How long before your mares due date do you open up her caslick stitches ? ?

Just had a quick search online, and most people say 1 month before foaling.

I know nothing about caslick stitches so might be best to just give your vet a ring?
 
thanks maesfen, i was thinking a month but just thought i would ask as this is the first mare that i have had to have caslicked in the time that i have been breeding.
 
I go for 2 weeks before their due date.. unless they are showing signs of going earlier!! Ours are monitored 24/7.. so someone is always on hand to open them if they decide to foal unexpectedly!!!
 
We do not open them up until they break waters, for hygiene and pain reasons. I sit up with the mares 6 nights a week with another member of staff on my night off. The mares do not react badly to be opened up once labour is well established. We don't rely on due dates and this year in particular has proved that this is a good attitude to have most of our mares have gone nearly a month over, while the odd one has gone two weeks early so TBH it is not worth the risk for us.
 
Agree with Laafet, only ever had one with a caslick but sat up and waited then snipped when waters broke.
 
This is going to sound rather obvious, to most, but for those who are foaling for the first time, and have the caslick opened up, in advance of foaling, don't forget to separate the lips on a daily basis, or the caslick will re-heal, and depending on the degree , then she may very well tear badly.

We have a mare who foaled with her previous owner. They didn't realise that the lips need to be separated, to prevent re-sealing, and she now has heavy and ugly scarring, and subsequent caslicks aren't that easy to achieve.

Alec.
 
Simsar said:
Agree with Laafet, only ever had one with a caslick but sat up and waited then snipped when waters broke.
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In a perfect world I agree (even though I said a month in an earlier post) but many aren't or can't be there for the birth for various reasons or the mare springs an early one on them; cases where there can be no 24 hour watch; in those cases I feel it is better to have them opened in advance than risk the tearing that can happen.

Alec, that's a very good point about keeping them open too.
 
I also agree with you Maesfen. We are lucky to be in a position to monitor mares 24/7 with staff experienced enough to open a caslicks always to hand. For a first time and/or home breeder then I can see why you said a month.
 
Just a question for those who deal with opened caslicks, on a regular basis, were I to puff "wound powder", or something similar, on the cut, would that speed up the healing process, by drying it up?

The reason that I ask, is that I have one mare who doesn't take to kindly, to me fiddling about with her rear end, when she's in foal.

Alec.
 
I always spray some terramycin spray on after I've opened up a caslick!! - mostly due to the fact of flies in oz..

I'm not sure you can prevent the wound from knitting back together if that's what you're asking by applying the wound powder etc.. i think that just comes with regularly re-opening (just breaking the healing tissue with ur finger once opened already!)
 
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