Seasoned mare not getting a milk bag?

[trickhorses]

I got a new mare in January that is heavy in foal and her 340 day due date is March 21st, The previous owner said she always got a nice milk prior to foaling. Well this mare is only a week from her due date and has no bag whatsoever and both the owner and I are concerned as to why she hasen't gotten a milk bag. She has loosening of the muscles around her rump, she has the classic "V" shape to her rear end. She is doing a lot of butt rubbing with an occasionally roll. She is getting fed a 50/50 mixture of oats and Purina's Equine Senior and it is top dressed with Purina's Enrich 32 vitamin/mineral supplement. I have fed this combo for 10 years now with no problem, so do not feel the feed has anything to do with it. She is also getting a very good quality grass hay that has a tad of alfalfa in it. I am hoping that she is just going to bag up just hours before she foals which is typical of maiden mares. However, she is a seasoned mare, this will be here 5th foal. So I am at a loss to why she hasen't developed a milk bag especially since her owner said she has always gotten a nice full bag prior to foaling with her last 4 foals. I am stumped and a little concerned. Any ideas?

 

[Magic]

Is there any chance your hay has fescue in it? That can cause no milk bag. Does she have any milk that you can express, even though her bag isn't filling?

One of my experienced mares foaled this year with just a small bag, it was filled out to some extent but never got full and tight, (totally unlike her) and others have had the same thing with their experienced mares. But "no bag whatsoever" is concerning to me; even my maiden mares build up at least a bit of a bag before foaling. It's possible though that your mare is going to foal later than the 340 day mark, and still has time to build a bit of a bag. Or she may totally surprise you. OH!

 

[~Lisa~]

we had a mare foal over the winter(long story) she has had several foals but really had no bag to speak of.

She had just started to bag up but literally just starting to bag on a Monday. No milk at all just very watery yellow fluid.

I decided to check her on Tues as she went out to the pasture for the afternoon not expecting much change at all but she had a huge udder full of milk and was dripping she foaled about 8 hours later.

In less then 24 hours she went from no milk and no bag to ready to go. First time she had ever progressed that way.

 

[kaykay]

we have a mare that is not at all following her normal pattern this year. I have foaled this mare out for 7 years and this year is really different. She normally starts bagging a month before she foals and this year she bagged up in about 3 days and is now full.

I would also be sure though that you didnt accidentally feed fescue. You can get a shot from your vet to help bring her milk in if you think its fescue poisoning

Sending good thoughts

 

[Mona]

Several years ago I had the same thing happen with one of my mares. I had owned her and foaled her out several times, always with having good bag development before foaling and that year she hardly seemed to develop a bag at all! I was concerned, and got some Domperidone for her. Not sure it helped or not, as she never did get a big bag, and even after she foaled, she never had much of one, yet the foal was not suffering because of it at all. He was a LARGE colt, and definately was getting enough, even though just by sight and touch (of her bag), I would have guessed he wouldn't have been getting enough from her!

 

[trickhorses]

There is definitly no fescue in our hay as I am very careful at the type of hay I get and fescue is very unusual in ohio anyways, but for sure, there is no fescue in our hay. I mean her bag is not full and I can't express anything out of it, but it is kind of droopy, does that make sense? I really need to take a picture of it maybe.

I am hearing more and more stories of mares going way out of their norm for foaling patterns this year. I think this is going to be a strange foaling year for mares! I am just holding my breathe and crossing my fingers that this mare bags up before she foals!

 

[weerunner]

I'm in the same boat here. I've got a experienced mare that is carrying her 8th foal. She has always developed according to the books, udder starts filling 30 days before she delivers. This year she is at day 325 and nothing. Her udder could be defined as puffy and that is it. She has NO liquid at all that can be expressed. Her butt and vulva is loose and she appears to be close to ready, but not that udder. I'm watching her real close, as I think she is going to pull a fast one on me.

Hope yours and mine both get the milk they need when they foal.

 

[Tenltraining]

HHMmmm, I would get some Domperidone just in case to help her come into her milk. It is a good product to have around during foaling season just in case! I have only had to use it once before but it worked really well. I knew the due date of my mare and she has only been bred one season so no doubt on when she got in foal. I used the domperidone orally on her three days in a row and she came into her milk just fine and foaled the next day. I could tell the foal had moved back and the mare was ready from her vulva and slackness above her tail head too. Laura

 

[kaykay]

just an fyi fescue is not rare at all in ohio. my vet said last year was the worst year he had seen for fescue poisioning and that was right here in Licking County

 

[trickhorses]

just an fyi fescue is not rare at all in ohio. my vet said last year was the worst year he had seen for fescue poisioning and that was right here in Licking County

Not rare, just not very common. I have never had any problems getting hay with no signs of fescue. In fact we have tried probably 20 different hay suppliers in 10 years and not one had fescue. My vet told me that she has never had fescue in her hay either and that it is not common. I do not buy hay from anyone except people that have horses and bale hay strictly for horses. I live in Licking County and have not had any problems with getting fescue free hay. I also extremely picky when it comes to hay.

 

[funnybunny]

Some mares just don't read the book.

Some of ours bag up really early and we wait and wait. Sometimes they don't have a bag, then WHAM, all of a sudden they are ready to go. The difference the day makes.

Taught us a lesson to watch carefully- every day- even if they don't look full one day, the next day could be a complete change.

 

[barnbum]

In less then 24 hours she went from no milk and no bag to ready to go. First time she had ever progressed that way.

This year she is at day 325 and nothing. Her udder could be defined as puffy and that is it.

Hmmm--same thing here--although my mares are at 294 and 314.... I'm going to call my hay guy just to double check..

 

[PaintedMeadows]

I'm curious, has the mare foaled and did she get a bag before?