Milk testing set back

[Magicmadge]

My mare is 325 days now. She has a decent bag in the mornings, down a bit after turnout. She is soft behind and looking close. I have been milk testing every 2-3 days since the bag looked fuller. The milk had changed from a clear yellow tint to now a skimmed milk colour that i can't see through, so good progress there. However, it has become more and more difficult to express enough to test, last night 1/2 a ml was all i could get so did it with 3ml of water. Now the colour is getting there i would have started to test every day but i am worried testing may have caused her to dry up as such. I have only ever taken 1ml at a time, a liitle squirt from each teat. Any one else had this. I am going to hold off testing now till at least Sunday, but was relying on it as a signal for staying up with her.

 

[Thistle]

i only ever take 1/2 ml (few drops) and 3ml water

 

[mynutmeg]

Testing wouldn't have caused her to dry up I don't think - I know my mare had days where she was very difficult to get more than a drop or two until 2-3 days before she foaled then she steadily increased. If nothing else get a drop or two onto litmus paper which will give the ph - normal litmus as used at school doesn't need the milk diluted at all, works diluted or not.

 

[Spring Feather]

No she hasn't dried up If you try to milk test too early though it can mean a fair bit of manipulating to get the mare to let-down for you. Never take your sample from both teats as in my experience you will get skewed results. Only take from the one teat at a time. Milk when the temperature is at the warmest part of the day if your mare is sluggish to let-down. Cold weather can have them kind of suck it up. Once your mare is closer to foaling she should release fluid for you quite easily. Doing half ratios is fine.

 

[crabbymare]

Also make sure your hands are warm as with the temperatures dropping a bit colder hands can make mares tense up

 

[Magicmadge]

Couldn't even get one drop this morning. Dont know what is going on. Shes on camera and is showing loads of signs. Will try again when she comes in this evening.

 

[Deli]

When is your mare due? Mine is due tomorrow, I am now able to easily express milk but wasn't until about 2 days ago. It still doesn't look like milk. PH fairly low at 6.5ish, calcium 150

 

[Magicmadge]

Well, managed to get less than half a ml tested with that and no change. She is soft behind, puffy vulva, bum pressing, lots of small mushy poos and digging in bed so lots of signs. However, bag still not fully full, going down a bit after turnout. She is day 326 and massive. I will keep trying to test once a day hope it will let down a little easier soon. Thank you.

 

[Deli]

My mare has fully bagged up (flat at the back now) and has white beads of wax. I don't want to milk test now. Do people remove the wax to test or simply wait for the foal?

 

[Spring Feather]

My mare has fully bagged up (flat at the back now) and has white beads of wax. I don't want to milk test now. Do people remove the wax to test or simply wait for the foal?

This is about the *only* time I milk test nowadays and really it's the only time anyone needs to; once everything else is in place. There's little point milk testing when the mare is clearly ages away from foaling. There's loads of point milk testing when she's clearly imminent if you want to make sure you do not miss the foaling. I am always at the births of mine and would never risk not being there so that is the reason I always milk test at this very late stage. (Well, and plus I certainly don't want to be staying awake loads of nights when no mares are going to foal!)

So, is everything else in place? Her vulva will tell you a lot. Has the foal dropped into position? If you dribble some milk on your fingers you will feel the consistency of it and if it's sticky then you have colostrum and that is when *I* milk test. The wax gets knocked off all the time, it's not just two pieces of wax that sit there until the mare foals

 

[Spring Feather]

Well, managed to get less than half a ml tested with that and no change. She is soft behind, puffy vulva, bum pressing, lots of small mushy poos and digging in bed so lots of signs. However, bag still not fully full, going down a bit after turnout. She is day 326 and massive. I will keep trying to test once a day hope it will let down a little easier soon. Thank you.

What readings are you getting?

 

[Deli]

Wax had fallen off after t/o. My mare is at 6.2 maybe lower, calcium 200 maybe a bit higher.

I am on foal watch as vulva really different tonight, it is still wrinkly but pokes out and gapes.

 

[Maesfen]

If she's only 326 days why are you testing already, isn't it a bit early when due dates are around the 340 mark?

 

[mynutmeg]

If she's only 326 days why are you testing already, isn't it a bit early when due dates are around the 340 mark?

