Would you Ultra Sound?

[happy appy]

Would you Ultra Sound during the last month of the pregnancy if the pregnancy wasn't confirmed?

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I said no for two reasons. .. first I feel that it is usually visibly apparent that late as to whether or not they are bred plus don't have that long to wait to find out. ... the other reason is I think it could be intrusive enough that if they are close could put them into labor prematurely. .. not sure if that is possible but would worry me. ..jmo

 

[eagles ring farm]

As Melinda said it is usually visibly apparent that late as to whether or not they are bred plus don't have that long to wait to find out.

you can tell I copied and pasted but that is my thoughts so she saved me some typing...lol

 

[AnnaC]

I too voted no simply because, as the others have said, even if you cant tell, at least you haven't got long to wait for the matter to be confirmed or not as the case may be!

 

If you're in the last month, and all visible outward signs says 'pregnancy', then you wouldn't need to at this point.

If you are unsure she is pregnant and going on projected or possible due dates, with a mare who is not showing any other visible signs of pregnancy, you might have the vet palpate her first, and if the vet is not finding any signs that there is a foal inside, then the ultrasound would simply be confirming whether or not she's pregnant.

If she is in the last month of pregnancy, the vet should be able to tell without ultrasound that she is pregnant.

So, my answer would be 'conditional' on outward signs and vet's opinion.

 

[happy appy]

Ok so I had decided to not us before this poll and now I'm sure I don't want to do it.

I have 2 sisters that were bred for Mar 29 foaling but the past owners cant tell me anything about their gestation and length of pregnancy. Nothing about udder development or the size they get. One of the sisters I would have to say is for sure in foal but with very little udder, the other sister isn't as large but has a bit more udder. Neither has had a heat since arriving at my house last June. I swear I saw movement on both the sisters but I always second guess it.

Smile was a rescue that I bought from the feed lot in Nov. She was terribly underweight and has gained a lot of weight without any grain, just hay. She has the biggest udder of the lot but I'm really not sure what she normally is like under there because she was so scared when she first arrived that I couldn't touch from her belly back on her body. It's just been in the last month that I can touch her all over without getting my head kicked in. She doesn't seem to have a baby belly though.

Then there is Lily. She was just rescued from very poor conditions and very under weight, for a donkey that is hard to do. Within a month her belly had ballooned to the size it is now. She has been here 2 months now. The owner said that the jack got in with the Jenny's on July 19th so that would make her due July 19th. I have had 2 vets tell me that there is no way she will make it to that date. She has almost no udder but her teats are always full and firm. Lily had movement last night while I was playing with her belly.

Last we have Sugar who loves to be in foal. I sold the stud on June 8th. I never bred her to him and I am not aware of anytime that anyone made a mistake and turned them out close to each other. The fence that divides them has a 3 foot space between fences. Sugar is getting big. No udder but she normally udders up 3 weeks before foaling and always goes between 346-348 days. That would put her at the latest to foal May 22. Sugar normally has very little movement until 2 weeks before and then only for the week with no movement the last week.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

I think your question is a little vague. Here are some different ways to word it and I think the answers might change.

1) Is u/s'ing in the last month dangerous? Internal u/s is no more or less dangerous late in pregnancy than early. Late in pregnancy external u/s can be emloyed which is nearly 100% safe.

2) Do I really need to know if my mare is pregnant or not? If you question her ability to foal on her own, then knowing if she's pregnant and relatively when she's due will save you a lot of sleep and worry. Every year I see many mares who 'looked pregnant' and didn't appear to cycle, but are a month or greater overdue. Most of those mares are open. It may not bother you much to expect a foal in March to only find out in April that she's open, but if she wasn't due until June and you waited until July to get her checked then now you've missed 2 years of breeding.

3) Is the value to u/s'ing only finding out +/- pregnant? Human OB/Gyn's u/s very infrequently early in pregnancy and increase the frequency as parturition nears, especially if it is deemed a 'problem pregnancy'. As many people consider all miniature horse pregnancies to be at greater risk of problems, then why not u/s more frequently?? It would be helpful to know if the foal was in normal presentation, the placenta is normal thickness, the amniotic fluid is clear, and the size of the foal matches the birth canal. U/S is able to provide far more information than just +/-.

Dr. Matthew Taylor

 

Thank you Dr. Taylor. We always look forward to your expertise and appreciate your explanations.

 

[AnnaC]

I'll second that thanks Dr Taylor. It is also great that you keep an eye on our forum here and are willing to step in with knowledgeable information when we need it.