false pregnancy

[yellerroseintx]

ok..I had posted earlier on Bay B my little 31 inch mare that fooled me into thinking she was pregnant. Today I taped her and the darn thing is weighing in at 335lbs!!!!!!!!! Cutting her feed, since my last post she has gained 25lbs!!! She had been dropped to 1/3 cup 14 % Safe & Sound a high fiber low starch pellet.. .half a flake of hay and as of today she is now in a dry lot. (she had a small pasture with eaten down grass) what else can I do???? She now has a bag, poor thing....I keep expecting her to lay down and try to deliver this phantom baby she seems to think she is carrying...Help!!!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Are you "sure" she's not PG?

 

[yellerroseintx]

Vet did an internal ultrasound.......I am sure that is 100 %....correct?........right?

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Good vet? Knows what they are doing? Just a thought and in no way impuning the abilites of said vet.

 

[Joyce]

Baby could have been hiding and the ultrasound could have missed it.

If she definitely is not pregnant the Vet should give her a shot to make her stop thinking she is pregnant, so she won't go into a false labor and suffer.

I've had two mares with false pregnancies in all my years.

 

[Miniv]

How far along would she have been when the ultra sound was done? How experienced was the vet in doing them?

There still is a possibility that she IS preggers.

MA

 

[yellerroseintx]

Highly rated Vet..she specializes in reproduction and is highly knowledgeable of miniature horses..she has a dedicated following of miniature horse owners in Texas....so, that said I trust her completly. August 19th would have been 342 if bred before I got her......BUT...she was also running with my 2004 boys from Sept to....till I seperated and dang my memeory I can't remember just when I did that..... maybe after the first of the year.....aaarrggg CRS..I didn't think anything of it because I thought she was already bred and she was very cross with the young boys if they gor nosey...she taught them some manners.....hence solidifying my beleif she was in foal. She did show signs of heat this spring in fact I posted on that subject...but she was kept seperated at that time....so, what the heck is going on??? The other two mares I took in to my Vet she confirmed in foal, one 60 days and the other 3 1/2 months. When I had Bay B confrmed(?) in foal this February it was done by her new partner which I know nothing about. I still kick myself for not waiting for Her!!!!!$%#@

thanks for all the thoughts on this...it is very confusing and annoying to me let alone my girl.....I am having my Vet out for shots this month so I will talk with her then. Thank you again for your input, Kathye

p.s..is there still a teany chance this horse is preggers? talk about hangin on to straws..

 

[DunPainted]

I'm in the same boat with a mare that should have foaled in June. She's been dry lotted, etc. but still continues to expand. When I put her in a stall next to a mare that could foal any day, darn if this other mare gets a huge bag by the very next morning.

Called the breeder (extremely conscienscious) and asked if there is any way possible that this mare could have been bred by happenstance, i.e. through a gate, etc. She said it's possible, but not probable.

This poor mare is so fat (hall of fame halter champ) she can barely walk. What has me perplexed is that she does not like other mare's foals, so this phantom pregnancy thing has me baffled. Could she have a thyroid problem, anything?

Thanks for your time.

Cindy

 

[Ashley]

If she was that far along chances are it would block a ultrasound. She should have been palpated instead.

THat said if she isnt bred, then she could be getting fat do to lack of food. IM sorry but I feel that is to little food for any horse. JMO

 

[Marty]

I'll be she's pregnant and the vet missed it.

They do mess up.

 

[DunPainted]

If she was that far along chances are it would block a ultrasound.  She should have been palpated instead.
THat said if she isnt bred, then she could be getting fat do to lack of food.  IM sorry but I feel that is to little food for any horse. JMO

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Hi Ashley:

Can you explain what you mean about her horse getting fat due to lack of food. Is it because her metabolism is slowing down to compensate for the lack of nutrition, thus making the problem worse?

Thank you.

Cindy

 

[Ashley]

That and, you know the look of the staveing kids in africa???? I have seen many horses that arnt necessarly pot bellied but you can tell that they look that way because they are not getting enough to eat.

What mare are you haveing a problem with Dun?

 

[yellerroseintx]

I don't think she would be classified as underfed. If I fed her 4-6 cups twice a day she would founder and die...I had her on 1 cup 2xs daily the last month when I thought she was with foal....the feed I am using is wonderful and all reports are excellant plus ranchers are reporting a decrease in amounts needed to keep horses in peak condition and that includes performance/breeding .....I know there is a great controversy on the subject of feeding these guys and I am far from experienced..I just know what works for me. and my horses. and location. My big 1150 lb appy only gets 2 cups 2xs daily and is huge also..this is Bay B end of August and yes she was also palpated..in fact Vet was in there for awhile so to speak...

