Where the heck is my foal? What can be wrong?

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Marty

Well-Known Member
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Location
Tennessee
Can something be wrong with Holly? She's now at 18 days over due. I am more than upset. You have no idea how upset I am. I do apoligize for my behaving badly. I am a wreck over this. I don't sleep, I don't eat, which is a plus of course, and I am very irratable. I think I am having the symptoms she is supposed to be having!

How much longer can she hold out like this?

She shows me no signs of preparing to foal whatsoever. There has been no noticable changes at all. She is fine and very happy, and doing well. I on the other hand am not. I am unfit to live with according to everyone here and frankly, I can't stand much more of myself either. The vet says when she is ready, she will have Fetus but that is not very helpful.

She also has picked up yet another new habit: she will only pee in her stall. Not outside no more. Seems she has been holding it all day long until she goes in her stall. She's out all day long with complete access to the comfort and shade of the new barn, but she won't pee in there either. So I have had to also give her access to her present stall for pee purposes so her bladder doesn't hurt!

Geez what the heck next is going to happen?????

Here is the latest picture of her little boobies. Doesn't look very promising does it?
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Wow, her udder doesn't even look close
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, but they can fool you. Have you seen the baby move lately?

Hope she does something soon before you have a nervous breakdown.

Good Luck,

Stephanie
 
Marty when that foal does in fact arrive I fully expect to be able to look at the horizon and see the fireworks going off. Patience is a virtue and all of the other old sayings apply here. We are waiting with you hoping along with the rest of the forum members for a favorable happy outcome to your time in waiting. Did I not read here not to long ago about a mare that went over 365 days ??
 
Marty - she WAS checked in foal, right??
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Yes - there was a tale here of a mare that went that long - and I also cared for one a few years ago that went 369 days. Yep. Good times. NOT.
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Oh YES she can go a year- I had a Palomino Pony who was actually a 12 monther every time!!! Happy Days Are Here Again!!!! Dum Tee Dum Tra la- we are going to have to club together , Folks, to pay for Marty's treatment
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Seriously Marty, nothing is wrong, she's just getting her own back!! The foal is chucked within 48 hrs if it dies, so, whether you have seen it move or not, it is still OK!!! Foetus is driving you nuts before birth, wow, she's is truly her Mother's daughter!!! The bag looks a lot more hopeful than it did last time you posted (and Sooo clean
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) She could foal with a bag like that- or she could wait and fill it up properly. Relax......She'll have it when it's ready, and, it isn't ready yet.
 
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Marty:

Prayers are with you and Holly as well as little Fetus. It might take a little extra time because it's an extra special baby. We're all so excited for you and know you're worn to a frazzle. It reminds me of childhood memories of not being able to open a present until Christmas! (There's a book in that for you! LOL) I do wish you all the best. You're such a great horsie mom and I know Holly appreciates you for all the special things you do to make her life happy and carefree.
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God bless,

Joan
 
Hey Marty,

Hang in there, we to are waiting on one to foal. Its her first foal to. Hey yours has

more of bag then ours.. But I have learned with maiden mares at least with ours

they don't always have a bag at all. In fact we have a mare who will not get a bag

till foaling, she has had 4 foals now. Talk about driving me crazy. No signs either of impending birth with her. I even had a Vet look at her last year. He said she was a month out. Well she foaled 2 days later. She does not want me there at foaling. I even have her on camera and have still have missed 2 of her foalings still. At least all 4 have come out okay. Thank You Lord.

So on Holly, hang in there. On her bathroom.. we can join that club to. All ours have to go into a stall to go. They will hold it for dear life Till they are in the stall.

I have seen them line up to go in go.. one after another (our mares and one colt). I have very clean pens..

Back to Danielle, she is our last maiden mare to go. Yeah!!.. Somedays she looks like she will pop any second, and other days I am like where is that foal?? I just keep waiting.. Best wishes, I know it will be fine, you just have to hang in there. And welcome to the World of Foaling..

Holly's baby will be such a blessing, I to am waiting and watching for the Fire works to go off, then we will know Holly foaled..

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Vicky
 
hi marty

i dont know about tenn but in illinois everyones mares are going way overdue. My diamond was 5 weeks over and tiny was too. I know for sure the dates are right because my stallion left to render services at another farm
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Until this year we had never had overdue mares. It is the most frustrating thing i have dealt with.

