Destiny having twins? Ultrasound question

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Destiny4ever

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I know I posted below pictures of Destiny's belly and how dramatically it has dropped in the past two days. I am 100% positive on her breeding dates...I didn't buy the stallion until July 5th and he wasn't on the property until July 6th last year. She was in heat and bred for an entire 4 weeks (the whole of July). There was NO stallion NEAR my property before or after that period. She is in my backyard so I would know, and its very secure so no "stray" stallion got to her.

Several people have mentioned the possibility of twins. How often does this occur? If it is twins its got me REALLY worried. Large horses have enough trouble delivering twins, much less a 29.5" miniature. My question is, since she was never ultrasounded, should I have her ultrasounded now to see if she is indeed carrying twins? IF she is there is nothing we can do at this point I would assume..except know that we should have a vet present when she goes into labor?

Also, would she drop earlier if she were having twins, and foal earlier, like human women?
 
[SIZE=14pt]I only know of one recorded twin birth out of a 37 inch mare in canada that was full term. If there are twins in there it is not likely that she will carry to term. If this stallion is considerably larger or has larger horse behind him in his pedigree then that could be the cause for your large baby. Mares dont usually have "sprung" bellies and rib cages until they have been bred 4 or 5 times. A really small mare with a very large baby usually will foal early since there is only so much room.[/SIZE]

Lyn
 
Yes I was also worried about her having a large foal. However the stallion himself is 31.25" and he has all small lineage. On his pedigree he had no ancestors over 34" and his dad himself was Ashly Acres Bruzzie (26.5"). So he has small lines. And all of his foals have been reasonably small..between 14-17" tall at birth. Destiny's last foal was 20" at birth, but she herself is only 29.5".

Maybe it could be a throw back? Destiny's sire was 26.5" and her dam was 36". I hope she doesn't foal too early..but from the pictures does she look like she's getting close? I think so. But her vulva and bag are "normal". I'm keeping a CLOSE eye on her. I really hope nothing happens to her. And am considering having the vet out to take a peek and see if we need to ultrasound or do something (my vet won't palpate her..she is too small).
 
I can totally understand why you would be worried. But if It was me, I would have an ultrasound to find out for sure if she is having twins or if its a large baby or if there is going to be any complications if it is a large baby. Just my opinion.
 
[SIZE=14pt]Personally I dont think she looks that iminent. I think that her being so short and the way her conformation is that is the only way she can carry a foal. If she has 34 and 36 inch parents and grand parents and they are more densly boned that can be a large baby. A 20 inch baby for a 29 inch mare is pretty big too. Anyway she is going to look lots more pregnant sooner than a leggier mare.An ultrasound at this point isnt going to show much because the baby is already getting big. They are the most acurate before 4 months. Once the babies structures get larger you just get big patches of dark.[/SIZE]

Lyn
 
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I'm afraid I'm coming into this thread/subject late......but if your mare is at all short-backed, it may be the reason why she is carrying her pregnancy low.

Just for your own sanity, you may want to have her ultra-sounded to see for yourself what is going on inside and how the baby is doing. However, there will be a point in the pregnancy where an ultra-sound won't show a whole lot....

MA
 
Well I just got off the phone with the secretary at my vet's office. They can't get me in until next week, but will call me with a time in the next day or two. Agh it's going to be agonizing until then. I needed the vet out anyways for my friends' horses' teeth to be floated and my Thoroughbred needs a new coggins drawn. I'm so worried, Destiny is my baby.
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She's between 6-7 months pregnant, so would an ultrasound be a lost cause? I was hoping if they could at least tell if the baby was going to be large for her..or if she were carrying twins... :new_shocked:
 
[SIZE=14pt]They wont be able to tell you that from an ultrasound at this point. Especially an external ultrasound. Ultrasounds that are acurate are the internal kind and usually done before 4-5 months. [/SIZE]

Lyn
 
So what do I do? Just hope she doesn't have twins in there and that the foal isn't too large? I thought they were like humans. I just had my son in November and they could ultrasound me right up to my due date and make sure everything was okay.
 
It is very unlikely that your mare has twins inside of her. However, she definitely could have a "big" baby for her size. You just won't know until foaling time what's going to happen...

Of course everyone understands your concern and I did see the pictures of Destiny. She sure looks huge but I agree with Lyn that a lot of that is probably due to her conformation IF you are 100% positive of her breeding dates.
 
Maybe it could be a throw back? Destiny's sire was 26.5" and her dam was 36". I hope she doesn't foal too early..but from the pictures does she look like she's getting close? I think so. But her vulva and bag are "normal". I'm keeping a CLOSE eye on her. I really hope nothing happens to her. And am considering having the vet out to take a peek and see if we need to ultrasound or do something (my vet won't palpate her..she is too small).
There is no way she could be "close" to foaling, if those breeding dates are correct. At this point, if she is going to do anything......it would be aborting.
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I tend to think like the others...that she is just small & showing her pregnancy sooner than most.
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