horse pregnancy tests? Do they work?

[dmkrieg]

Hello,

I am thinking about buying a pregnancy test for a couple of my mares. I want to have them checked beforwe I start training them for show season. I hate to waste my time if they just happen to be bred. I was going to have the vet out but its so expensive. It will cost me close to $175 to have one pregnancy test done so I was thinking I might try and purchase a pregnancy test kit for the mares I am planning on starting in driving training.

Can you please tell me if you have ever used one and if so which kind and did it work?

I know there is one that uses blood from their muzzle. (ouch) Which kind of freaks me out. I don't know if it hurts them or if its no big deal for them.

Or

there is the Urine test? How hard is it to get them to pee where you can catch it to take a sample. I know most of my mares will urinate as soon as they get into their nice and clean stall, "Bad babies, I just cleaned that OH! " hahaha

Let me know what you think.

thanks

 

[Songcatcher]

The test you refer to using a drop of blood from their muzzle is the Pregnamare test. It is only accurate in the early stages of pregnancy, between day 40 and 140. The urine test is reliable between day 100 (I think, be sure to check) and the actual time of foaling. Collecting the urine is relatively simple. Use duct tape (or similar type) from side to side to tape a styrofoam cup just below the vulva. Place a paper towel inside the cup to hold some liquid in the cup in case it is dropped. Check often. Much easier than trying to hold a cup while the mare is urinating.

 

[wiccanz]

I have not used Pregnamare, but have used both the Wee Foal Checker and Foal Proof tests.

Both are great, very accurate (so far anyway) and easy to do.

 

[Mona]

I have used both the PregnaMare(where you poke the lip for the blood droplets) and the WeeFoal Urine tests. Both are easy and accurate, BUT, they must be used in specific time frames after breeding, as per previous posts. This time of year for me, requires the urine tests, as they are past the allowable time frame for the PregnaMare.

 

[Connie P]

I have used Pregnamare faithfully and I LOVE IT! It is Very accurate and yes as Mona has stated it has to be used within a specific time frame. I believe that is between days 40-120 - but I usually test about day 80.

Hope this helps!!

 

[dmkrieg]

Sounds great. I will remember that for my other mares. I have one mare that i just got that has been running with a stallion so I don't know when she could of even been bred. So I guess for her I will have the vet come out and check her.

thanks everyone for your help.

Debbie

 

[SuzE]

Check out Lynne Rauch site, http://www.rauchsminiaturehorses.net/ she sells them. I have bought them from her before...she WONDERFUL to work with and her delivery is fast! You won't be disappointed!

 

[Carolyn R]

I used the pregnamare in the past. It worked great, but this year I let my stallion run with the mares and just had the vet come out and do an external ultrasound. Between my observance in the mares heat cycles and the vets measuring of the limbs, we were able to narrow the due dates to a 2 week window (give or take). I spent I think $35 on each pregnamare test plus overnight shipping, the test needs to kept refidgerated, the vets ultrasound was $40. It just made more sence to have the vet come out.

Carolyn

 

[nootka]

I used WeeFoal this year. It came up negative, but that was not a surprise.

It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be as there are no directions with it for collecting the urine (that is a USDA thing, I was told). Hubby finally laid tarps over the whole stall and we got some from there.

I heard later about the sanitary napkin method (using a pad instead of the styro cup), and that would have been FAR easier.

Anyway, I would do it again, but do mind the guidelines and let the test warm to room temperature as well as the urine cool. (i.e. not a cold test and hot urine).

Liz

 

[CheyAut]

I've used both, last year and this year. I won't use Pregnamare again. I feel HORRIBLE using it, b/c I have a VERY hard time getting enough blood... I have to use the lancet several times! And I don't get good results.

I used the Wee Foal both last year and this year as well, and get accurate results and it's MUCH nicer to use. Not the easiest thing to get urine, but if you do a search on here you'll get lots of ideas how to. I put a sheet on the mare, and make a "diaper" using a washcloth pinned/bailing twined to the sheet. On the washcloth I put a female sanitary pad. Then I can squeeze out the urine. It doesn't take much at ALL. I did it very recently on one of my mares, and didn't get the washcloth right, so it didn't get urine in the pad. Just the end of the cloth. However, I still tried squeezing it out, into a bottle cap, and got more than enough out of just a tiny bit! So I don't find it too difficult. I'm going to use it on another mare pretty soon. The only thing that I don't like about it is, you have to wait till they're 120 days. Oh well though! I recheck if my mares come in season, and I just get a feeling of if they are pregnant or not. THen I use the test to confirm.

Jessi