Poor foaling history?

[Reijel's Mom]

I adopted a mini mare and gelding this weekend. The mare is most likely bred as she's been running with a stallion or 2. The previous owner indicated that since she's had the mare, she's had 1 stillborn foal, 1 live and fine foal, and this spring a premature foal that died shortly after birth. The mare herself did fine with each delivery.

We've had one other mini baby born here, out of a maiden mare, and all went well. With a questionable foaling history like this new mare has, what questions/suggestions should I have for my vet?(I love my farm vets but have found that I do need to be proactive). While I understand and am mentally prepared for her not to have a live/healthy baby, I would like to do what I can to help if there are things I can do to help (outside of the standard good nutrition/vax, etc).

Thanks!

 

[Genie]

what age?

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Make sure you get an idea on when she could be due. Keep a real close eye on her. And I would keep open contact with your vet and keep your vet in the loop as to what she does.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

I think she's about 7 but I need to confirm that. As far as when due, I'm trying to pinpoint what month she lost her foal this year, but right now I just know it was sometime this spring so anytime after that.

 

[Miniv]

I would have her ulta sounded, if possible. That would help give you an idea with how far along she is.

Also, don't blame the mare. It sounds as if each situation was different and from what you describe of the previous owner, who knows how she had been maintained through her previous pregnancies or watched for each birth. That may be a diplomatic question you could pose to her.

No matter what, as your mare shows she's getting close to birthing, I would watch her like a hawk. Many of us invest in a camera system and beepers if possible.

 

[targetsmom]

We have found that past foaling history does not predict the future very well, at least for us. We bought one mare mostly because of her wonderful foaling history - 4 gorgeous, show quality foals with flashy movement - and she has had 3 dead foals and only one live one for us. The one thing you CAN do is to get your mare vaccinated for Rhino at 5, 7, and 9 months gestation. Rhino can cause abortion or even stillborn foals that don't get out of the sack, which we suspect is what happened to our mare twice. The other foal she lost was a horrendous dystocia. Read all you can about that (do a forum search) and have your vet on standby a few minutes away (ours lives on the next street). The other thing is to not let the mare out of your sight once she is very close to foaling.

 

[Genie]

We have found that past foaling history does not predict the future very well, at least for us. We bought one mare mostly because of her wonderful foaling history - 4 gorgeous, show quality foals with flashy movement - and she has had 3 dead foals and only one live one for us. The one thing you CAN do is to get your mare vaccinated for Rhino at 5, 7, and 9 months gestation. Rhino can cause abortion or even stillborn foals that don't get out of the sack, which we suspect is what happened to our mare twice. The other foal she lost was a horrendous dystocia. Read all you can about that (do a forum search) and have your vet on standby a few minutes away (ours lives on the next street). The other thing is to not let the mare out of your sight once she is very close to foaling.

"ditto", the past is no predictor for the future and even with cameras I have found that if all is going well I miss an easy birth and if there is a problem I can get there sooner if I have the camera.

 

[Riverrose28]

I would do as miniv suggested and have her ultra sounded, make sure the vet has the machine calabrated for mini's, not big horses. Also if you can't afford a set up like mare stare or expensive digatal camera systems you can purchase a baby monitor system from WAl Mart or Target that come with a small camera and a small black and white TV monitor, it is analog and will work as long as your barn is no more then 500 feet from the house. You won't need to have a wire, just electric in the barn. I like to stall my mares in at night after 300 days, as I've had some deliver at 305/310 days, some even with a small bag. In my experience mini mares really need to be monitored for delivery, and there is a lot more info you need to know, if you don't already. Let us know if you need more or any help, we are here for you.

 

[mizbeth]

Yes, I agree Maryann, does not sound like the old owner paid much attention to this mare when she was foaling.

You do need to find out if possible when the mare is due, but usually the mare will tell you, you just have to watch them closely. When her bag starts changing - she could foal anytime after that. ( I know, sometimes that is weeks ), but if you breed her again, keep track of the dates.

Good luck with your mare/gelding.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

Thanks everyone for the responses, I do appreciate them. I will not be breeding this mare again, ever. 1) We are up to 7 minis right now, more than enough, especially if we might bring that total to 8 this coming spring!

. 2)I'm not a breeder, my minis are just pets for me, and while I did breed for one baby to add to our family 4 years ago, this adopted mare doesn't have confirmation that needs to be carried on, though we won't love her or her foal any less because of that.

Four years ago, I took my own mare to a stallion, so I knew when she was bred for and watched her like a hawk, and read this forum a lot, so I have a little bit of experience, anyway, and growing up on a hog/cattle farm helps a little, though there is a lot more emotional investment in these guys! My mare kept me waiting and waiting, she foaled at 350 plus days (have the notes written down but not here with me, I think she may have been at 354). I didn't invest in a monitoring system with her, I just watched her very closely and stalled her at night starting around day 300, and started night checks as I thought she was getting close. Like many of your mares, by the end, I think she'd had it with the constant udder checking, pictures, etc.

Things will certainly be more challenging with this wee mare, dealing with the unknown, and being nervous about her history - and she's tiny, maybe 30 inches, while my girl is a larger B size - though she was a maiden and of course this mare isn't. The lady I adopted this mare from let me know today that she foaled in the early spring last year when it was still cold out. For those that have mentioned that the mare may not have been watched closely during foalings, that is possibly true, though she did say that this mare has no problems with the actual foaling and she has had problems with 2 of her other mares foaling. They are very nice people that I got her from, but I think they are just dealing with some big stressors right now that make it harder to care for the animals. I think it was sweet and good of them to give them up to a home where they are going to be loved and spoiled, I know that is hard for some folks to do.

So, none of you would recommend antibiotics or any kind of drugs to keep a pregnancy longer, then? That area is where my inexperience really kicks in, and where I may have to prod my vet a bit. I do know I will be looking into getting some colustrum.