Pregnant mare-no bag-when do you worry?

[CountryHaven]

Okay, I have a teeny maiden mare. This girl is looking ready to foal (not visually, you can barely tell she's pregnant), but she's roughly due (April 7th is her actual due date). Watching her this morning after I turned her out into the yard to eat her hay with the other girls, she's doing a little dance. It's funny to watch actually. She takes a few bites, then backs up about four feet like the baby is putting pressure on her butt. Then she walks forward and takes a few bites, shakes her head, turns and bites her side, goes back to take a bite, stretches a back leg, takes a bite, backs up about four feet. Every once in a while she'll vary the routine by shifting from one back leg to the other--not quite grasshopper legs, but close. She's been doing that in her stall at night for a couple nights too. So, I think we're pretty close, if not today, close.

Okay, sorry for the long explaination, but my thing is, she has NO bag at all. Flat as a pancake. I've only had one mare that had no bag (maiden at the time) until the day she foaled then she blew up about 8 hours prior. All the rest of the mares (although none of them were maidens when I had them foaling) had developing bags well prior to foaling, and textbook udders at the time of foaling. I know from this wonderful board that the 'no bag' thing isn't all that uncommon, but when do you worry? I've read here lately of mares not letting down milk until an hour after birth. How long do you wait before you call the vet?

I mean, I may be worrying for nothing. Maybe this afternoon she'll blow up a bag like Mirri did that first year, and by the time she foals she'll have a nice little bag of milk... but just to be safe. I'd really like to know when you guys would call the vet if she didn't. Would you call the moment the foal is born... would you wait a half hour, hour to see if it came down?

I have no problem at all in calling the vet, but am I being an alarmist if I call him the moment the foal is born if the mare is dry?

 

[kaykay]

hi tami

i would be so worried too! i have never had a mare do that either. If it was me and she foals and still has no bag I would call the vet out to give her one of those shots to try and bring her milk in. Im sending prayers that you have a live healthy foal soon!!

Kay

 

[CLC Stables]

Tami I am with you, maybe be thinking of having that vet on call...........I have a mare at 330 today with a tiny little weanie bag.........she is maiden too. My mare that is due a month later than her has more bag.........I really am not a fan of these maiden mares.

 

[Magic]

This is the first year in a long time that I don't have any maiden mares due to foal, but some of my experienced mares are different than usual with their bags this year. Only one is "firming up", the other three still have quite soft bags (though they are enlarging).

CountryHaven, is there any way that your mare has had access to fescue?

And no, I wouldn't think you were being an alarmist if you called the vet as soon as she foaled if she still had no bag--- better safe than sorry any time!! Good luck with her.

 

[Aubrey715]

I have seen this too many times in maidens. We had one the other week that had absolutely no bag the day before she foaled but had one after she foaled. These maidens can play tricks on you by doing weird things. We have a few more maidens due this year and one in the barn over due, she hasn't bagged up either but she is about to pop. She is bagging up a little but i am pretty sure she will bag up right before she has the baby. If your mare has the baby but has no milk i would definitely call the vet right away. Aubrey

 

[MiLo Minis]

Has it been confirmed by ultrasound that she truly is in foal?

 

[CountryHaven]

Thank you for the responses guys.

Rob, yeah, me too, Maidens are a pain. LOL

Aubrey I appreciate the comforting relating experiences. A lot.

No she couldn't have had any access to fescue. I keep all my mares on dry lots all year round. (I know, poor things, but they always have plenty of hay.) I also know the source of the hay very well, and know there's no fescue in it. None of my other mares are doing this. Although they don't have firm bags, they're not due for 4-6 weeks either, but they do have beginning bags.

Also, just for the record. Perhaps I was a bit of an alarmist anyway. She has stopped doing all her dancing around and is calmly eatting. However, she's still acting witchy to other mares, and is not 'herself'. I do think she's very close, but perhaps tonight, or tomorrow. Maybe even a few days yet. (rolling eyes as I contemplate no sleep at all for however long she decides to do this.) So she may bag up yet. I DO appreciate all the responses though. Any other comments to console me is greatly appreciated.

 

[Relic]

Our 4 year old maiden is due April 2 and has no bag at all same size down under as when she was a 3 year old and 1 inverted nipple to boot. l do have saved milk from 4 last years mares who were loaded with the stuff in the freezer so well use that in case there is a problem with her after she foals. But we have usually always had milk within 2/3 hours after if not shortly before on the maidens. But like everything you never know for sure what can go wrong and sometimes timing is an issue if not prepared.

 

[CountryHaven]

I am SURE wishing I had saved some milk from last year's mares who sure had enough.

What about compatability issues though when using another mare's milk in an emergency? Is that something to worry about?

 

[tagalong]

Colostrum is colostrum... and any mare's milk will do.

:

I rarely worry about lack of a bag... I have had mares start to foal with no bag at all... and then the hormones during foaling kick everything into overdrive. By the time the foal is up and about and dry and looking around - the milk is coming down...

 

[Erica]

I always keep Domperidome (sp?) in my foaling kit. It is for fescue toxicity in mares, but is wonderful in bringing down a mares milk if needed and it is easy to give, just a paste and only takes a little bit for a few days..............compared to having the vet give a shot of oxytoxicin.

 

[Becky]

I've been foaling out miniature mares since 1989 and I have yet to have one full term that didn't have a bag. I've had some late term abortions with no bag or very little bag, but no full term, live foals without a bag.

I have one mare now at 317 days gestation with no bag yet. It's enough to drive you crazy, but I feel pretty confident that she will have a bag when she decides she is ready to foal. I have moved her and another mare who is 307 days today (no bag) under camera at night just to keep an eye on them.

I would bet your mare will bag up before foaling.

 

[jleonard]

I am so glad you started this toic. I had been wondering the same thing with my maiden, who is due April 5. I didn't know when the vet needed to be called either, this is great.

Good luck with your mare

 

[CountryHaven]

Thank you Becky, and Tagalong. Erica, I'm kicking myself for not asking the vet for some when he was here a couple weeks ago to do coggins. I did remember to ask him for banamine which he gave me. Argh.

Jleonard--thansk for the well wishes, and yes, isn't this forum great. The thread on here about why to come to the forum is answered nicely in threads like this.

Thank you all so very much for helping to ease my mind, and give me suggestions and ideas for what to do should a real emergency develope in this regards.

Hugs to you all.

This forum is great.

 

[flmiller]

:saludando: Hi Tami,

Well, you're certainly not alone with this one. I have the exact same thing happening to one of my mares and she's a seasoned ole girl! We have been driving her crazy reaching down to see if anything was happening down there! Nothing! She was really due this past Monday and still...nothing! It makes you crazy. But, she did the exact same thing last year and her milk came right after foaling. I'm crossing my fingers it happens like that again, but wanted you to know you're not in this alone!

Thanks for all the comments everyone else! All the advice and support really helps!

Liz

 

[CountryHaven]

Thanks, Liz. It really does help to hear other people's experiences (worries) with the same thing. Why can't they just read the danged book? LOL

Tami