Okay, I am REALLY, REALLY freaked out now!

[nnadams]

I had another topic going about my mare who started leaking milk 2 nights ago and still hasn't foaled. Well, since she started leaking milk, I have not checked her milk with the test strips because why would I? I mean she is obviously about to foal, right? NOT!!

We have been watching her 24/7, her milk was dripping down her legs for the last 2 days. Tonight, I go to put her in the barn for the night and I look at her bag. Well, it does not look so swollen anymore, so I feel it. It is definitely still full, but not feeling so engorged and painful anymore. So, I decide to check her milk with the test strips. The milk is opaque creamy white, CA is high, but now after her pH being between 6.2 - 6.5 for at least 2 weeks, her pH has went BACK UP to 7.8!!!! WHAT?????

Oh, and she does not appear to be leaking milk anymore.

I felt for foal movement because I start thinking the foal must be dead, but the foal is still alive and kicking so someone, PLEASE explain this to me!!!!

 

[cretahillsgal]

I don't know what to tell you.

I had a maiden mare do this about 2 weeks before she foaled. Not leaking as much as you described tho. Bag went way down after a couple of days and never came back up till after she foaled.

 

[nnadams]

I don't know what to tell you.

I had a maiden mare do this about 2 weeks before she foaled. Not leaking as much as you described tho. Bag went way down after a couple of days and never came back up till after she foaled.

Well, that is a little encouraging, but why would her pH be doing that?? Should I assume the pressure is off for at least tonight? After a couple of weeks of her acting like she was going to foal at any minute, she is back to acting normal.

 

[valshingle]

All I can tell you is that mares don't read the book. Personally, I would not let down my vigilance. Mine tend to foal when I've decided that they are not going to have it that night.

Good luck!

 

[nnadams]

I can feel the pain. My mare, Eva, who foaled on March 22nd, did this to me. I was watching and watching her for over 3 weeks, testing her milk which was a full bag, but never hot nor swollen looking, and her pH was running 6.0 - 6.4 for more than 2 weeks.

The thrid week the pH was back up and I couldn't figure her out. Her bag got less full and she just went back to eating her hay and wandering. One morning -- low and behold when I least expected it, I was met with my little bay colt -- right as I entered the barn! Guess she knew I was getting sick of waiting, and she didn't want another lecture!

Thank you !

I am glad to know someone else has experienced the pH going back up after being so low for so long.

I did finally let myself get some sleep last night. I waa going to sleep for a couple of hours and come back out even though I knew I should not leave. I could not keep my eyes open any longer and Beauty was acting completely normal. When I came back out at 5 am this morning, another one of my mares had just foaled. I had missed it by 30 - 45 minutes! I sure was not expecting that mare to go yet. I am just so happy that all went well. It was a leggy bay colt with a tiny little spot of white on his forehead. I will post pictures later tonight, I hope.

 

[Eagle]

That is great news. Congratulations

 

[Miniv]

They sure like to keep us on our toes!

None of them follow the rules...... Congrats on your surprise.....and I would still watch the other mare closely.

 

[AnnaC]

Oh oooop's LOL!! Dont they just love to suprise you! A few years ago I had several mares due close together. One decided to foal and I was assisting her, when the mare two stalls down also decided to foal - luckily both were straightforward foalings. But just as I was taking a breather and watching proudly over my two new babies, blow me if a third mare said "me too" and promptly produced her baby, simply quitting eating her hay, going down and pushing out her foal - hay still in her mouth LOL!! After all that excitement I spent half an hour walking up and down my barn saying "Any one else want a turn - I'm right here girls, now's your chance" But the rest of them were either munching on their hay or snoring their heads off in dreamland!

Many congrats on your suprise baby - hope your 'watched' mare hurries up for you.

Anna

 

[nnadams]

Oh oooop's LOL!! Dont they just love to suprise you! A few years ago I had several mares due close together. One decided to foal and I was assisting her, when the mare two stalls down also decided to foal - luckily both were straightforward foalings. But just as I was taking a breather and watching proudly over my two new babies, blow me if a third mare said "me too" and promptly produced her baby, simply quitting eating her hay, going down and pushing out her foal - hay still in her mouth LOL!! After all that excitement I spent half an hour walking up and down my barn saying "Any one else want a turn - I'm right here girls, now's your chance" But the rest of them were either munching on their hay or snoring their heads off in dreamland!

Many congrats on your suprise baby - hope your 'watched' mare hurries up for you.

Anna

WoW!! That's amazing! I would love for that to happen

All these nights I have been spending in the barn, I have been looking down each side just begging anyone to please foal! We have joked about having 3 or 4 in one night, but I have never heard of that actually happening!! Too Cool!

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

I know nothing about pH so I can't help you. If you were testing calcium levels that would be very indicative and tell you what's going on.

 

[nnadams]

I have another mare that had yellowish clear milk last night, this evening I saw white drops on the ends of her teats and squatted down to get a closer look. A couple drops dropped down. So I hoping she will go tonight. If so, that means 4 mares will have gone before Beauty who I thought would be the first to go!

 

[nnadams]

I know nothing about pH so I can't help you. If you were testing calcium levels that would be very indicative and tell you what's going on.

Nathan,

I check for both pH and calcium. Her calcium level was at 1000 or higher along with her pH testing at its lowest which has always been a definite indicator in MY experinces that foaling was close. After 2 WEEKS of this, her calcium dropped to about 750 and her pH came up to 7.8 and has stayed that way for this past week.

So, what do her calcium levels indicate to you because I am just stumped!

I had a 5th mare catch up and over take her 2 mornings ago. All my other mares have kindly gone by the book

 

[ionafarm]

Mares go back an forth a lot bagging up and going down. If they are out during the day and they come in and the bag is still hard , then you are closer. The one thing that I want to say is that if your mare has been dripping so much that when the baby is born, that you should have your vet do a passive transfere test. You may have lost your colostrum. May still have lots of milk, but if she has lot the colostrum you are in trouble. If the baby does not get a high enough reading, then it will need a plasma transfere. If it doesn't get it, then it suddenly dies. It is worth checking.

 

[kristi@berrett-ranch]

Thank you !

I am glad to know someone else has experienced the pH going back up after being so low for so long.

I did finally let myself get some sleep last night. I waa going to sleep for a couple of hours and come back out even though I knew I should not leave. I could not keep my eyes open any longer and Beauty was acting completely normal. When I came back out at 5 am this morning, another one of my mares had just foaled. I had missed it by 30 - 45 minutes! I sure was not expecting that mare to go yet. I am just so happy that all went well. It was a leggy bay colt with a tiny little spot of white on his forehead. I will post pictures later tonight, I hope.

Congratulations on your colt

,

 

[nnadams]

Mares go back an forth a lot bagging up and going down. If they are out during the day and they come in and the bag is still hard , then you are closer. The one thing that I want to say is that if your mare has been dripping so much that when the baby is born, that you should have your vet do a passive transfere test. You may have lost your colostrum. May still have lots of milk, but if she has lot the colostrum you are in trouble. If the baby does not get a high enough reading, then it will need a plasma transfere. If it doesn't get it, then it suddenly dies. It is worth checking.

Yes, the mare did drip for almost 2 days straight. She has not dripped since then and it has been another 1 1/2 weeks. Now when I express a little milk to test, the milk that was white, has turned back to opaque yellowish-white. Can colostrum build back up like a local horseman just told me recently?