. If this were my mare, addressing her nutrition would be my biggest concern.

You wait to feed mare and foal till AFTER they’ve foaled, right? I’m giving her Purina Enrich 12 and now we’re up to 2 lbs of Ultium mixed in currently, plus alfalfa cubes as of this morning’s breakfast. She’s going to keep climbing slowly from there, and unless I’m supposed to give her Mare and Foal now, I’ll just start introducing that slowly pound by pound before she foals.

By the way, LBH, I checked out the FoalWatch kit, and that looks pretty cool! I think I’m going to try it. Since I’m so novice at this, I like having a chemical test kit to help (haha, probably because my degree is in biochemistry; I believe in better living through chemistry).

You and Kat might be right about not bothering with legal trappings, I’m just definitely getting pressure from my parents and my fiance to go to court. I talked to my dad about it and he is PISSED. Right now I’m less concerned with court proceedings and more concerned with just getting my mare safely prepped and then hopefully getting a baby safely on the ground. The more time passes, the more I think I should just focus on what’s most important at the moment, which is making sure mama and baby will be healthy right now and long term.

I took photos of my field and every bit of grass around the barn, but I’ll probably play it safe and ask about the shots and still raze the small paddock so I can control her diet from here on out. Better to be safe than sorry, and since I found out late in the game, I’ll be battling nature since I’ve read you’re supposed to eliminate any fescue from the mare’s diet two months before foaling. I can recognize tons of rye and bermuda out there, but it’s safer to assume the worst and be best prepared is what I’d guess? I still have not managed to get a lawn guy out here today and I’ve left two messages, so without expert confirmation of no fescue, I’m just going to take the high road and raze the paddock.

[Signature]

PS Just grab some aquarium strips and distilled water from Walmart (make sure the read 0-300+ calcium (hardness) and 6.2 to 8.0ph and you can do all the milk testing cheap and easy. 1cc “milk” to 6cc water ratio and dip

[ClassynIvansMom]

Ha, didn’t think of that, I have a pH kit for my aquarium. I should check if it’s a range that’ll work, but I’m betting it is. I just need to pick up distilled water. But what am I watching for? What pH is going to indicate imminent delivery? I can get test tubes easily.

[RiverOaksFarm]

Well if we get lucky and it’s not gaited, it was pointed out to me that most offspring that have anything Friesian in it (at least, locally) turn out pretty nice.

Sadly, no. This is a myth perpetuated by some, but trust me, I could point you to more examples of bad Friesian crosses than good ones, which is why the Friesian Sporthorse Association is so strict and clear in their breeding guidelines and will only give a COP (not full registration papers) to crosses with TWH or Appy and would also never grant Breeding Approval to such a cross (which is also probably why the FSA is not included in the myriad of possible registry options listed on the stallion owner’s website.) I just wanted to chime in because it is frustrating to see people perpetuating this fallacy (not meaning you! but rather the person who told you such a thing…)

I wish you nothing but the best and hope your foal is healthy and wonderful (and it’s guaranteed to be adorable, nothing is cuter than a foal!! (except maybe a kitten grin)) But this is never a breeding I would replicate on purpose… But sometimes great things come from unexpected places, and I do hope this will happen for you, because I know this isn’t a breeding combo you chose intentionally at all.

As far as registration, based on your options (and knowing that you don’t want to involve the stallion owner), I’d just go with the AWS. They have no rules limiting various breeds, and they won’t require DNA. And AWS is more highly respected than any of the other registry options they listed. (PHR was a good recommendation also, earlier in this thread.)

[Callaway]

I would switch from Enrich 12 to Enrich 32.

[Beentheredonethat]

I haven’t read much of this, but as a few time foaler, use the ph pool strips. They are right on. Here it shows you exactly what to do:
http://www.miniatureventures.com/using_milk_test_strips.html

Also, to help with protein, I LOVED Calf Manna (also MannaPro I think.) It’s 25% protein and you feed it by the cupful. I was giving my preggo mare about 6 cupfulls a day and she added weight wonderfully and kept GAINING after birth to the point where I had to cut back.

