Mare Aborted

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Boinky

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Ok.. my mare aborted yesterday morning. My vet is 1 hour away and was the only one in the office this week and didn't want to come out. She had afterbirth hanging out maybe a couple inches above her hocks. He told me to drive over and get Oxytocin, Pennicillin, and Bannimine for her and to give her a course of 1/2 CC oxytocin every hour for 4 hours to see if we couldn't get it to expel. Anyhow... didn't seem to work it only came out maybe 3 or 4 more inches mas. Still had it about the same place this morning so of course had to take her in to get her flushed and he tried lavage to see if he couldn't get it out and he said it was still firmly attached and couldn't get it out..to take her home. and gave her more oxytocin. Wanted me to bring her back every day until it expels to be flushed and then for at least 2 days after.

Anyone else have any problems like this?? Lets just say at this rate if it stays in much longer this is going to be a REALLY pricey problem..... Any guesses on how long this thing should take to come out???
 
Oh dear, I HATE it when the placenta is retained! The worry alone is enough to make me shudder. I think the longest I've ever had a mare retain a placenta was about a day, the repeated oxtocin shots didn't work and the vet had to get it out by hand. That placenta smelled to high heaven, ugh!! Then we had the mare flushed and put her on antibiotics. She ended up being fine and has had several foals since.

I sure hope it comes out, and soon. Sending prayers and good thoughts for your mare!
 
a day as in a full 24 hour day or as in just like through the daylight hours of that day (example i mean)? it has been over 24 hours now for my mare.
 
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My heart goes out to you and your mare. I am so sorry for your loss. I hope she recovers soon.

keep us posted.
 
I am sorry you lost your foal.
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I had a mare do that last weekend. She tried to abort a chestnut pinto colt, but he was butt first. I had to haul her to the vets and the vet had to find the back legs and bring them up and out, then he was able to pull the foal. I left the mare there as she did not release the placenta. The next AM, Easter Morning, when they vet came into the office, the placenta had still not released so he had to manually remove it. Then he flushed her for two days and put her on antibiotics for another 5 days.

You do not want that placenta staying inside the mare as she can founder, let alone the rotting of the placents can infect the mare. I am surprised at your vet :DOH!

Good luck and I would call another vet if yours does not want to be more active in careing for your mare.
 
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l feel bad for you and the mare...a few years ago we had a retained one where the drugs didn't work. The vet had us bring her into the clinic after the first day and they manually pulled it which took about 4 hours of someone sitting behind her tugging it down over and over not hard very gentle l was watching and it almost put me to sleep. lt did come out was a nice bill and the mare ended up with laminitis after that and she was sold as a pet. The vet at the time said it was a worry being in that long because it could cause blood posioning...did you call another vet...l don't always trust all of them and have learned to always call another to see if he would do the same as the first one..
 
I've only had this once and the vet "pulled" it out. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast but it came out. Then she was flushed and on antibiotics.

I really think you should consult another vet if possible. I'm sorry this has happened.
 
Oh Hillary I am so sorry. We have one that the placenta came too quick and you have one that it didnt come at all or very little I would be getting really worried about infection at this point. I agree with others if you can find another vet even if you have to trailer her for a longer distance find someone who really knows what to do.I am assuming the long tail is tied up to create more weight and downward force. I am so sorry for your loss. Please keep us posted about your mare. Did vet say why the placenta wants to stay? My first thought was to create some kind of weight to help it along but one would have to know what they are doing to do that. Good Luck and hope by now things have moved along. Prayers for a good outcome for your girl.

Nita
 
Well, there seems to be a lot of this going around. I just had the same experience as Riverdance, mine was on Tuesday and the mare ended up in the hospital. She retained the placenta for 18 hours and they were soaking her feet in ice, flushing her, antiobiotics, isolation... My understanding is that when the placenta stays in that long, it starts to decompose and produces toxins(?) or something that can cause infection and worse. My mare just came home within the past hour. She was flushed again this morning and will be on antiobiotics for several more days. You don't want to think about the bill, but at least we didn't lose her and they don't think there is any permanent damage. It sure is great to have her home!

I am so sorry that you are going through this.
 
