Blood Test Inconclusive?!

[miniheart]

So I have a 32" red and white mini mare named Brick. I bought her on March 28th and was told she was pregnant and due the end of April, she didn't look large enough to be due so soon and the old owner also said Brick was 4yrs old. Well she started a small bag and I was prepared for the foal at the end of April anyway. Well the first week in May I didn't have a foal so I called the vet and had a blood test taken, well the vet came out and did the test and also informed me the mare was actually 10, not 4. I just said aw well and dealt with it but then I get a call from the vet and she says Brick's hormones are right in the middle of the yes and no. She said she called the lab and they told her it was either because she was only 70-120 days pregnant, a week from foaling or aborting but that was very unlikely. It's been a week so the vet wants to run another blood test that is used on mares in early pregnancy. What I'm wondering is could she have just been in heat? If the hormones are in the middle, does it mean a yes or a no? I know with humans, if it's in the middle then it's a yes because otherwise the pregnancy hormone wouldn't be there at all, but I'm not sure if that's the same for horses. Anyone have an idea?

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

So I have a 32" red and white mini mare named Brick. I bought her on March 28th and was told she was pregnant and due the end of April, she didn't look large enough to be due so soon and the old owner also said Brick was 4yrs old. Well she started a small bag and I was prepared for the foal at the end of April anyway. Well the first week in May I didn't have a foal so I called the vet and had a blood test taken, well the vet came out and did the test and also informed me the mare was actually 10, not 4. I just said aw well and dealt with it but then I get a call from the vet and she says Brick's hormones are right in the middle of the yes and no. She said she called the lab and they told her it was either because she was only 70-120 days pregnant, a week from foaling or aborting but that was very unlikely. It's been a week so the vet wants to run another blood test that is used on mares in early pregnancy. What I'm wondering is could she have just been in heat? If the hormones are in the middle, does it mean a yes or a no? I know with humans, if it's in the middle then it's a yes because otherwise the pregnancy hormone wouldn't be there at all, but I'm not sure if that's the same for horses. Anyone have an idea?

I would do an ultrasound. If that's not possible then repeat the test. Hormones fluctuate and doing another test may give 'better' results.

Dr Taylor

 

[cretahillsgal]

seems like blood tests come back inconclusive a lot of the time. I don't have a vet nearby to do internal ultrasounds so I use the weefoal tests to test mine. Its not fun waiting on them to pee, but the tests are pretty accurate.

 

[Becky]

After getting a false positive this past fall with the WeeFoal, I'm not going to count on them now to be reliable either. Freeland (Songcatcher) has also gotten false positives. Disappointing, as I have one little mare that is too small for my vet to ultrasound.

 

[targetsmom]

Becky-

Was that with the WeeFoal 38 or the WeeFoal 120? I believe they test for different things.

 

[miniheart]

Becky, That's why my vet wouldn't do a palpate because she has large hands and it would be too rough. Plus this mare is socialized and skittish. I've had her since March 28th and with her everyday for a few hours, working on being able to catch her, pet her and brush her and am still not making much progress, she even whimpers and shakes violently when you do finally catch her, treats, soft-talks and rubs are helping but not a lot. I don't see her standing still long enough for an ultrasound, nor does my vet.

I also don't have a lot of money to be honest, I mean they don't go without, that's for sure and some say I may over-treat my horses but taking all these tests are expensive and difficult. The first test was $130, I don't know how much ultrasounds cost around her but the vet call is $65 just to have her pull in the driveway. I should be able to just test with the other hormone test which I think is the PMCG or ePmg, I don't know the name but it was something like that haha I'm new to breeding and pregnant mares and did not want to buy this mare but my mom did it without even asking me if I wanted her and I come home and there she be! She's adorable and very sweet when she is quieted down, which is rare. I wish my mom would buck up and pay for things but well that's a whole different story! I'm only working part-time and goin to college so I make like $800 a month haha

 

[Matt73]

I got a positive at 52 days with WeeFoal 38 and a positive at 132 days with WeeFoal 120. My mare delivered a healthy colt at 321 days

 

[Becky]

I used the WeeFoal 120 with this particular mare. I got a strong positive with the directions followed exactly. The mare turned up open this spring and she did not abort during the winter.

I have used both WeeFoal tests previously with accurate results.

 

[miniheart]

Just got off the phone with the vet, I asked about the possibility of her being in heat and she said no, they tested for estrogen sulfate which is different from the estrogen hormones. I should know results tomorrow!