Yeah, mama faked me out last night, so my fiance talked me into coming to bed at the house instead. Thankfully her udder is fuller today than it was yesterday. The day before yesterday, it was tight, then yesterday, it was suddenly loose, hence why I freaked and called the vet asking if I needed colostrum. He says he has some on hand that he’ll bring when he comes to test the IgG of the foal, whenever it decides to make its way out. If we need it, he’ll have it, but if we don’t, he’ll just keep it.
Milk is more cloudy today. Mama is sweeter, too. I dunno if it’s just because it’s not so beastly hot now after the rains or what, but she’s so much happier to stand and be rubbed today. Yesterday I was down there till after midnight, and she has plenty of mud on her from rolling in the paddock earlier in the day. She never rolled while I was watching her last night, though, so I went ahead and came back to the house. Still checking pH today, still not dropping where it’s expected to be right before she goes.
If she holds onto baby much longer, she’s going to go over the mark. I’ve had the vet and the hay guy both confirm that they couldn’t see any fescue in my pasture in the places they looked, but with 25 acres open field and the remainder of the 40 being wooded, it’s possible there is SOME out there that she could have been exposed to. With this being her first pregnancy and given that she’s now going longer, now I’m getting more antsy and really keeping my fingers crossed and saying a prayer against fescue toxicity. If possible cover date was somewhere between the beginning and middle of October but more likely closer to the beginning, at what point should I start worrying about her going over term? She’s been bagged up since the 15th or earlier of last month, or at least the 15th or 16th was when we noticed her being bagged up.
By the way, what about the belly edema? She has larger edema on her belly in front of her udder, and the book I have on loan, Foaling Primer, said that was actually a sign of labor? Does that occur before labor, too?
Antiseptic, check. Went with chlorhexidine instead of iodine, but I have betadine in my first aid kit, too, just in case. Dr. E said that the Hibiclens chlorhexidine should be fine.
Enema, check. I picked up a gentle enema and put it in my foaling kit to have as backup. Dr. E said to hold off unless necessary, so I’ll wait and see and wait a few hours first. I think the book said it should be passed within 3 hours?
Udder cleansing: I have ivory soap that I’ve started using because she objected a little to just plain water and rubbing initially. Should I continue with this for now until her pH drops and then switch to plain water to avoid removing scent?
Straw: Check. Picked some up from the feed store closest to me. Here’s a question, I’ve been letting her roam in the small paddock and letting her have free access to her stall and that barn aisle. Should I shut her in with the straw when foaling is imminent or should I leave her alone and let her foal in the paddock if she decides?
Milk: It’s not super sticky that I could say, but it’s definitely cloudier. Makes the whole suspension cloudy when I dilute it with the distilled water. The strips I picked up have a range that doesn’t tell me as much as I want to know. There’s a color block for <100 ppm, 100 ppm, 250 ppm, and then 1000 ppm. She triggers the color for at least 250 ppm, but not 1000. I don’t have any other colors in between that indicate a number in the middle, like 500. Her pH is still not below 7.
Ok, for people who have had maidens that foaled before, what were some of the anomalies you saw? What were some of the more extreme deviations from what was expected?
Why do you need a towel clamp for the mare’s vulva? It’s listed in that second thread, and I’m not really sure why I’d need one. I put a pro-biotic paste for the baby in my shopping cart on 