I am so sorry the foal was lost, and that you are having to deal with this complication on top of that tragedy. I had this happen today to my first mare due.

I hope you can get better help from a different vet, soon. Hope everything goes well for your mare's recovery.

(((Hugs)))
 
Very early Thursday morning my neighbour came knocking on my door to say that she thought something was wrong with her Standardbred mare that was pregnant, could I help? I went over with her and when I went in the stall and lifted her tail there was a tongue hanging out! I felt inside and her head was in there but I went up to my armpit and couldn't find anything but neck and shoulders wedged tight. I said call the vet. He came and with his longer arm managed to snag a foot. We spent an hour and a half pulling out a very beautiful, big but dead bay filly. Fleurette, the mare, must have spent the night trying to push her out.
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The vet left. I spent the day giving her shots of oxytocin every so often and still the placenta stayed in there. I think her uterus was just exhausted. Called the vet back in the mid afternoon and he came out and lavaged her twice. About 80% of the placenta was still attached!!! He gave her some IV antibiotics and left for the night. We gave her some Uniprim in her evening meal and tried another shot of oxytocin hoping that after the rest maybe she could do it. This morning that sucker was still hanging there!!! I greased up and worked for an hour and a half and got more of it off VERY CAREFULLY but I was tired and sore and there was still quite a bit attached. Out came the vet again. He lavaged her again and worked for another hour and a half peeling placenta. It is STILL IN THERE!!! He gave her some more antibiotics. We gave her penicillin about an hour ago - 50 cc's in 4 spots. More penicillin tonight. More Uniprim in her evening meal. He is coming back tomorrow to lavage her again if it hasn't fallen out by then and I think he WILL be here
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cause it is still hanging now at the same length it was this afternoon. He called the vet college in Guelph today and that is all they could suggest to do - keep lavaging, lots of antibiotics and PRAY or bring her to them. I have her out in the snow and mud to hopefully keep her feet cold and we are leaving her there overnight. She has a fever of 104 so we have her well blanketed. I don't know what else to do?????? I sympathize with you wholeheartedly!
 
Awful. I've never had one retain more than a few hours but a neighbor's Andalusian mare foaled recently and retained hers the better part of the day. The vet spent about an hour flushing and manually working it out, finally got it but it was a long slow process. Poor girls put up with a lot in this process.

Jan
 
We have had several retained placentas over the years. 2 of them were 7 days each and the mares ended up being fine-no founder.We tied a 16 oz bottle of mineral oil on the placenta for some added weight.the vet came daily to do a uterine flush on the mare and give shots of penicillin.It got very stinky, but finally came out on its own.My vet said to Never pull it out-danger of leaving a small piece.This was just my own experience.I am sorry for the loss of your foal.Hope your mare is going to be fine.Keep us posted.
 
Hillary,

I don't have advice to offer, but wanted to tell you I'll be keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers. I know what it's like to feel helpless. I'm sorry that you're going through this and hopefully things will take a turn for the better very soon.

Jodi
 
Thanks Jodi,

You guys have been in my thoughts too. Tracy had told me you were having some problems with your new little one since i was on the run all day and hadn't been able to read your posts. hope things get better for him too!

Well i went down and checked on her a few minutes ago anmd give her her banimine and her hooves were nice and cool. I had also tied some weight to the placenta earlier (probably a couple pounds of nuts<metal ones..lol> in a bag and tied it to it.... and it actually looked like it had come out maybe 4 inches or so in the last couple hours....maybe it's just streach? do they streach that much? LOL hoping the dang thing will come out tonight or at least enough so he can get it out in the morning!!
 
Prayers for that placenta to be waiting in the morning completely intact and that your mare will be fine.
 
My mare that aborted in February & had retained her placenta. It came out after about 6 hours. I just kept tying it up every time it looked like it stretched past her hocks. I gave her oxytocin every half hour and walked her ALOT. Around 10 pm I was walking her in a lit area and saw some "rags" my husband left laying out. I was ready to curse him and then realized it was her placenta.

If you think it looks like it is stretching, chances are it is slowly detatching, just keep tying it up to a point you can use as a visual marker.

I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

Carolyn
 

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