Judging by her bag she still has a long way to go. Especially if her vulva is still high and tight. Do you have a pic of her vulva?? We have no idea of when patches was bred but i suspect she is also overdue as shes had a bag and thick sticky milk for over a month now

The only mares ive had not bag and foal were mares that aborted. Even my maiden mares always get a bag before they foal.
 
Marty I was going to remind you that both KayKay and Bill/Wanalynn had mares go WAY over and had nice babies! PM Bill (wwminis) he has some very interesting true vet info on mares and their pregnancies.
 
[SIZE=14pt]Marty, Marty,[/SIZE]

Calm down girl!
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Our little 28" Star went 388 days this year and delivered

one of the smallest foals we ever had! 18 days over is hardly nothing! You've been in horses all your life, you should know how they can hold out just to drive you nuts! Hang in there!
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Bill
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Marty, Please read this article, It will set your mind at ease!

Is my mare overdue?

By Jos Mottershead

One of the most commonly asked questions of the foaling season is "Is my mare overdue?". This is often precipitated by the misbelief that 340 or 341 days of pregnancy duration represent a "due date". Not so!

The average duration of gestation is anywhere between 320 and 370 days - so that mare which is at 345 days is not "overdue", but well within the normal range! The foaling date is picked by the foal who dictates that he or she is sufficiently developed and ready to be born, not by the mare who is watching the calendar on the wall!

Note too that the terms "premature", "dysmature" and "postmature" refer to the condition of the foal at birth and not to the gestational duration.

Here are some important facts to consider about gestational lengths:

Foals born prior to 300 days will not be viable.

Their lungs are not fully developed and they will not be able to breath.

Unlike similar premature situations with humans, the use of a surfactant in the foal to assist with development and breathing has not proven succesful.

Note that this is referencing a normal, healthy pregnancy. Mares that manage to support a pregnancy threatened by something such as placentitis to term may have shorter-than-"normal" pregnancy duration, and yet still present a viable foal. It is unusual that the gestational period will be lower than 300 days in this case, but it can happen. This is thought to be as a result of elevated cortisol levels - due to fetal stress - causing accelerated fetal development.

It should be noted that considerably shorter Miniature Horse pregnancies (~280 days) have resulted in healthy foals.

Foals born after 300 days but prior to 320 days are at risk of being born in a premature condition.

Premature foals will require neonatal intensive care;

The closer to 300 days the foaling, the more intensive the needed care will be;

Foals born from mares that suffered from infectious placentitis during pregnancy may be born between days 300 and 320 and yet not show prematurity as there is an accelerated developmental rate in utero with many of these foals;

The average range of gestation is between 320 and 370 days.

340 or 341 days are accepted as the most common foaling days, but they are not a "due date", merely an average of the average.

Foaling days after 370 days of gestation are not uncommon and usually do not represent a problem.

The longest live foal delivery on record is 417 days!

Foals born after a prolonged gestation are often small in size as a result of a delayed uterine development period, and rarely present foaling problems as a result of "having grown too big".

Some other important points for consideration:

It should be noted that if the mare is displaying severe signs of discomfort, she should be evaluated by a veterinarian. "Severe signs of discomfort" are not represented by a mare looking miserable, but rather by colic-like symptoms or extreme depression (no interest in feed, turnout, other animals etc.).

Induction of foaling simply because it is convenient for the mare owner, manager or veterinarian and not because of the presence of a medical problem with the foal or mare should be a crime that carries a mandatory life sentence! Induction of foaling results in a higher-than-normal number of dystocias (presentation problems), premature foals, and premature placental separations ("red bag" deliveries) than are seen with regular presentations. Do not induce foaling except in the face of a very clearly defined medical need, and only under strict veterinary supervision.

It is also important to note that while mammary gland development may be indicative of impending foaling (note that "waxing" is not a reliable indicator across the board, and other methods of prediction such as the one described in the article available by clicking here should be used), an absence of mammary development when in concert with prolonged gestation may be indicative of a problem with endophyte-infected fescue toxicity, and immediate veterinary involvement should be sought, as drug therapy (Domperidone) and other protocols (removal of the animal from the endophyte source) can be used to reverse the symptoms. Just to confuse the issue however, some mares do not show mammary development prior to foaling, and yet have not been exposed to endophyte-infected fescue!

Horses are not humans! They have different needs, and while the gestational period for humans is quite closely defined, there is a wide range of "normal" for the equine! Consequently, if you are reading this as a result of being concerned about your mares pregnancy duration, while we certainly encourage you to consult with your veterinarian to be on the safe side, you are, in all probability, merely losing sleep and worrying for no reason!

