Foaling with minimal bag??

[Rosehip]

Preparing to be shot down, and be told (and proved) that Im a prat...but.... I think Dippy may foal tonight/tomorrow.
Her vulva is huge, very lax, slightly open and swollen with a slight sheen of opaque discharge, she has no resistance to her tail, and is pretty lax muscle wise over her bum.....
however she has very very little bag, no sign of wax and certainly no sign of milk....could she still foal tonight?
She had obviously been 'to bed' between 7 and 9 as she was covered in straw and there was signs of digging too.
Im off up to the field about 11-11.30 with a flask and a blanket, but am I over reacting or 'wasting' my time?
I know Im neurotic, but I couldnt bare it if something untoward happened! xx

 

[haras]

well, my maiden mare has been dripping a small amount from one side of her very small bag, so looks imminent, but like your mare, doesn't have a huge bag at all. She does have some other signs, but again, nothing obvious. I've just been to check her and she is calm, eating her hay, looking very normal and bed looks normal, so I've left her for now. Yard is only a few mins away, so will check her again in a couple of hours.

Good Luck x

 

[Rosehip]

Thanks Haras, bet you are on complete tenterhooks! I know how much you have gone through with your girl!
Seren never goes to bed before she has had her night time net at 8.30/9pm, so for her to have been down and digging is unusual...
Im beginning to wish I hadnt started this! x

 

[JanetGeorge]

Preparing to be shot down, and be told (and proved) that Im a prat...but.... I think Dippy may foal tonight/tomorrow.
Her vulva is huge, very lax, slightly open and swollen with a slight sheen of opaque discharge, she has no resistance to her tail, and is pretty lax muscle wise over her bum.....

These signs are a more useful indication of imminent foaling than a large bag - or milk! I had a visiting mare two years ago - had a big, full term foal - with virtually NO bag and no milk! She also rejected the foal initially! Luckily I had a good supply of frozen colostrum so we kept foal with her but fed it every hour (she only went for it if it tried to drink!) After 12 hours, she let her milk down and had oodles - still wouldn't let foal drink unless she was twitched! It took 5 days of persistence before she accepted it.

 

[haras]

Haha! I began to wish I hadn't started it the day Dina had her colic surgery 8 months ago! yes, I'm very nervously excited, just want it all over now. When my yard owner/friend/stallions owner looked at her earlier and said, oh but she could do the drip drip thing for a week, I just looked at Dina and said don't you dare!!!

I put her stupidly long, very lovely mane in an arab plait earlier, so that if she sweats it doesn't all stick to her, and also, so it doesn't get in the way when she foals or dangle all over her new foal. Very strange seeing her without her mane! I'm sort of hoping it will mean foaly doesn't chew it as well.

Good Luck with seri, maybe she was positioning her foal?

Fingers crossed we both have birth announcements to make very soon!

 

[Rosehip]

Thanks Janet...Im now borderline vomiting at the thought she might reject the foal!!!
However, thanks for not telling me Im a moron! Just waiting for the kettle to boil so I can make a flask, and then I'll toddle off back up to my girlie!
Im just praying that she comes to milk as she foals...or bakes him a bit longer even though I think I may go mental! x

ETA: Haras, nooo, dont let her drip for a week!! lol!
It could be that she is positioning the foal, but I get the feeling that she has already done that?? I dunno!!! xx

 

[JanetGeorge]

Thanks Janet...Im now borderline vomiting at the thought she might reject the foal!!!
However, thanks for not telling me Im a moron! Just waiting for the kettle to boil so I can make a flask, and then I'll toddle off back up to my girlie!
Im just praying that she comes to milk as she foals...or bakes him a bit longer even though I think I may go mental! x

ETA: Haras, nooo, dont let her drip for a week!! lol!
It could be that she is positioning the foal, but I get the feeling that she has already done that?? I dunno!!! xx

Don't panic about the possibility of rejection - it's quite rare and even then - in the majority of cases it can be overcome. And - believe me - we NEVER know. The only guaranteed sign that a mare is foaling is a white bag!! I had a mare a couple of years ago who showed ALL the signs of actual early labour for 3 weeks! She had a live and healthy foal with no complications!

 

[Rosehip]

Oh god....3 weeks.... I will be a nervous wreck if that happens!! x

 

[Bennions Field]

And breathe..... i know exactly how you are both feeling cant believe it was only sat night, seems like an eternity ago already! Teba had little or no bag untill about 2-3 hours before foaling, and still has very little but plenty of milk. she began to drip the odd drop of milk about an hour before she delivered. i arrived back at the yard mid afternoon to find her flat out and fast asleep by the gateway ! decided she couldnt be anyway near foaling if she was that comfortable, how wrong i was.

i started checking her at 1.5 hr intervals from 6pm but at 12am thought she looked worried, only way to describe it, she wasnt restless or showing any signs of being particulary uncomfortable. she did bite/scratch her tum a couple of times but thats not unusual. i decided to check her every hr and at 3 when i checked her she looked ok but i just decided to stay and watch a while, i used the red light on my head torch so not to distrub her too much. she walked around the stable a couple of times then started to have a wee and this carried on a little while longer than usual. she then walked about 5-6 steps more and got down and promptly delivered her filly. she still didnt even break out in a sweat then !!!

