Is she or isn't she pregnant

[Bonnie's Mom]

I bought a mini mare who was hand bred on July 4th of 05. When I got her she was a bit chubby so we have been working on getting some weight off slowly all winter. Well she looks better but when I clipped her a month ago I thought she didn't look due in June so I had the vet do a progesterone test. It was supposed to take 24hrs and it took a week and in the meantime they could not get ahold of the Lab where the bloodwork was being done and they did find that strange that it took so long. THe results came back that she is not pregnant but either I am in denial or seeing things. I think I see her abdomen hanging low and moving, she is full of milk. This would be her fourth baby in a row and the second time bred to the same stud. I did call the people back I bought her from and then they told me that she was hand bred but then left in pasture with the stud till Sept....so that means she could be due from now till August. THe one vet around here that does ultrasound doesn't do minis. Should I have the progesterone test rerun and how accurate are those tests. HELP!!!!!!!

Tracy (Bonnie's Mom)

 

[Bonnie's Mom]

See her pictures from a couple of weeks ago. And she was just put in the grass for photos,

: she is normally in dry lot so this was taken less then five minutes after she was in the grass. So not a big belly from eating all day.

: I need to take some more today.

http://tracysanimals.shutterfly.com/action/

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]If she is "full of milk" then she is bred. There is only a window of time where the progesterone assay test is accurate and an estrogen sulfate test is more acurate because it looks for a hormone put out by the placenta if it is there... My vet is very good with minis and says that test isnt very accurate. How tall is this mare.... she is still rather chubby and if just in front of her bag is full that can be from fat. If you can hand express some fluid then she is due in june or july. August she wouldnt be making milk yet I dont think... I have a 37 inch mare that doesnt look much bigger than that in the belly but there is fetal movement and she never really looks pregnant. She is starting only now to bag up and she is due by ultrasound next sunday.You have a cute little girl there tho and her white looks so cute against the green grass! Stick a golden horn on her forehead and she could be in a fairy tale![/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[Bonnie's Mom]

She is just 32 inches tall, a little bitty thing and yes she could loose some more weight.

: I notice her neck is still fat and other areas as well. when I checked just to see if she had milk I barely tried to express it and it came squirting out all over. Surprised me. I just wondered if mini's ever had a "False Pregnancy" and could have milk like that? So at this point what you are saying is if my vet is just having progesterone test run it will not be very helpful in solving this mystery.

We love Bonnie and think she is adorable and she is a sweetheart. She is mostly "Soats" My husband had cams put up and I was brushing up on my midwifery when my vet did the test cause I was having doubts as she isn't huge like I see many minis who are pregnant are. Then he tells me she is not and so we are just dumbfounded I guess. So now you give us hope and make me for sure to keep keeping a close watch on her in case she is pregnant. It is the unknown that is driving us nuts.

:

Thanks Lyn for your helpful input.

Tracy

 

[pepperhill]

Yes, minis can have false pregnancies. They look bred and produce a bag that you can express milk out of. I must say, however, that the bag doesn't get so full as to be easily milked. If your little mare has enough that it just squirts out, then I think you might have a real, not false pregnancy! If it is that full, you may even have one sooner than you think. Don't let size throw you off. I had a mare foal last weekend that I had just decided 3 days earlier was not bred after all! I don't know where she was hiding the kid in there, but it sure didn't show! It looks like waiting is the game you will be playing!

:

 

[Miniv]

I also think that if you were able to express milk that easily, she is probably pregnant and due fairly soon!

Did you notice how thick and/or sticky the milk is? And check her butt muscles to see how soft they are.

As for her weight, if she is indeed pregnant, you do not want to have her on much of a strict diet right now. Once that baby is born, it will help pull her weight down some all by itself.

If she's still chubby when weaning time comes, then - yes - a gradual diet would be good, in my opinion.

Oh, and I agree with Lyn about the pregnancy blood test. There is only a small window of time when it gives an accurate reading.

MA

 

[Bonnie's Mom]

Milk was not sticky and thin and fairly clear. After what Lyn said, I went back to really look at her bag from underneath and it is fatty deposits in the front, bag is not full and tight like they usually get. She is not loose in the rear end. I thankfully do know to look for all that as my quarter mare has had two foals in the past 15 yrs. Been awhile and not quite the same I know.

:

That is what I was concerned about as well, trying to restrict her diet a bit more if she wasn't pregnant and really had not been overfeeding all winter and she has just lost gradually. BUT if she is pregnant I would not want to cut her down too severely and take from the baby..She was boss mare at her other home and ate everyones food. Here she only has her own. I guess she has a history of obesity.

:

Thanks for all input, this really stinks not knowing. Anyone know any mini vets in SE MI?? The old vet I worked for I called today and he has mini's and he missed on his own before and thought they weren't bred when they were. I yi yi

Tracy

 

[Miniv]

Tracy,

If she is indeed due in late May or early June, the milk wouldn't be sticky quite yet. So, yep - it's a waiting game......UNLESS you want to try palpating her (which I don't like to have done, myself. ) The other alternative is ultra-sound, but if the baby is dropped at all, you may not see anything there either!

:

Your situation is reminding me of what we went through a few years ago. Experienced broodmare.....we knew had been bred and she mushroomed out sideways, we fed her like she was pregnant.......she even produced milk and went through all sorts of signs. Twelve plus months and NO baby.

: False pregnancy. So she was put on a diet. Following year she produced a great looking colt and she's never given us another tricky pregnancy again.

In other words........it's the waiting game, unfortunately.

MA

 

[Bonnie's Mom]

I am taking Bonnie to another vet tommorow. He is going to try ultrasounding her from the outside. He has two ultrasounds, a portable and a regular one. He can't promise we will be able to tell but he is going to give it a try and if that doesn't clear the mystery up, I may just have him draw blood and do the other test that you were talking about Lyn as that is the one he uses.

I thought I remembered people saying that an external ultrasound on minis would not work? Or was that only in the beginning pregnancy stages? I know the beginning it has to be done rectally but has anyone had one done externally in late stages of pregnancy?

So keep your fingers crossed that we can tell one way or another!

Just hate to have my whole summer waiting for something not happening.

:

Tracy