 

[Ashley]

Yes she is heavy. SHe looks like a heaver boned mare as well. She doesnt look pregnate fat at all either.

Personally if my horses are not working or nurseing they dont get grain period.

 

[capall beag]

I would start walking!!!!

She must be a real easy keeper!!!!!! Why can't they call us that when we put on weight!

I have a little 29" mare like this and I thought she was pregnant, still second guess it a bit!

But I think she is just portly!

I think the only way to help ehr shed the pounds is to exercise her!!

We are starting our exercise program today because I could loose some pounds too!!!!!!

My mare gets 2 cups of 14% protein, 3.5% fat am and pm, sprinlking of BOSS, 1 dry cup of beet daily and a mix of hay and alfalfa cubes. I can't cut back on her food more because I think she needs that but I think she needs to move more!!!!!!!

These little minis are tricky!!!!

 

[yellerroseintx]

here is her today yes I turned her out for awhile......so I should stop her grain altogether?? That doesn't make sense..firsat it was too little than none is better..I am soooooo confused...aaaarrrrggggg

thank you capall beag....i also could use the walking..hee hee..glad I am not the only one with a portly little mare..

thank you Ashley for your input and information...it is sure an ongoing process learning about these guys

 

[Ashley]

I feed hay only. 3 horses get 2 flakes a day here now, in the winter they will get 4 a day.

If she isnt doing anything but basically being a lawn ornamint she dont need grain. If you are gonna start working her daily to help lose weight then keep the grain there.

I just feel that 1/2 flake a hay aday isnt enough.

Edited to add----- Those pics look like a preggers belly to me.

 

[yellerroseintx]

I know ..if she drops anymore its gonna hit her knees....and drag the ground

 

[pepperhill]

ok..I had posted earlier on Bay B my little 31 inch mare that fooled me into thinking  she was pregnant. Today I taped her and the darn thing is weighing in at 335lbs!!!!!!!!!  Cutting her feed, since my last post  she has gained 25lbs!!! She had been dropped to 1/3 cup 14 %  Safe &  Sound a high  fiber low starch pellet.. .half a flake of hay and as of today she is now in a dry lot. (she had a small pasture with eaten down grass) what else can I do????  She now has a bag, poor thing....I keep expecting her to lay down and try to deliver this phantom baby she seems to think she is carrying...Help!!!

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[pepperhill]

ok..I had posted earlier on Bay B my little 31 inch mare that fooled me into thinking  she was pregnant. Today I taped her and the darn thing is weighing in at 335lbs!!!!!!!!!  Cutting her feed, since my last post  she has gained 25lbs!!! She had been dropped to 1/3 cup 14 %  Safe &  Sound a high  fiber low starch pellet.. .half a flake of hay and as of today she is now in a dry lot. (she had a small pasture with eaten down grass) what else can I do????  She now has a bag, poor thing....I keep expecting her to lay down and try to deliver this phantom baby she seems to think she is carrying...Help!!!

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I had a mare do the same thing last year. It was a completely false pregnancy since she was never anywhere near a stud, but she bellied out, bagged up and then tried to steal everyone elses baby! She even produced milk by the gallon. In this case the vet palped her instead of ultrasounding her. She had been a brood mare in the past, and her body just decided to keep on doing its thing. Eventually she shrank down and dried up.

Speaking of unusual, I had another mare that went into full blown, classic labor one stormy night. I sat up for hours in a dark corner so I could watch but she wouldn't give in to it. I finally went to bed. The next morning I ran out to see the new baby, and there she stood, calmly munching hay, her belly big as a house and her bag close to bursting.. No baby. Over the next 2 weeks she got thin as a rail and her bag completely dried up so we called the vet. The vet had no explanation and said she didn't appear to be pregnant ...maybe another false one. I took her to a friends house to get bred and left her there for a few weeks. It went well and they were seen heing and sheing many times. Three weeks later my friend called and said we had a baby on the ground!!! It was a perfect palamino filly, normal in every way. I'd like to know where that mama kept her hidden all those weeks because her belly sure didn't look full! They sure can do some funny things. We named the baby Mystery.

I had some thoughts on the nutrition thing. I adopted a little mini filly some time back that had that pot belly thing going. After we determined that it wasn't worms, the vet explained that when horses are under or mal-nourished, they get pot bellies. (Just like those poor little kids we see on TV in those impoverished countires) It is directly related to their protien consumption so just filling them up on sweet feed won't necessarily help. Protiens, fats and vitamins/minerals are what is really going to help. She showed me how my little filly had a big pot belly, but was actually ribby under her coat and I could feel her spine as well. A really fat horse doesn't have the ribs near the surface or the spine jutting up as much. She said it can take months or even a year to fix the pot belly with nutrition. We are still working on it. Good luck!