Bonny Questions

[lyn_j]

Mares dont usually have loose stools until at the very end of the pregnancy when delivery is imminent. This I say from 30 years of horses, 0ver 20 with minis. If Bonny has had foals before she can keep a somewhat laxer vulva. That bag appeares to be a non pregnant udder. Again, not knowing that mare I could be wrong but there is no drop of the bottom line, no beginning to V down, no ventral edema, all things that would preclude a mare imminently to foal. I would get a stool sample and have it tested, often when horses are rescued they retain parasites even when wormed. I would also look at the feed changes as a reason for the stools.

I have seen many many pregnant mares an have been fooled by some but Im just giving you my opinion. As far as the Estriol test, false positives are more comon than false negatives.

My mares get ultrasounded 3 times durring pregnancy, all internal, mares from 30 inches to38 . There is no reason not to be able to do an internal ultrasound with a smaller wand, they are available.

Good luck.

Lyn

 

[Bonny]

Thanks lyn.

My mare has not foaled before so she wouldnt have a relaxed vulva from that. She is a maiden and if she is bred I dont know that foaling is imminent. She could be due any time now through November with this stallion. As I got her in december, I am just asking if her vulva looks relaxed as I dont know what it would look like.

She could be bred by a different stallion from Feb also. But that wouldnt explain her tummy growing.

I have wormed her regularly sense December but didnt do a fecal exam. If the vet cant find any foal on US tomorrow I will have him do that,so thanks for that tip. My vet doesnt have a small wand for minis so he has to rely on the external.

Thanks again everyone. If anyone can think of anything else to ask vet about while he is here that would be great.

Oh Lyn one more thing....Is this not a drop in the bottom line?

 

[Keri]

Just another thought. Can you feel movement??? Place your hand in front of her udders and move around to see if you can. Do it when the mare is relaxing. This is generally when they move about (or so with my mare).

 

[Bonny]

I havent felt anything, I am not able to try for long before Bonny starts to wonder why I am not petting her and starts to move .

but I did have to re shave her for the US tomorrow soI took a different view of the udder. There is a tiny pocket in front of her udder but I dont know if all horses have that so yall tell me!

 

[Keri]

My mare got that pocket about 1.5-2 weeks ago. And she's due anyday. They look like they are getting better. Too bad you can't get her to stand still. The babies move when the mare is quiet.

 

[Bonny]

Ok I am so glad the vet is coming today!

Bonny is acting very different this am. She is being so touchy, her tummy is almost gone but her flanks are full.She is soft all over the top of her rump and she is trying to pin her tail down. She has her butt planted against the fence but she is eating. I can hear gut sounds so she isnt colic. She is tucking her hind quarters when I go to check her softness in her croup. And I want to show y'all her vulva.

4-11

4-18

Her tummy today

Her butt against wall

 

[lyn_j]

how tall is this mare? IF she is a big mare and this is her first baby then maybe she is hiding someone in there. Usually though the tummy really drops into a definite V shape. Wish I had my other computer over here because I have good bottom line pix of several bred mares there. My maiden mare that just had her filly had a definite upside down mountain under her. The center of the belly went pointy 4 weeks ago. She foaled two days ago. Her fentral edema, the pouch in front of the bag was very puffy for 4 months and her bag filled over a period of 2 weeks.

I will try to find some pix of her in my camera.

Lyn

 

[Bonny]

She is about 34 inches tall. This would be her first foal( IF there is one in there)

Thanks again Lyn, you have been very helpful.

Lets hope the vet gets this figured out! Then I can relax!

 

[Candice]

Wow, this is very interesting. I can't wait to hear what the vet has to say.

 

[Bonny]

Wow, this is very interesting. I can't wait to hear what the vet has to say.

Me too! I just checked on her and she is munching on hay. She seems ok.

 

[Bonny]

Vet just left and US only showed GI track. He said he was actually surprised and thought by looking at her she was bred. But nope. So Ok he did say if she was bred in Feb he wouldnt trust his Us to find that. So at least I know she isnt close to foaling and I can relax!

He figures its the green grass and she will be an easy keeper!

I feel so much better!

Lyn, he is going to check a sample for parasites. Although he didnt feel she had a problem with that.

 

[Keri]

Weird! She sure fooled me! Keep us posted on what the vet does think is going on with her.

 

[Becky]

I'm really surprised your vet couldn't palpate or do an internal ultrasound on a 34" mare. I think that would give you a lot better idea of what's going on with her. My vet just ultrasounded two 29" maiden mares here today without a problem. She still looks like she could be in foal to me, but not due anytime soon.

 

[Bonny]

Well he only has a regular size probe so he cant use it on her and he didnt feel comfy palpating.

He did say to keep an eye on her udder just in case and to let him know if she gets bigger...

 

[Relic]

For years we had always had the same probe used on the minis as is used on the biggies. The vet just needs to know what he's doing and be a little more careful. We haven't had a problem after with any of the mares..our under 30" 3 year old will be scanned next week to see if she caught..

 

[Keri]

Yeah, my vet uses a normal wand to do it. Just got to be confident enough to do it, I guess.

 

[Bonny]

He has never worked with minis. She is his first and thankfully all the US he has done so far has been for free as a learning experience for him. He said he has more confidence in the blood test that read neg than his US on mini ability. But I would think we would have seen something if she was going to foal soon....

 

[lyn_j]

Too much green grass after she had been in the bad shape she was when you got her can cause a bloating and also loose stools. Im betting thats what you were seeing. I have had LOTS of mini mare experience and to my unprofessional eyes she just didnt appear pregnant at all. None of the signs indicated pregnancy to me. If this is your first mare, when you have a REALLY pregnant one you will see the difference. IT gets easier to tell later on. Even then, I had two that I swore were pregnant have false pregnancies, false labor and a phantom foal then go back to normal. You just never know sometimes!

Lyn

 

[Bonny]

I am just thankful for all the help!

He did say however that she could be preg from the Jan breding so we are going to keep an eye out for that.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I've had a mare not only look pregnant but get bigger over the course of winter and even begin to bag up around the time she would have been due. Then suddenly the bag was gone and she came in heat. The belly decreased on the sides too, just like she'd miscarried but she hadn't. It was both confusing and upsetting but I decided that the only for sure foals are the ones on the ground. THEN you can be positive you mare was pregnant.