What could be causing abortions???? :(

[hunnybunny]

I had a mare to abort her fetus about a month ago, she was around 6 months along at that time.

She didnt have any signs of a problem, just suddenly laid down while eating and slipped her fetus. I watched it happen...broke my heart!

Then today, I came home from taking my kids out for the day, and headed to the barn to feed up the horses. There laid another fetus on the ground, from my best and most favorite mare. She was now about 6 months along. Fetus was approximately the same size as the other was when it was aborted.

She had eyes, ears, all four legs, tail, etc, just still hairless at this point. First one did too.

WHAT IS GOING ON ????????

Anybody have a clue????

It is so devastating to have to wait so long to get a foal, and then to find it laying on the ground dead halfway through development, and having to start all over again. I was so excited over these two babies, they were likely going to be my first appaloosa babies.

Kinda makes me want to just get out of miniatures and just raise chickens.....

http://i677.photobuc...nt/fetus002.jpg

http://i677.photobuc...nt/fetus001.jpg

 

[MindyLee]

Do you possibly have chickens running loose where the mares might have accidenly ate the poo? Or maybe even wild critters poo?

So sorry for your loss!

 

[hunnybunny]

Do you possibly have chickens running loose where the mares might have accidenly ate the poo? Or maybe even wild critters poo?

So sorry for your loss!

 

[Reble]

Had one abort years ago, than gave her Equine Rhinopneumonitis Vaccine ( Killed Virus) Fort Dodge Pneumabort-K

given at 3 months, 5 months, 7 months and 9 months, had a healthy colt the next year.

Only $20.00 a shot and can give it yourself.

for $80.00 worth it.

We sometimes never have the answers, just need to try what might help.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[ohmt]

It could be a number of things. You need to send the fetus and placenta to a lab right away to find out exactly what it is. It could be a virus (number 1 cause of abortions), bacteria, fescue, or a number of other things. Call your vet right away in the morning and set up testing.

Very sorry you've lost your foals! We've lost plenty here, each one is heartbreaking

 

[topnotchminis]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[eagles ring farm]

I thought of the Pneumabort-K shots too

We always gave them 3,6 and 9 mos ourselves

this year we only gave 3 & 6 mos although have never had a problem related to the shots but some people have.

So sorry for your loss it is heartbreaking

 

[SWA]

Is it possible you have fescue grass growing in their grazing pasture? That will cause them to abort mid to late term. So sorry for your losses.

Hope you are able to find out what's causing them to do this.

 

[hunnybunny]

Thanks everyone for your replies....

Yes, I do have chickens, turkeys and guineas running around here for bug control....

Never thought that would be a problem since most farms have poultry.

But if it is, I will get rid of all the birds TOMORROW!!!!

How do I send in a fetus for testing? Never done that before.....

What do I do?

 

[targetsmom]

So sorry for your loss. You may never know; when we lost both our foals our first year (2008) we never did find out. One fetus was thoroughly tested since the mare had to be taken to the nearest hospital or I likely would have lost her too. They strongly suspected Rhino but could not confirm. The next year we gave Pneumabort shots and she gave us our first live foal (Max).

 

[hunnybunny]

I am always afraid of giving vaccines while mares are pregnant, I hear of so many complications from it.

I keep my mares in a dry lot while they are pregnant, and feed them orchard grass when they get to their 8th month.

Its what I've always heard was safe to do.

Is this not correct?

 

[Songcatcher]

Yes, I do have chickens, turkeys and guineas running around here for bug control....

Never thought that would be a problem since most farms have poultry.

But if it is, I will get rid of all the birds TOMORROW!!!!

I wouldn't think that is the problem. I have lots of poultry running loose and no problems.

Good luck in finding the answer.

 

[ohmt]

Contact your vet and he/she will tell you how to go about the testing. If you really want to know, it's the way to go.

If the tests come back clean, use the Pneumabort. There are always risks with vaccines, but the benefits outweigh them, so just think of that if you get nervous

 

[albahurst]

I had a mare to abort her fetus about a month ago, she was around 6 months along at that time.

She didnt have any signs of a problem, just suddenly laid down while eating and slipped her fetus. I watched it happen...broke my heart!

Then today, I came home from taking my kids out for the day, and headed to the barn to feed up the horses. There laid another fetus on the ground, from my best and most favorite mare. She was now about 6 months along. Fetus was approximately the same size as the other was when it was aborted.

She had eyes, ears, all four legs, tail, etc, just still hairless at this point. First one did too.

WHAT IS GOING ON ????????

Anybody have a clue????

It is so devastating to have to wait so long to get a foal, and then to find it laying on the ground dead halfway through development, and having to start all over again. I was so excited over these two babies, they were likely going to be my first appaloosa babies.

Kinda makes me want to just get out of miniatures and just raise chickens.....

http://i677.photobuc...nt/fetus002.jpg

http://i677.photobuc...nt/fetus001.jpg

I am sorry for your loss.

Definately sounds like you are having a 'rhino storm'- the length of gestation of your mares is precisely when rhino can rear its ugly head. This happened to us a few years back. Since then, we started giving Rhino shots at the end of months 3, 6, 9 and have never lost another foal to rhino.

 

[Minimor]

6 months is generally too early for a rhino abortion--rhino causes late term abortions, 9, maybe 10 months up to 11 months. But, there are a number of other viral and bacterial causes of abortion, plus any number of "unexplained" abortions.

Giving the Pneumabort-K vaccine isn't a bad thing to do though--good insurance for some year when you do have rhino get into your herd.

 

[hunnybunny]

I've been sitting here researching it since the first post that mentioned it, reading about it, and learning about it.

Could possibly be the culprit....from what I've read.

I did have a yearling with a snotty nose about a week or two ago, but I didnt see anyone else with any symptoms since then.

So if I give all my horses this vaccine right now, will it save the others foals, or is it too late since they have been exposed to it...

(that is IF this is the actual problem)

I am still nervous about vaccines while pregnant.....

 

[Katiean]

Do you possibly have chickens running loose where the mares might have accidenly ate the poo? Or maybe even wild critters poo?

So sorry for your loss!

What do chickens have to do with it? I have chickens and they can also run with the horses. I had 2 mares foal normally with the same chickens. But all my mares confirmed in foal last year by US didn't have anything and I found no body's.

 

[SHANA]

I have had mini mares abort here in the past at around 6 months gestation. One mare aborted two years in a row on me at 6 months so I had the fetus checked and the mare as well. Come to find out the mare had a uterine infection, she was treated and now has had 2 fillies for me with no problems and is expecting a foal in 2011. I do not have chickens or birds of any kind so was not due to chickens why they aborted. No harm in having your mare that aborted checked to see if she has a infection.

 

[kaykay]

Years ago we had an "abortion storm" year and it almost did me in. Every time we went to the barn we found a dead fetus. It got to where I was scared to even walk out there.

I did not give the rhino shots back then because I had heard bad things about the vaccine. Boy was I sorry! My vet told us that because we show to start the rhino shots before we even breed the mares and then continue. He also said that some think the shot causes abortions when its actually just coincendence or the shot was given too late.

So sorry for your losses. I would give the rhino shots but know it maybe too late to be effective

We did have one mare abort last Jan but she cannot get vaccines due to bad reactions

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Please, please, please give Pnumabort! Rhino is deadly to your entire herd of fetuses. The vaccine is very safe.