I think normally there is a lot more notice things are about to happen but i was amazed at how quick she progressed, and would say watch closely, you know your mares, if you feel something is happening trust your instinct.


best of luck for tonight rosehip, cant wait to see both your little foalies.

 

[Rosehip]

Morning all! Just a quick update....no foal as yet, but her bag is no longer flapping in the breeze! She had bagged up in the couple of hours I was away from her last night, and she proceeded to have a fairly unsettled night with a couple of false alarms, before deciding at about 3am that the best thing to do was use my legs as a pillow and go off to sleep! We woke up at about 4.30 with a confused look (Seri) and dead legs (me!!)
Ive popped home for a shower as apparantly eau de straw stable isnt becoming (Im a groom fgs!) and Dad has gone up to make sure she doesnt do a crafty through the fence!
Off to work now, but piccys later...going to take my time owed now so that at least I can get a kip during the day if needed!
xxx

 

[stolensilver]

I think our mares have been texting each other again. Lottie is showing all the signs of being ready to foal, she's restless, enormous, jelly like back end, huge bag and spraying milk onto her back legs. But will she have it? Of course not! I'm off to the Lakes today until Sunday, I swear she knew and has plaited her legs in knots to keep her foal inside till I'm at the other end of the country and can't come and see them.

I've always known she's got a sense of humour but right now she's the only one who is laughing.

 

[Rosehip]

I think our mares have been texting each other again. Lottie is showing all the signs of being ready to foal, she's restless, enormous, jelly like back end, huge bag and spraying milk onto her back legs. But will she have it? Of course not! I'm off to the Lakes today until Sunday, I swear she knew and has plaited her legs in knots to keep her foal inside till I'm at the other end of the country and can't come and see them.

I've always known she's got a sense of humour but right now she's the only one who is laughing.

Oh bless her! I do love your girl! But in this instance she should do as she is told! lol!
I'll get Seri to text her and tell her to hold off till Sat night - Im convinced that this is what Seri will do as Im working at the yard in the morning as N is off to the show!
If Lottie is srupting milk piston-like then surely she cant be that far off????
Why do we do this to ourselves?!lol!

As of 10.30am Seren was piddling well and is still doing splatty poo's, but her bag has deflated just slightly.... Im in need of carbs, and choc - lots of it - before I go back to work! (I have 2 jobs!) xx

 

[haras]

My mare is still holding out too..... wonder how much longer she can manage it....

 

[Rosehip]

Any news anyone? Seri is back to where she was last night..bag full (as its ever been) vulva massive and pretty jellified over her rump.
At least having done one night and staying up pretty much the whole time I have a fair idea of what is 'normal' for her at this stage, and will praps not be quite so "oh god shes farting....oh god shes weeing" and may just get a bit of sleep!! xx

 

[haras]

Well, here is my Thursday evening update

Not much different to yesterday, however back end so loose foal may as well fall out, Not dripping now, but has a huge glob of wax plugging teat. Very grumpy (ask her field mate who got a chunk taken out of her), was biting sides earlier. My (experienced) friend had a look earlier though and doesn't think she will have it tonight as she could see the foal wriggling. Her bag is still fairly small, but I'm thinking thats a red herring.

 

[dianchi]

foals wriggling here too! Not waxed up, but jellified back end, and pretty sure i could call to foal if i shouted in the right place!
Very quiet but eating.
Yard owner is on duty tonight, and weekend is mine!

 

[Rosehip]

Well Serens bump only squiggles now - no room for kicking! - and has been fairly quiet over the day.
Popping back up in a tic to pen up and poo pick - fun fun! - Lily will be on foal watch with me again tonight so at least I'll have somethig to stay awake for! lol!
Dont think she will ever foal!!

 

[Pony_Puzz]

No movement for me, all jelly behind, saw a little bit of wax this morning, super quiet (shes not been quiet for ages) and very slow today but I'll check her again a bit later

 

[haras]

I'm still waiting...... she's not really changed since yesterday.

Foal watch is seriously over hyped!

 

[Rosehip]

im definately definately never doing foal watch without either a caravan or cctv again.... whilst sleeping in the straw with you mare is a wonderful experience, the operative word is SLEEP!!!!
However, have just found that my laptop is wireless enabled, so Im taking it with me tonight in the hope that someone has wifi that I can piggy back on! Not that I would ever suggest doing anything remotely illegal.....xx

 

[Mega]

Lol!! Good luck

 

[Rosehip]

Cheers Mega! Im up on a hillside with the girls, and the area is pretty afluent townie influx so hoping that they have all the mod cons even tho we are out in the sticks! Even if not I can still play solitare! lol! x

 

[stolensilver]

My mare finally foaled last night, as soon as she heard that I was heading Oop North and couldn't go and visit for a few days.

She's had a huge liver chestnut colt who may go grey. He's got a star and a snip and a sock behind and a sock in front. I can't wait to go and see him.

 

[haras]

Congratulations! Please let Dina be next...... Please let Dina be next!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Luck to everybody else still waiting x

 

[only_me]

Oh god, I shouldn't have read this thread, as mare-in-foal is due anytime now, is a madien, not alot of bag and no waxing yet, but looks about ready to drop - muscles at backend are lax and she has a bit of a john wayne swagger behind...

Oh, and I'm the only one on the yard this weekend - !! good job the mare in question's owner is a vet!