Feeding advice for a filly in foal, unplanned.

Pollyfilla

Pollyfilla

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I bought a lovely filly recently and have had her two weeks now. She was a bit ribby on arrival, but has picked up condition considerably. Her worming is up to date. She was two in May.

Through a friend of a friend I have just been advised that she was grazed with a colt until April. What I thought was a grass belly now appears to be a foal. I saw a definite bulge move this afternoon. Age of foal will be at least four months, but no idea on maximum age. She has no udder.

I’ve got the vet coming after the weekend to do blood tests then discuss our next steps. I’m not happy for the poor filly, as she is just gone two, and this will take a lot out of her.

So, looking for recommendations for the best diet to support her. I don’t stable her, she is out on good mixed meadow grass. Thanks.
 
If shes a pony, which I assume, I would just let her eat the grass. Maybe a mineral lick, I always use the molasses free cattle ones.
 
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I would doubt she's in foal. If she is from the Spring then she won,t be showing yet. No need for any change in feeding even if she is, especially for a native mare- if she's maintaining her weight then she's getting what she needs
 
Make sure she gets adequate protein to build both herself and the foal. If she is a native pony especially try and ensure she doesn't get fat and overload those immature joints with excessive bodyweight of her own in addition to the foal. I would keep her on basic grass and/or really good hay and supplement with a good mineral balancer and possibly whey powder for broad spectrum protein. Forageplus will give you good advice and their generic mineral balancers are very good.
 
My login name might be misleading, but this is not a native. She’s a standardbred cross and currently 14.2hh. Sire was 16hh, dam 15hh so I expect her to grow quite a bit, if this doesn’t set her back.
I’ll see what the vet says. :( Thanks all.
 
I really doubt a four month fetus would be seen visually. It took me a good 8 months to be able to feel tiny flutters in my mares when I pressed hard. I would t panic until you know more. I’d have an internal done rather than bloods - but you can also get a urine test that is quite accurate.
 
equi said:
I’d have an internal done rather than bloods - but you can also get a urine test that is quite accurate.
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Not sure of the exact timescale (been several years since I had mares in foal) but the urine test can only be accurate up to a certain time in the gestation, after that it is blood or internal. I would be reluctant to have an internal in case it jeopardises the pregnancy, but you could ask about ultrasound. Your vet will advise
 
She was last with the colt towards the end of April, so could be at least four months now. No idea on when she was first with him, but judging by the belly and movements seen, she is further along.
 
PWshetlands said:
She was last with the colt towards the end of April, so could be at least four months now. No idea on when she was first with him, but judging by the belly and movements seen, she is further along.
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It's highly unlikely she would have caught before March unless it was last Summer, in which case she's presumably very close to foaling (though I still highly doubt it, it would be very unusual for a yearling)
Does she have any udder development? Any update from vet check?
 
Vet has been and believes she is quite far along, so we are making plans for a winter baby. Supplementary feeding also started. No udder to speak of, but we’ll monitor that. On a mission now to get some form of shelter up, otherwise I’ll need to look at livery options.
 
I'm sorry this has happened with such a young horse, but if it helps at all, my mare (in her old home not with me!!) was first covered either just before or just after her 2nd birthday, and foaled a few weeks after turning 3 to a very large healthy filly, outside with no assistance, with no complications.
I do also know another mare, a little cob, who was used as a broodmare from 2yrs of age onwards and they were all healthy too, mare herself is now a riding pony. I've never bred myself though so can't advise you on feeding etc. - just wanted to wish you and mare well.
 
Little update. She has really gained weight lately, although this could also be because she is getting supplements and decent grazing. She didn’t winter well, and was still rather underweight when I got her last month. So it’s great to see her looking healthier.

I’ve attached a picture taken today, showing her belly - was rather to one side for a while. Apologies for what appears to be a neck tether. She is a bit head shy, so this is my fieldsafe grab strap invention.
 

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Little update: she is now rather large! No sign of an udder yet, and no sinking of tail head. If seller is correct, the last time the colt was near her was January, so foaling is imminent. Vet is due today for routine stuff, so I will get her assessed again.
On a positive note, we finally finished the large field shelter. We are having extremely mild weather so this would be ideal. ?
 
We bought a nine yr old trad cob who turned out to be in foal with her 7th foal, she lived to be a healthy 31 yr old, so foaling at 2 - 3 yrs didn't do her much harm, although I wouldn't recommend it.
 
My father bought a heifer that turned out to be in calf. We didn't realise until she was 7 months gone. There was much sucking of teeth from the vet and mutterings about caesarians but she calved outside with no assistance and reared the calf and she was only just two years old. She had no extra food and the calf was quite small at birth.
 
Ok, this is rather strange. I moved my horses to new grazing at the start of February. Due to the horrendous weather and no shelter, the horses didnt get rugs changed for two weeks. I thought the filly’s shape had changed, but couldn’t be sure, and changing rugs in a storm I couldn’t really look while trying to hang on to her.
This weekend rugs came off, and her belly is gone! Viewed from behind her hips are the widest point. Never any sign of an udder, and everything else is normal.
So, was it a phantom? If she aborted I would have expected to see discharge at least, not to mention a dead foal in the field. ☹️ Vet is due out to do boosters soon, but in the meantime answers on a postcard please.
 
I know someone who had a mare in foal, tested and getting huge. Sometime before her foaling date she must have lost it but absolutely no sign, no discharge, no carcass, total mystery.
 
I had a mare I was foal watching. She had the belly the bag and the vulva saying ready to go. After four weeks of waiting and two vets (one said she’s about to pop the other said there is no foal) I gave up and stuck her out in the herd. It must have been a phantom cause she was stabled and in a small clean paddock by day and there was 100% no foal.
 
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