Vet visit - good news and puzzling info

[kevin27]

We had our regular vet visit today, to check on the pregnant mare, Katz, and check on Winston's testicles a 2nd time.

The ultrasound didnt show anything really, the colon was blocking a lot . Vet also tried hard with fingers to get a sense of what's happening. not much.
So she drew blood, going to check some hormone levels. It's weird, but it could be the dates are way off, and we've much more time to go still.
She's not bagging up, or developing nipples yet. She's either got more time to go, or isnt pregnant at all.

She also thought it might be possible the foal is so centered in the sac, that she cant reach in deep enough to touch anything.
I'm going to try and get a better answer from the previous owner, on the dates.

Katz's teeth also looked good too.

They have a different more sensitive probe that's getting repaired, and will come back again, next week, to do another Ultra.


Winston the stallion, is showing a small but definitely actual, 2nd testicle, so that means we'll be able to have the castration done simple and easy, right there.
totally bypassing the need for transport, and surgery at the equine hospital. - whew!!


thanks everyone for the good vibes


I'm not clear how to add tags after the fact so if an admin or someone could for me that'd be great.

 

[AJ]

How far along do you think she is? At 6-7 months foal movement can easily be felt. How old is stallion? If she is not pregnant he might show interest during a heat cycle.

 

[kevin27]

I'm having someone who's been emailing the previous owner,
double back and see if they can get a better idea on the date.
I think the vet said end of the week on the hormone level in blood test

The stallion is definitely feeling amorous, on an off, he can be pretty annoying.

 

[AJ]

I would suggest that "whoever" will not help you with due dates. If looking for foal now you should feel movement and she should look pregnant. If not, and you still think she is pregnant , she would foal in October/November . By then you should have evidence from stallion. Show pics taken from front and back.

 

[Debby - LB]

I'm happy to hear that about Winston, this will be much better for him and a lot better on your pocket book. Hopefully you'll get some answers about your mare. In the future there are urine tests you can use to confirm pregnancy.

So Katz and Winston have been together for the last year? and she was supposed to be due to foal middle of May this year? Did Katz and Winston come from the same place? Really even if she'd be due to foal before the end of this year you yourself would be able to feel movement now.

 

[kevin27]

they both came from the same place, not related, but the stallion was just a few months old
and they've been a pair for the last year. and she was due this May around the 19th.
I guess we'll know more Friday or so after the Vet visit.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Looking forward to hearing what your Vet has to say once the bloods come back.

It is very possible that your little mare is carrying up high making it hard for the Ultrasound to get a good indication.

Good on you Kevin for getting your vet to do some blood tests on Katz

 

[kevin27]

I got a call today from the vet's office

her bloodwork won't be ready, till some time early next week



it's frustrating with all the waiting

 

[Minimor]

One should be able to feel foalivement after 6 months but...Sometimes with some mares you just never do feel foal movement. I have one like that--never ever have i felt foal movement in her, and she has had several foals for us.

 

[kevin27]

Thanks Minimor!
My mind has been churning round and round, about what could possibly mimic, looking pregnant. sill waiting on word from the bloodwork hormone level results.
since we dont know for certain,
all these "characteristics" not much bagging up, weirdly lumpy looking curves, is she a maiden or not, are the dates way off, she looks like she might be thinning some and dropping a bit,
she's pretty uncomfortable getting touched, even with trying to get her used to it.

the past day or two now, she's got a lump under her jaw, that we'll have the vet look at this week, it's painful to touch, half a walnut sized,
I dont know if she banged it, and has some kind of a cyst or whatnot. I did mention it Friday to our vet, I'd feel awful, if she was just horribly obese, or something.

 

[kevin27]

recent images of our mare

we had a "due date" of May 19th 2016

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

The massivr amount of edema in front of bag would make me think she may be pregnant, but I'm no expert. Can you take a picture from directly behind at her level? What's the lastest she would have been in with a stallion, not including your colt?

 

[kevin27]

I will work on some photos later today!

The previous owner/breeder, gave us this "I have her being in with the stallion, on the 18th of May, and bred the 25th and 26th May 2015"

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

What time period was she in with your colt? He could have bred her.

We had one colt that didn't show any interest in girls until he was three. Our yearling is already interested and does try to mount the mares.

 

[kevin27]

I did some video with my phone last night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRYok3_gFnI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ64Fk0-750

 

[Jean_B]

In my view, she is just very obese and not in foal - especially since with those breeding dates, she should have foaled in the beginning of May. Plus there is no fill in her udder. Sometimes if morbidly obese, it will make the fore-udder swell.

 

[kevin27]

thanks very much Jean.
we took the breeders word, and just assumed she was pregnant all this time.

Where do we go from here?
How much do you safely cut back on the feed etc

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

I would start elimating grain and pasture time. Also start exercising her. Feed her grass hay if feeding hay.

 

[Jean_B]

My horses get absolutely NO grain. I have good quality hay, and it is just a tad too rich (too much alfalfa) and they tend to pork out on that, too. I would eliminate all grain, limit grass time. Feed grass hay...timothy is low in sugars, especially if allowed to "head out" because it is older. Yes, she does need exercise. Some horses will exercise themselves, but the fatter they get, the lazier they get and it is a vicious, downward spiral. If she has not been getting any kind of regular exercise, work her into it gradually.

 

[kevin27]

The bloodwork came back, not pregnant, as was obvious, to everyone else but us.
I dont understand how the vets could have missed this, either.
It's also easy to spot, that we're new horse owners. Nobody was working off the idea she could be fat, and not pregnant.

We all feel awful, and really disappointed. I'm certain, the mare is miserable being overweight too.

I was shown how to get them to run by spinning the end of a lead, to get them to start,
stay in the middle of the field and have them run from one end to the other. I think she called it liberty, or the liberty game.
I also have read, that you want to get a medium energy burn going, instead of going all out, to get those fats to burn off.
We started walking them around the neighborhood when the sun's gone down too. It's not a very big neighborhood though.

I've not had the followup with the vet yet, about where do we go from here. the person I spoke with,
said there were a bunch of metabolic tests they could run, but the Vet would not be back for a few days.

This, hit us like a ton of bricks as they say