Vaccinations during pregnancy?

[Bullzeye]

First off let me say that when we purchased our little mini, she was purchased as a pet. We had no intentions of ever breeding her nor did we know she was pregnant. So please forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject. Vet says we should expect a foal in April or May, his best guess. I've been reading as much as I possibly can, trying to get the best possible outcome for mom and baby. I am torn on the subject of vaccinations. I have seen some say it has caused fetal death and I just don't know which way to go with it. I don't believe she was vaccinated within the last year. We have had her for about 2 months. My vet also recommended Buckeye Grow-n-win but no one carries it . What would be comparable to that formula? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[happy appy]

I have mine vacs done 4-6 weeks before due date with Rabies and tetanus. I would go with any mare and foal feed that you can get locally. Just feed according to the directions on the bag. Good luck!

Of course we need pictures!

 

[AnnaC]

Hi and welcome, you have come to the best place for help to get your new unexpected baby safely on the ground. Sorry I cant help with the vacs as I'm in the UK and apart from tetanus we dont need them here, but others will help answer that question for you.

I expect the vet sugested the Gro and Win as he felt your little mare was carrying enough condition at the moment, but just needed a boost of 'extras' as she will be foaling soon. Here I use our Spillers Gro and Win for my pregnant girls as they get close because they are already rather 'fat' - I'm being polite!! Also mine have free access to a good quality mineral and vitamin lick - something else you could think about - but as Tina says above, any good quality mare and foal feed would be suitable.

Your little girl looks very cute if that is her in the picture - how old is she and how tall? Can you get any info about a possible sire from the previous owners?

And yes pictures would be great as they will help us to see how she's progressing - one 'side on' from down at her level (not with you standing up looking down at her) and one from the back, again down at her level, would be great to start with.

Again, welcome, and please ask any questions however silly they may seem, we just want to help you get this little baby safely delivered.

 

[Bullzeye]

Thanks for the kind words. I took a few pictures this afternoon but not sure how to post them from my phone...

 

[Ryan Johnson]

If you look down the bottom you will see More reply options , You can upload Via that

And Welcome , You have come to the right place to help get that baby safely into the world

Cheers Ryan

 

[Bullzeye]

They aren't the best but this is what I got today.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

Is she appaloosa bred? I thought those looked like striped hooves and mottled boobies. Diane would like that. She is our SPOTS specialist!

 

Oh, she looks good. And yes, she's carrying some appy genes by the look of that mottling on her udder with those striped hooves! Does she have mottling other places -- like on her muzzle or under her tail?

As to vaccinations, giving her the 'standard' vaccinations 4-6 weeks prior to delivery is just fine.

She looks good! Lopsided is just perfect at this stage. Keep the questions coming. We're here to answer anything you have a question about -- no question is too silly. We all started at the same place and we're here to help you learn as much as you can. We have several good threads pinned at the top of the forum here that should provide you with some good information on the birthing process to help you prepare. But ask anything. We're here to help!

 

[Bullzeye]

What would be the "standard" at this time frame? The vet, who I was not at all impressed with shot off a long list of vaccines, which kind of overwhelmed me. I just wouldn't want any harm to come to the little one in utero. This horse has probably never had any vaccines before as well as not having her hooves trimmed for years, unfortunately she wasn't cared for as she should have been by her previous owners.

She does have some grayish coloring on her muzzle now that she's shedding. Her teats are parted and pointing straight down, does that mean it will be sooner than later?

 

[Bullzeye]

Today's pic....

 

[AnnaC]

From that last pic I would say that you have a little while to go before she foals - her tummy will appear to drop and move forward as the foal gets lined up ready for the birth. But this can happen very quickly so you ned to watch for other signs as well - elongating of her vulva and a developing udder. Is her udder starting to fill - in the early stages of development udders usually fill more when the mare is stalled overnight and then go down during daytime exercise outside. Once the udder doesn't change after outside time but remains 'filled', then this is another sign that foaling could be close (in normal mares that is, and have to admit there are not many of them around!! LOL!!).

How old is she - she may have had foals in the past which could be the reason why her teats are pointing downwards, although downward pointing teats together with a full udder would also be a sign that she is close to foaling. From her pictures I would have said that she needed more 'groceries' to keep her condition improving, so you need to look into a good quality mare and foal feed and get her slowly started on it as soon as possible. Do you have a safe stable for her - she needs to get used to and happy about being shut in at nights for when she foals - and one of a suitable size for a foaling mare, plus big enough for a new foal to have a scamper around should the weather outside be bad for a day or two.

Have you had a read of the pinned thread above - lots of useful info to help guide you through the process of foaling.

She's a very lucky little girl to have found you, we will do all we can to help you and her through this foaling!

 

I would suggest a Mare/Foal feed at this point, too. There are many varieties, and I've used the Purina Omolene 300 very successfully. What you're looking for is a feed high in protein content. She should be getting the full ration now in this last trimester. Also, I'd supplement with Alfalfa hay -- which gives the protein boost and acts like a tummy soother also. If you can't find the alfalfa hay, you can use alfalfa cubes, or pellets (which you can add directly into her grain feeding).

I'd also say, she has a little while to go, as you will see baby move "forward of center" in her profile picture. I also think baby will drop a bit more. You're doing fine and she looks like she's coming along. I would suggest getting her hooves trimmed to get her standing more comfortably upright, as in the picture it looks like her front hooves are a bit long and could be uncomfortable. But you're doing fine in getting her in condition.

I would just suggest a 4-way or 5-way vaccination at this point which will give her some overall protection that she can pass on to baby. I usually time mine to be given 4-6 weeks before expected delivery.

 

[Bullzeye]

I bought a bag of Purina Omolene 300 yesterday. Vet did day she needed to gain some weight. I also have read through all the pinned posts, which were very informative. I am currently putting together my foaling kit with the list that was supplied . Waiting on a farrier to come out too. Doing my best and waiting impatiently Thanks for the suggestions! Oh and I don't think she's necessarily bagging up, but I did get a few drops of clear fluid from the teat. Don't know what that means. She has foaled before from what I'm told. And she does have a stall, haven't started putting her up at night yet though.

 

[Jill]

We aim to and have done ours about 30-days pre-foaling with a 3 or 4 way shot.

Alsdo, we dose the mares with ivemectin immediately post foaling.

 

[Bullzeye]

We aim to and have done ours about 30-days pre-foaling with a 3 or 4 way shot.

Alsdo, we dose the mares with ivemectin immediately post foaling.

What is in the 3 way?

 

[Jill]

It's a 4-way, sorry... Flu (1), Eastern & Western Encephalitis (2 & 3), and Tetanus (4).

I never remember if the encephalitis is "worth" 1 or 2 of the 4 in the 4-way.

 

A 3-way, 4-way or 5-way -- any one of these would be fine to give. Some include some 'extra' things, but a standard 3-way would be just fine. It's pretty much whatever your vet carries. Any would be good for her to have soon, since we're still a bit unsure of her 'due' date. And we also recommend worming her with Ivermectin within 24 hours of the birth.

Thanks, Jill.

 

[crisco41]

if you are closer then 4 weeks is it still safe to give a vaccination? what if it could only be a week or 2?

 

I would speak to your vet about that, but someone here may know about giving it closer than 2 weeks.

Is this her "booster" or her first one? If it's her annual booster, and she's never had any adverse reactions to it in the past, then I would think it would be safe to give. But it a "first" for her, I'd hold off until after foaling, since she's so close.

 

[happy appy]

My vet wont give shots once there is only 6 weeks until due date. She said it's too risky