foal weaned yesterday/mares bag very large today advice please

[watertray53]

Foalie weaned yesterday and the mares bag is very ,very full tonight.Mare has been out in field all day walking about and grazing but is stabled at night. Is there anything I can do to help her bag decrease in size or will nature take its course and sort her out or could she get mastitus ? I would value ideas as to what is best to do.

 

[Resupgirl]

Don't give her any hard feed.

 

[watertray53]

She has only had some poor quality hay and a little chaff with sugar beet in the last 24hrs and been out all day in a small paddock that has been recently topped . Is this ok or should she have no feed and just hay over night?

 

[JanetGeorge]

[ QUOTE ]
She has only had some poor quality hay and a little chaff with sugar beet in the last 24hrs and been out all day in a small paddock that has been recently topped . Is this ok or should she have no feed and just hay over night?

[/ QUOTE ]

That's fine - don't panic! A mare's udder WILL become very enlarged in the 24 - 72 hours after abrup weaning. It will be a bit uncomfortable but DON'T attempt to draw any milk off - that will just encourage her to produce more and could introduce infection. After 72 hours it will start to subside. As long as it doesn't become RED hot or ICE cold, don't worry. (If it DOES become red hot/ice cold, call vet ASAP!)

 

[watertray53]

Thank you JanetGeorge for your advice which has made me feel a little more relaxed about my mare. When she had foalie on her , she hardly had any bag at all and seeing it so enormous has made me realise just how well she was doing the foal .

 

[Daisy11]

my mare had the same as its just what janetgeorge said