Mare bleeding from teats

[Minichick]

Just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this. I have a Scott Creek mare over here in Ireland and she is approaching her foaling date. She always develops a large milk vein but not much of a bag. When her bag does start she foals within 5/6 days. She has now started bagging so I tried her for milk to test but instead of fluid she expresses blood very easily on both teats. She is not sore or hot and is eating well and drinking. Perhaps this is something simple but have never seen this before.

Hopefully someone will be able to tell me what this is while I am waiting for my vet to contact me.

Thanks in anticipation

Mandy

 

[Jill]

I've never had that happen, but wonder could she have mastitis?

I do think I read here before, though, that some mares just do this pre-foaling and it's not something the person who posted worries about. Not sure, but maybe someone who knows better than I will chime in.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

If it was post foaling, I'd say Mastitis. But prefoaling? No idea...

 

[ohmt]

I believe what you've got is mastitis.

Here is a link with information: Mastitis Info

ETA: Glad Dr. Taylor answered! Hopefully it's not mastitis then

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Although mastitis is most common after foaling, you can have mastitis at any time in a mares life. But, in the horse it is almost always associated with swelling, heat, and fever.

This is just likely blood from inflamed vessels in a mammary gland getting ready to produce milk. I doubt its a problem.

Dr Taylor

 

[Minichick]

Many thanks for your fast replys.

Thank you Dr Taylor for your reassurance, didn't feel it was masitis but was unsure what it could be. Maybe I am just an over cautious mum.

Thanks again

 

[shadowpaints]

i had a mare last year that post foaling, i think it was 2-3 days later, she all of a sudden had bright blood instead of milk. the foal got very sick. it was NOT mastitis. we ended up bottle feeding the filly for 2 weeks until the mares milk was back to normal. vet said it was almost as if the mare had busted a milk vein, we tried to milk it out of her but the blood never went away.

i would watch her possibly have the vet look at her!!

good luck

 

[MountainMeadows]

I have had that happen once to me and the mare foaled that night. A couple of others in my area had also experienced it and there were no adverse affects, mare foaled, milk came in normal, no other issues. I would be cautious about checking her too frequently at this point, my vet's thought it was a broken blood vessel even tho I was very very gentle when expressing the milk.

I will say that it is pretty shocking when you are expecting colostrum or milk and you get a spoonful of bright red blood instead

 

[bannerminis]

Hope your mare will be ok Mandy and looking forward to seeing the new baby

 

[Minichick]

Your right, it gave me quite a shock when I seen the blood but hopefully everything will be fine.

Thanks Karina and yes I will post pics if all goes well.

Thanks

Mandy

 

[attwoode]

Sounds like it may just be inflamation, but I've heard this may also be a symptom associated with prepubic tendon rupture. I believe there are also other symptoms such as significant ventral edema and sagging which would help identify if this is potentially the problem.

 

[Mona]

I had a mare do this a couple of years ago. I was pretty "freaked out" by this too, but it was "nothing" in her case, other than maybe a blood vessel pop or something. The foal was born about 2 weeks later.

 

[Miniv]

We also had it happen when the mare was getting close and we were testing her "milk". (This was several years ago.) The mare's bag was not warm - like mastitis would be -- and our vet said it was probably a broken blood vessel. He just advised that we not continue testing.

I was a bit freaked out and asked him - what if there's still blood in the mare's colostrum when the foal nurses??? He shrugged and replied, "More protein?" This was me >>>

Everything ended up fine.....

 

[Minimor]

I agree it's likely a broken blood vessel; I have seen it, no big deal, just avoid trying to squeeze out any milk for a few days.

 

[yankee_minis]

I've had this before- prefoaling. It turned out to be nothing. Ya, right... it is pretty scarey, but but it is true. Vet told us to stop checking her milk. So we checked the other side.

It only came from one side and nothing bad happened when the foal started nursing.

Worry a little, but don't worry too much.