Regumate and mini mares

[CeeGee]

Hello!

I am thinking about purchasing a mini mare who is in foal, however, she is only about 30-60 days in foal. A friend mentioned that if I wanted to have her shipped now, I could use regumate to ensure that the foal was not lost. Is this correct? Most of my experience is with big horses, and regumate was only used in special cases. Could it be used on minis to help keep them in foal when transporting?

Thanks for any information!

 

[HGFarm]

Regumate is made for hormone imbalances and it will NOT stop a mare from aborting for other reasons. Not to mention, this stuff should not be handled unless wearing rubber gloves, and how are you going to ensure a shipper is giving the daily dose if needed? Most do not want to mess with something like that.

I have shipped pregnant mares of all ages- newly bred or later in pregnancy and have NEVER had a problem with a mare aborting due to shipping.

It concerns me that someone would think that Regumate is a answer for all aborting issues, or that just because a mare is being shipped, she would need it. I feel this drug is not something to use lightly or 'just because'......

My opinion here only- I am sure others may have insight to add as well.

 

[MiniatureEscapades]

I don't think giving it to the mare in question would be a good idea IMO. I would at least question a vet.

 

[wildoak]

I have used it in early pregnancy with mares who were difficult to get in foal and/or had a history of not holding a pregnancy. I would not think a normal trailer ride should induce a mare to slip her foal, and I doubt regumate would prevent it in any case. Just my 2 cents.

Jan

 

[targetsmom]

OK, this in only my 2 cents worth, that's all.

I think you are right to be concerned about shipping a mare that early in her pregnancy. But giving Regumate strikes me as similar to taking antibiotics for a cold. Antibiotics/Regumate work great for what they are intended (bacterial infections/low progesterone levels), but are not going to help if that isn't the problem. I think I have read that the riskiest time (IN GENERAL of course) is up to 45 days gestation, so you might want to wait to ship her until she has passed that milestone. Of course, a lot depends on the mare and how stressed she might get over the shipping.

We have a mare that MIGHT have slipped her foal during shipment early in her pregnancy. She was US in foal, shipped back to us, and had a false pregnancy. Of course, we will never know.....

 

[chandab]

Granted, my mare was a full-size, but I hauled my mare and gelding 12 hours when the mare was about 3-4 weeks pregnant. She was ultra-sounded in foal by vet 2 weeks after breeding, showed in foal; then I moved across two states, she practically fell asleep on the trailer, so no stress there, and for my peace of mind (and she had been flirting with geldings, but now I know its just her), a couple weeks after arriving at my new location, I had her ultrasounded again and she was still pregnant. She had a lovely filly at about 364 days gestation.

 

[Allure Ranch]

[SIZE=12pt]Additionally, you can not place the mare on it and then just take her off of it at will. She'd have to be weaned off.... I'm certain that wasn't explained as well.[/SIZE]

Let Kelly know that there seems to be a consensus here....

 

[HGFarm]

Oh, yep, Kimberle is right... it is not something that you just discontinue when the mare is delivered.... they have to be weaned off of it if used. I have hauled a lot, both big horses and Minis, and have never found the need to use this for pregnant mares.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

I guess I have to disagree

I'd definately consider using regumate for an early pregnancy transport. It will help her handle stress, and stress's effects on the pregnancy. There will be absolutely NO negative effects for using the drug for a week, a few days before and after the transport. For the extra security it provides, a week's worth of Regumate would be something to consider.

 

[Just Us N Texas]

There was a study done at University of Kentucky several years ago, and the consensus was that a mare should not be shipped for the first 45 days of her pregnancy. It really had nothing to do with the shipping, but with the pasture she was on. This is not to say a mare will abort if moved, just that she has a better shot of carrying full term. As for the regumate, it is used quite often with mares that are in sales to help keep them in foal, and to help if they are overly stressed.

We always had one person on our sales crew that did all meds on the horses, and if given regumate, we always told the interested parties that she was on regumate just for the sale, or was always a regumate mare.