mares milk? or lack there of!

[mightymiracles]

My mare is so close, I was told when we got her that she doesnt bag up till like the morning of but I dont totally trust the source. I dont know exact dates she is due but she cant go to much longer because of the time frame I got her in. I guess my question is what do you do when there is no milk? Do you use goats milk or buy replacer and is the replacer formulated for mini's or does it not matter the sugar intake ect....

What would you guys do?

I dont want to be caught unprepared.

 

[pinck43]

Are you sure she is bred?

 

[Mona]

It is a good idea to have some foal milk replacer on hand, "just in case". IF she actually does bag up the day she foals, that would be OK, but if she doesn't have milk for that foal, that can be a problem. That baby needs lots of colostrum and needs it ASAP after birth. The stomach will only digest this for so many hours after birth. The best time frame is spread out from birth, over the first 12 hours of it's life. They NEED the colostrum to live....they will die without it, so it is EXTREMELY important that you are prepared if you are concerned she won't produce it on her own right away. Contact your vet about this ASAP for an acceptable colostrum substitute. Good Luck!

Edited to add: Just to clarify, the milk replacer will not replace the colostrum...it was just something to feed for milk...the colostrum is different.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I agree that you should definitely have some milk replacer and some colostrum on hand before any horse foals but I have had mares bag up after they foal it all depends on the horse but its best to be prepared in case she doesnt bag up in time or ever.

 

[Joanne]

Mona is right. Equine vets usually stock colostrum replacements during foaling season and these can be administered by the vet. It is always a good idea to have some stored frozen in the fridge if you have more than one mare for just this problem.

I have had a few mares that bagged up the day of foaling, or (far less common) right after they foaled. Each mare is different. But I do agree that being prepared is ideal.

Best of luck to you.

 

[palsminihorses]

Domperidone is a wonderful product that I have used in the past. It's in a paste form and can be given to the mare before she foals to help with milk production. Ask your vet about it.

Pam C.

 

[Miniv]

Yes, as posted above.......It's wise to locate a COLOSTRUM source BEFORE the birth. If you have an equine vet, he or she will most likely be able to help you with that.

Once 48 hours have passed after the birth, and the mare still hasn't produced milk (or ENOUGH milk), you can switch from feeding colostrum to a Milk Replacer. We had good luck with Foal-Lac in the powder form and just added warm water.

It's always better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully your mare is just a "late bloomer" and will bag up at the last minute.

 

[Carolyn R]

Domperidone is a wonderful product that I have used in the past. It's in a paste form and can be given to the mare before she foals to help with milk production. Ask your vet about it.
Pam C.

Sometimes it can take awhile, but I had fabulous results with it last year. Mare foaled, foal was nursing, but there wasn't any milk. I applied warm compresses while someone ran to the clinic to pick it up (35 minutes away). I administered the paste and continued the compresses we had milk and colostrum in less than an hour. The foals IGg levels were great. Best to have a back up of colostum, but domperidone is great to have.

Carolyn

 

[Minimor]

Just to clarify--domperidone brings in milk, but won't cause the mare to produce colostrum, is that correct?

We had a mare that didn't bag up much for her last foal (in '06)--I wasn't concerned to start with, because this mare usually bags up last minute & then has plenty of colostrum & milk. This time, she didn't--she had enough colostrum, but just would not produce milk. There was a little, just enough to keep her colt going, but he wasn't thriving on it. Apparently it's impossible to get domperidone here...I tried, and did not succeed. So, this foal ended up being supplemented with goats milk--I kept the local grocery stores pretty much cleaned out of fresh goats milk that summer! I'd mix in a little bit of corn syrop, and the colt loved it--did very well on it too.

If you buy a commercial milk replacer you do want to make sure it is specifically for foals.

 

[Carolyn R]

"Just to clarify--domperidone brings in milk, but won't cause the mare to produce colostrum, is that correct? "

That is correct. My mare had a very slow surge of colostrum. I was seringeing in between the warm compresses (while waiting for the domperidome) and what I was getting was translucent and had the consistancy of glue. The milk was on its way but it just wasn't happening quickly enough (naturally). The domperidome hurried things along quite efficiently.

Carolyn

 

[Jill]

Last year, my vet didn't think two of my mares had enough bag from my description and had me start them on Equidone. One foaled the next day, plenty of milk and IgG test perfect. The other foaled a few days later and that foal didn't have a good IgG and needed a plasma transfusion -- to this day, I think maybe the Equidone caused her to come into the milk too soon / too full and she leaked the colostrum. I don't know this for sure, but it's what I think.

If you question the milk at all, you want to be right on top of things when the foal arrives and see how much there is and be sure to have the vet out for the IgG in case the foal will need a transfusion to get the needed immunity.

Good luck!

 

[CheyAut]

My mare went into labor and had NO bag. I asked the vet what I should do about it, and she said they don't have colostrum (just great!) so if I couldn't find a source (friends, other vets ect) we'd have to do a plasma transfusion. (when my next mare foals I'm going to freeze some!) But as for the milk, she told me to use goats milk. (didn't have to as the foal didn't make it)

Jessi

 

[mightymiracles]

Thank you guys for all your expert advice. I am trying to stay on top of things and be prepared. In all my years of breeding large horses I never worried about much of any of the stuff I am with the minis. I just want to be ready and if I dont use it fine.

She has a section right in front of her teats that is puffy, I dont think its a bag coming. Last time I saw this happen was a mare had a large swelling down mid abdomen where she was getting an edema, where the milk was not getting through, but my mares is right in front of the teats and is real soft, its just weird, I have never had a mare come into milk (if she is...it would be great) like this before.

Again I appriciate all the advise from everyone

 

[Mona]

She has a section right in front of her teats that is puffy, I dont think its a bag coming. Last time I saw this happen was a mare had a large swelling down mid abdomen where she was getting an edema, where the milk was not getting through, but my mares is right in front of the teats and is real soft, its just weird, I have never had a mare come into milk (if she is...it would be great) like this before.

Would it be like this type of swelling you are referring to in front of her bag?

If not, can you post pics? You are not 100% sure on the breeding dates though, correct? Maybe she is due a few weeks later than you thought she might be?

 

[Versatility Farm & Training]

Something I do to be sure I have colostrum available... If a mare looses her foal, say has a dystocia and the foal doesn't survive, milk her right away! Save the milk and freeze it. You can also do this if the mare does have the foal on her side, but make sure the foal gets to nurse a few times first and only if the mare has tons of milk. If you do that its free, and you'll have it on hand, and its natural, every thing the foal needs.

You can give the mare Donperidone to induce the lactation process, but I wouldn't so it until the foal is born and see if she makes milk on her own. If you do it before she foals she may produce so much that she's in pain &/or drips/squirts the milk and then you can loose all the colostrum to the ground before the foal ever gets a chance to get it.