[Somermist]

[QUOTE=Callaway;5784544]
I would switch from Enrich 12 to Enrich 32.[/QUOTE]

Me too.:yes:

[Laurierace]

I didn’t look at the pics so my advice not to add more feed was the OP’s description of the mare as being overweight despite the grazing muzzle. If that is not the case then you absolutely want to increase whatever necessary and take the muzzle off. I feed alfalfa the last trimester and all through lactation as well as upping the BOSS. Other than that I don’t change my feeding program.

[camohn]

[QUOTE=ClassynIvansMom;5784393]
Can ultrasounds tell gender for horses? If not, I guess I’ll skip it. I just thought it would be cool to have ultrasound pictures. I don’t care if you can’t really tell what you’re looking at… I can never really tell very well with human baby ultrasounds either, but knowing the gender would be neat. Haha, I’m already planning a baby scrapbook for the foal and my mare…[/QUOTE]

yes but…you are well past the window when you can do it.

[ClassynIvansMom]

I will post more later, but just wanted to provide a link to new photos! There are nearly 20 photos, so I’m just posting the flickr link instead of every photo one by one. Just click on the photos to enlarge to better viewing size.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikahana/sets/72157627339716985/with/6056444769/

Especially since we have baby belly kicks, I don’t think there’s any denying she’s prego… vet appointment couldn’t be moved to today. Can’t reach the vet I’ve used before that travels and so we’re hauling in the morning to be be there for a 10:30 am appointment with another. At least we’ve moved from the afternoon to the morning. Wish us luck!

[Signature]

You are looking for pH to go from 8.0+ down to 6.2… some drop quick, some drop slowly. Honestly you don’t even need calcium - that only tells me that we’re getting close to the pH drop. LOL Can’t wait to hear the results!

[ClassynIvansMom]

I’m not an expert, but I think I have fescue in parts of the pasture. I finally managed to get in touch with my usual vet, it’s been a busy week for her, but she knows we’ve got a baby on the way and says she’ll be looking for my call just in case we need help.

I took photos of different grasses around my place, so please chime in and tell me if you recognize fescue in some of these. I think some of the longer stuff is. http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikahana/sets/72157627463862066/

My vet said I’m on the right track by mixing her RB with Ultium to start bulking up her feed right away since that’s what I have immediately on hand, and recommended starting to mix in Mare and Foal slowly over the next couple of weeks to get her used to it and on it in time for delivery. It looks like I’m going to have to drive a little farther to the next closest feed shop because the one close to me is so small and it’s hard to get them to get special orders in within a timely manner because they only get shipments once a month. The vet said it was great that I added the extra forage with alfalfa cubes and also said she thought it was a great idea to raze the catch pen paddock to the ground and put a round roll of bahia/bermuda in with her to try to combat the potential fescue exposure. She said I can keep supplementing with alf cubes or a flake of alf hay here and there, and she has the shots on hand just in case. She says it’s a good sign that Classy Lady is actually bagging up, and wanted to be careful and advised against using the domperidone shots too early because they might cause the colostrum to leak out, so we’ll use them if she has trouble producing milk once the baby is on the ground. She says from the sound of my description, Classy Lady should have 2-3 weeks left, but we’ll probably know a little more after the vet check tomorrow.

Wish us luck! I’m deciding between putting up a pop tent in the paddock or maybe parking my horse trailer in the paddock and sleeping in that with the screens open. Haha, I’d do better to put my fiance in it; he’s a lighter sleeper! Maybe I can talk him into making it a camping date with me. LOL, anybody want to come down to crispy crunchy land and do mare stare with me? We haven’t had rain since last week, so no mud to get stuck in with your rig!

[Beethoven]

What did the vet say?!?!?

[hoofs2118]

[QUOTE=Beethoven;5788630]
What did the vet say?!?!?[/QUOTE]

THIS!!!:eek:

[Marshfield]

first off-good luck As for what to do about the SO, I think having a lawyer write a letter demanding compensation for expenses is an option. Reality is that the OP is getting saddled with a foal that she certainly didn’t plan for. And this foal is likely a giveaway. Why should she be picking up the tab for the idiot SO?