Confusing advice about my mare

paddi22

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Fair enough but dismissing probable foal movement as gas is inexcusable without an exam.

yeah surprised a vet would say this? we get rescues in who are often in foal. never got any scanned properly, but vets always guessed correctly if they were just from feeling and visual checkup, even at earlier stages than this
 

Pearlsasinger

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yeah surprised a vet would say this? we get rescues in who are often in foal. never got any scanned properly, but vets always guessed correctly if they were just from feeling and visual checkup, even at earlier stages than this


Yes, actually, I hate to say this .....but I am beginning to wonder.
 

Rhossili

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Beginning to wonder what?
Yea need to research nutrition, she’s on thunderbrooks meadow nuts, daily essentials and linseed atm with plenty of hay but little grass
Totally clueless about foals need to do some serious research and phone vets Monday
 

JJS

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Let's just say that she looks more pregnant than my pregnant mare ever did, so I'd definitely be getting her checked.

I know that when my mare was checked, via both manual exam and a rectal scan, the vet did it without any sedation or backing up to doors. She's a nice tempered mare so he just stood behind her in the stable.
 

Cortez

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Beginning to wonder what?
Yea need to research nutrition, she’s on thunderbrooks meadow nuts, daily essentials and linseed atm with plenty of hay but little grass
Totally clueless about foals need to do some serious research and phone vets Monday

I wouldn't get too wound up about it - she looks very well covered in the pic and certainly doesn't need more food, just perhaps a bit of vit/min balanced for broodmares?
 

MissTyc

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They can do a blood test for pregnancy too, I think?

We had a surprise foal many years ago. Mare was in full work, lean, strong. She'd been on yard 6 months. One June morning there was a foal lying in the straw.
 

meleeka

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Let's just say that she looks more pregnant than my pregnant mare ever did, so I'd definitely be getting her checked.

I know that when my mare was checked, via both manual exam and a rectal scan, the vet did it without any sedation or backing up to doors. She's a nice tempered mare so he just stood behind her in the stable.

I thought of you when I read this post. What a wonderful outcome you had. I wouldn’t have thought it would be particularly difficult to diagnose given the size of that belly.
 

AmyMay

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I thought of you when I read this post. What a wonderful outcome you had. I wouldn’t have thought it would be particularly difficult to diagnose given the size of that belly.

Me too. OP, have a chat with JJS. She too had a surprise foal.
 
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cundlegreen

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To be fair - why should a vet risk breaking an arm if the stable door isnt the right height and the horse is a youngster and wriggly? W dont actually know what the facilities are like or the mares temperment and a wriggly scan over a stable door can and will break a vets arm and /or scanner.
I would travel her to the stocks to get an exam and or scan - if shes that near foaling she should be easily identifiable on manual exam
Ever heard of a twitch??
 

Chippers1

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We had a mare on our yard that ended up around that size - she had a mule foal that was almost the same size as her! No one knew she was in foal when she was bought so was ridden regularly until she ended up getting bigger and bigger..
 

Equi

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As said a balancer for stud would be more appropriate than any more actual feeding, its all my mares ever got.

When feeling for movement, i have found the best way is to give the mare her feed, then have your hand either right under her just in front of the udder but to one side of it, and the other in the little hollow at her opposite flank so your body is also on her as you get more coverage for feeling (i can do both spots at once on mine, but on a larger horse that might not be possible, just always stay safe and work with what your mare will allow). A foal movement is quite detectable it feels like a short sharp prod, or a rolling/fluttering sensation, gas won't create that much tangible feeling.

As a side note, i have never heard of a vet asking a mare to be sedated to be examend. Surely that would be risky to both mare and foal.
 
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JanetGeorge

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Season ‘signs’ that I’ve seen in friends mares but again when I asked the vet said that can be expected as she’s so young so I don’t know :(

Sorry - but that's a dumb vet. I've seen fillies in season from about 9-10 months of age. Seasons tend not to last as long - and might not result in pregnancy if covered, but I sure won't let fillies that age run with colts the same age. I have put a LOT of 3yo fillies in foal - easy, peasy. That mare certainly looks heavily pregnant to me. Never believe former owners - even if you know them well. People can have conveniently bad memories if a colt gets out or arrives in the 'wrong' place. Or be ignorant of consequences - "But he CAN'T have got her in foal - he was only in with her for 15 minutes." (And - believe me - that's ample time. My randy stallion can get a mare covered in 50 seconds flat - and that includes the time he takes to get to the covering area.) First time mares often don't show anything noticeable in the udder until 2 weeks before foaling - and even then - if you haven't been watching it closely and KNOW what you're looking at, you might not see it. Scanning at this stage is pretty pointless - any decent repro vet could 'feel' the foal externally - and judge with his own eyesight. Look at her head on - and from the rear with her standing straight. Is the belly bigger to one side than the other? Look for the 'swelling moving slighlty back on her body and getting lower. Look at the vulva daily - des it appear to be getting a bit longer. Run your fingers down her rump either side of the spine. Can you feel a softening in the muscles there? And get organised for watching her close to the time - ideally have her in at night. Because if she needs help with foaling it needs to be quick.
 

cundlegreen

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Sorry - but that's a dumb vet. I've seen fillies in season from about 9-10 months of age. Seasons tend not to last as long - and might not result in pregnancy if covered, but I sure won't let fillies that age run with colts the same age. I have put a LOT of 3yo fillies in foal - easy, peasy. That mare certainly looks heavily pregnant to me. Never believe former owners - even if you know them well. People can have conveniently bad memories if a colt gets out or arrives in the 'wrong' place. Or be ignorant of consequences - "But he CAN'T have got her in foal - he was only in with her for 15 minutes." (And - believe me - that's ample time. My randy stallion can get a mare covered in 50 seconds flat - and that includes the time he takes to get to the covering area.) First time mares often don't show anything noticeable in the udder until 2 weeks before foaling - and even then - if you haven't been watching it closely and KNOW what you're looking at, you might not see it. Scanning at this stage is pretty pointless - any decent repro vet could 'feel' the foal externally - and judge with his own eyesight. Look at her head on - and from the rear with her standing straight. Is the belly bigger to one side than the other? Look for the 'swelling moving slighlty back on her body and getting lower. Look at the vulva daily - des it appear to be getting a bit longer. Run your fingers down her rump either side of the spine. Can you feel a softening in the muscles there? And get organised for watching her close to the time - ideally have her in at night. Because if she needs help with foaling it needs to be quick.
I had a maiden mare who hadn't bagged up at all, and she foaled the next morning. Fortunately her milk came in, and all was well.
 

JJS

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Doesn't look like we're getting an update - shame as I was intrigued!

I saw that the OP had posted on the Foaling Hub, and I know she wasn't sure whether to scan or not, so I imagine that she might not have any new info to update us with.
 

Heidi_GL

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Looks incredibly pregnant to me!

Never heard of a vet sedating for that, is he used to working with broodmares?

PS foal pics are mandatory :)

I've just had a vet out to scan my mare, because she's only 6 and hasn't had a scan or anything before, to make her more comfortable they did give her a small amount of sedation - they're a specialist equine vet. Although they did ask me and would have gone ahead with it without if I had requested, so seemingly a bit more lenient than the ones the OP is using!
 
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