My Mare Aborted Last Night for the 2nd Time

[BeckyG]

One of my favorite mares aborted last night. She was at 280 - 290 days. It was scary, as the baby was not in the correct position. (But luckily we were able to correct the positioning.) She passed the placenta, and she is well. Which is the most important! But it is such a heartbreaker!

The last time she was pregnant she also aborted late-term. Both times she seemed exceptionally healthy. Although a couple of days ago she did loose interest in her grain, so we were watching her closely. But she continued to grazed comfortably and would eat her alfalfa/hay.

Our other mares have continued to deliver full term. This seems to be isolated to the one mare. She has foaled before, but now the last 2 pregnancies have ended in late-term abortion.

I have read about rhino, placentitis, and low progesterone levels as potential causes. But I am in information-overload. You guys have the real-world experience, and I sure would appreciate any insight you can provide.

I would love to have her foal again, but right now I am very inclined to stop breeding her.

Thanks for your help,

Becky

 

[AnnaC]

No advice to offer I'm afraid, but just wanted to say how sorry I am that this has happened. I'm sure you will get help from others on here, they are such an informative and helpful bunch.

Hope you get something sorted for your mare so she can give you the foal you want - and for her sake too.

Good luck!

Anna

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

I am very sorry for your loss. I know first hand how heart breaking this is.

May I ask..... Did you give a pneumabort vaccine? Exactly when was it given in correlation with the late term abortion? I had a loss this year 36 hours after the pneumabort vaccine was given.

You may also wish to give the mare regumate daily, after she is vet checked in foal next time and do NOT stop it until the mare foals.

Robin

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

Ive got the same issue with one of my mares, last two years she aborted late term. My vet strongly thinks it is placentitis due to an infection so I am going to have her cultured and flushed out really well so that I can breed her again. I would just talk to your vet and see what they think, I am lucky to have one that specializes in equine reproduction so I listen to pretty much whatever he says LOL!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm sorry this happened.

My advice would be for you to contact Charlotte at Reflections directly and discuss with her. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience and was able to get me through this very issue with a mare once. Not every situation is the same, but she and Frank know a TON about the whole neo-natal care process.

I followed her advice and got a top ten filly out of it.

I hope all works out for you and your mare.

 

[albahurst]

I am also so sorry.

In addition to what others have suggested:

If you can send the fetus off to have a necropsy, it might tell you if it was rhino. This would eliminate or confirm that possibility and narrow down the choices for you.

 

[little lady]

Was the cord twisted any? Only other thought would be possible placentitis. Sure would have the vet check her. So sorry for your loss.

 

[HGFarm]

Have you had your vet do a culture? Has she been flushed and run a course of SMZ's for a couple of weeks? My neighbor's mare had a horrible infection and it never showed up what it was on a culture!! And it was pretty gross!

Also, perhaps they could do a biopsy to tell what her uterus is doing- I forget the name, but it grades the uterus, etc.... I am sure someone here knows what I am talking about.

 

[txminipinto]

Take her into a vet who specializes in repro work (or at least does a lot of it). She'll need to be cultured and biopsied. She may be a mare that has to be on Regumate until term.

 

[valshingle]

Vet, vet, vet. If you don't know a good repro vet for minis, PM me and I'll give you the phone # of mine. She is tops and very experienced with minis. Best guesses are #1 placentitis, #2 rhino that causes abortions, #3 regumate needed to maintain pregnancy.

Rhino can be detected from the fetus, if you still have it.

Good luck!

 

[Julie/Azariah]

I am so sorry, it is hard to lose a foal, especially so close to delivery.

Were you checking to see if she had developed an udder?

I always start checking my mares udders very routinely the last several mos. I have treated mares who started developing their udder around 280 days or so several times with SMZ, Regumate and Banamine (the treatment for placentitis) and we have had normal healthy foals. The one I didn't treat ended in a late term abortion at around 280 days.

I would definitely be talking with a repro vet.

Best wishes as you try to figure this out. I hope you get a wonderful foal from her in the future.

 

[targetsmom]

I am so sorry!! I have been in your shoes, except my mare ended up at the hospital for 5 days. They thought is was rhino so she was in (expensive) isolation all that time. Then our other pregnant mare went full term and the foal didn't get out of the sack. So zero for two that year.

What I did to get our very first live foal the next year (2009) was to 1) give rhino shots the next year to both mares and 2) put the mare that aborted on Regumate for most of her pregnancy. The result was Max (see my rotating avatar) who made any hassle or expense WELL worthwhile. OK, we were still only one for two....but the mare that aborted was the one that gave us Max.

 

[wildoak]

Becky, so sorry you lost a foal. Don't know who your vet is, but Dr T in Salado is the best repro vet in our area. Call me if I can help you.

Jan

 

[ShaunaL]

I'm so sorry you lost your foal - that's really tough

I have been through this twice now with 2 different mares, one is 21 and one is 18. In my situation, one lost a foal at 283 - 290 days in 2008, culture came back clean, bred her and kept her on Regumate until she foaled a healthy beautiful colt at 315 days. She will be on Regumate for all future pregnancies and I don't anticipate any problems. The other hasn't had a surviving foal for quite a long time. She had an abortion at 6 months when I got her, had a 282 day colt who died the next year and is at 258 days now. Clean cultures after each abortion/pre-term foal. Don't know if she'll make it to term but we are trying hard!!

There is some great info on the forum on maintaining these problem pregnancies.

Anyway, I hope it's nothing serious and that she just needs Regumate. Best of luck, keep us posted on the diagnosis!

 

[bannerminis]

So very sorry for the loss of your foal

. I really hope you get an answer and maybe next yr and beautfiul baby from this mare

 

[BeckyG]

Thank You, Everyone!

I really appreciate your kind thoughts and guidance. It was all so very sad and upsetting, and it helps so much to have some direction. (The knowledge & experience on L'il Beginnings is tremendous and your compassion so encouraging.) I will follow-up on your suggestions.

Jan, I have heard good things about Dr. T, though I have not used her myself. I will give her a call.

Thanks for all your help!

Becky