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EQUINE REPRODUCTION
 
Join the club! Our mare was way overdue. I tend to think the weather has a lot to do with it. I had the vet out too. Sleepless nights, worried days drove me nuts. He just told us as long as she is not in distress not to worry. Mine is a LOT more bagged up than yours and a month overdue (by paperwork) but probably not by her dates. I think mares were not bred when we thought last summer. We had 3 hurricanes and lots of rain all winter, now high heat and humidity. Animals are a lot more sensative to changes in the weather than we are. We decided to take a chill pill and let nature take its course. The vet assured us if the foal dies we will know it. Now that we have relaxed the mare seems to be better too. They seem to pick up on our unease also. We pay a lot of close attention to our horses on a daily basis as we are a really small farm. It will drive you nuts waiting for someone to arrive! Good luck!
 
Gosh Marty...what were you like when YOU were pregnant???.
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.your poor hubby!
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She dont look ready to me either. My Smokey mare had no bag, no nothing, and barely looked breed, ( I bought her pasture bred so I had no clue when she was due) but I was watching her close..for probably 2 months..ya know..just in case
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and when I checked her one morning there was nothing and I mean nothing
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no bag, no mush, no red vulva, that evening..she had a mushey butt, and huge bag..I put her in the stall, and 6 hours later there stood little Nakota!
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SO just hang in there, we are all here cheering for your Little Miss Holly, that all goes well. Corinne
 
Marty, i know this offers no solution, but i had a small arab mare that always went 6 WEEKS over the "due" date. Her foals were small too. What is normal is what is normal for THAT mare. I know it is frustrating! my mare was only over by 6 days and i was going crazy! LOL

keep hanging in there, girl, we are all waiting with you! jennifer
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Marty,

Can you show us some pictures of Holly, side and back views.

Thanks
 
Priscilla has a now grown QH gelding son of Major Leaquer (sp?) and he went about 1 year inside... and he came out with TEETH. Let Holly know if she waits too long we will be calling Fetus "Fang".

Not to be discouraging, but her udder looks like the udders of all 8 of my non-pregnant mares.
 
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oh Marty Marty Marty..do I feel your pain and frustration....silly mares
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how they toy with us
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do they not know how stressed they make us
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how unbearable the looooooooong wait can be
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and there they stand..with this smug, innocient look that says

JEEZ WOMAN!!!!!! I WILL FOAL WHEN I'M READY!!!!!TAKE A CHILL PILL
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GO EAT SOME ICE CREAM OR SOMETHING!!!! ...and by the way..STOP TAKING PICTURES OF MY PRIVATE AREAS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO SEE
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HAVE YOU NOOOOO SHAME?????!!!!!

yup..thats what they are all saying , I bet..
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P.S. they pee in thier stalls because it doesn't splash, at least that is what a horse told me when I asked
 
She does not look like she is going to foal at all. Even if no bag she would have something that looked "more full" than that. Glands in the front or something.

Do you have side photos, rear photos of her. I saw the photos you posted of her when she had a month to go. Athough some maidens or young mares ( I have a couple) do not look bred for most of PG's, do fill out the last month.

I hope she is bred and I am wrong!

Beth
 
Marty, did you pray for patience? Then your prayer is being answered....................... Seriously, if the vet says all is well, you are gonna just have to wait like the rest of us
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. How do you like being in our shoes?
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Our gramma mare went 343 days last year.
 
[SIZE=14pt]Hang in there... those boobies look like they have a month or more to go! I also have non preg mares with those boobies! Anyway, Sugar went 352 days this year and Howies mother went 375 days with him last year. so 18 days is nothing!!! Have a margarita, no have two margaritas
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Lyn
 
MARTY YOU JUST KILL ME !!!! I GOT A GOOD LAUGH WITH THE PIC. YOU SENT.

SORRY, I KNOW YOUR SERIOUS BUT DONT WORRY, JUST LIKE THE VET SAID, IT'LL COME WHEN IT'S READY. 18 DAYS IS NOTHING, BECAUSE LIKE A LOT OF TIMES, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN SHE BECAME PG. UNLESS YOU HAND BRED HER ON 1 HEAT CYCLE AND NEVER EXPOSED HER AGAIN, AND THEN IT'S NOT GOING TO COME UNTIL IT'S READY.
 

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