Need help to know if birth is near?

[momma]

I have a mini we have had for about 6months and finally the vet was able to say she is def pregant.... She baggin up and has dropped in the withers and butt and her tail is very loose..Need advise on what to look for for labor signs..... The vet says she already some babies .. so that good.. Just still would like to know if we think birth is comin soon... You def can see the baby movin .... Thanks muchs...I Have looked stuff uponline but just thought i give this site a write too..

 

[Rocket's mom]

The inside of her vulva will be a deeper red than normal, possibly with some blood vessels showing even darker red. She'll start biting at her sides a lot, and my mare backed herself into a corner and constantly pushed back against the stall, probably to relieve pressure. Good luck!!!

 

[Miniv]

Wash her "udder"/bag with warm water and a little bit of liquid soap. Then dry it - hopefully she will like that, many experienced mares do. While doing that, massage her bag gently, squeeze her nipple(s) and check the liquid that you get on your fingers or your hand. Tap your thumb and forefinger a couple of times with some of the liquid there. If it is syrup or honey like....She is VERY close.

Have your FOALING KIT easily accessible......(Do you have a foaling kit? If not, check our website in our "Health Pages" for a list.) I think there are other sites for a list under "The BEST of Miniature Horse Forum" if you do a search.

 

[White Socks Miniature]

I have been waiting for my mare for the past two weeks! She started bagging up at 298 days, and it has never gone down, just gets bigger, all around her tail head is soft to the point where her tail head actually looks elevated. She scratches her behind lots and her vulva is longer than it has been. Her Belly is dropped more and she is looking slimmer from a top view, but she has been like this for two weeks and think she is going to hang on for at least a little while longer!

She will probably get more restless, kick and bite at her belly, get up and down, roll, milk will change color and get thicker ect. A really good site to check out is Crayon box miniatures and she has a page dedicated to foaling signs! A really good thing to do is watch her, know what her "normal" is, sometimes when labor starts they will change their behavior and patterns. every horse is different though!

Good luck!