320 is within the normal range - my mare went at 336 days

 

[Maesfen]

320 is within the normal range - my mare went at 336 days

Yes, they're viable (not premature) from 320 days but 'normal' is usually circa 340 so your mare was a little earlier than normal which is why I questioned testing so early as they've already tested for a week and it's only 326 now; would have thought 330 would have been early enough to start.

 

[Magicmadge]

I started testing as she had a decent bag and was showing other signs. I was only checking every 2-3 days, now i have white milk so intended to begin testing daily as soon as i had that. She is a standard shetland and has had one foal previously but not with me, the previous owner could not remember exactly but did say she didnt go 340, and only filled her bag close to foaling, so i am keeping a close eye. Readings are still 150 calcium and ph still pink. Vulva very puffy, not eating hay and lots of half size mushy poos.

 

[Spring Feather]

Wax had fallen off after t/o. My mare is at 6.2 maybe lower, calcium 200 maybe a bit higher.

I am on foal watch as vulva really different tonight, it is still wrinkly but pokes out and gapes.

Is your mare, or has your mare been on Regumate or some other drugs up till recently? The only time I have had skewed results like this was with a mare who was on drugs up till around 2 weeks prior to me testing. 6.2pH reads that the mare is very close to foaling, 200 calcium reads the mare is nowhere near foaling. However you obviously don't have colostrum yet and that can come fairly quickly at the last minute so I'd check her milk again tonight and see what you get. Once colostrum is present your readings should be around 800-1000 calcium (total hardness).

 

[Spring Feather]

Yes, they're viable (not premature) from 320 days but 'normal' is usually circa 340 so your mare was a little earlier than normal which is why I questioned testing so early as they've already tested for a week and it's only 326 now; would have thought 330 would have been early enough to start.

It's not the amount of days you go by, it's using the old tried and tested means of figuring out what is going on. None of my mares have ever gone close to 343 days, they have always foaled at between 325 and 335 days and I know the signs to watch for before I even consider milk testing. I do think some people have got a little carried away with milk testing as I see on here and FB people trying to squeeze anything out of their mares when quite clearly there are NO other signs to signify the mare is even close to foaling. I know you don't care for it Maesfen, I do, however I do it when everything else is in place, not just for the sake of doing it. Yes we all have to learn and there's no reason to not do it once or twice a week before foaling if you're a novice at milk testing as it does give owners some signals that they may miss otherwise, but, there's doing it and there's overdoing it. I'm probably a little blasé about it because I've been doing it for years now and it's always served me well, and I've had many of the old original mares here during that time so I have a very good handle on what I'm doing, but I am coming round to why you may have reservations about the whole thing now. Basically it's a tool, to be used in moderation *once* you have all other signs in place.

 

[Spring Feather]

I started testing as she had a decent bag and was showing other signs. I was only checking every 2-3 days, now i have white milk so intended to begin testing daily as soon as i had that. She is a standard shetland and has had one foal previously but not with me, the previous owner could not remember exactly but did say she didnt go 340, and only filled her bag close to foaling, so i am keeping a close eye. Readings are still 150 calcium and ph still pink. Vulva very puffy, not eating hay and lots of half size mushy poos.

If the calcium is only at 150 and the pH is still around 8.4 then your mare is not going to foal on those readings. Those readings are a mare who is doing nothing at the moment. Odd that you have white milk and those readings though. Puffy vulva does not say to me she's going to foal. Mine all go long and taught. None of my mares go off their feed or hay and they don't have mushy poos until the day of foaling. Is your mare the one who is digging too? Mine only dig a few hours or so before foaling. So you are getting totally mixed signs here and I have no idea what your mare is up to BUT I can tell you she will not foal tonight on those milk readings.

 

[Deli]

Yes my mare was on regumate but only up to 100 days? I know I am a little confused by these readings. I used 2 brands of ph checker and both said 6.2 (maybe lower) will check calcium again tonight as no foal as yet

 

[Deli]

You tell me.....

PH Aquahek (I'd say 6.2)





Total hardness (Bottom one) PH also on these strips (second bottom)

 

[Spring Feather]

Do you have a photo of the Aquachek total hardness? Your pH is definitely at the right place. I couldn't say for sure really what the blue on the other strips are reading.

 

[Deli]

I bought the wrong aquachek strips (not total hardness) I rushed to pool place and these were the only ones in. I know they are hard to read from!

 

[Spring Feather]

Okay do you still have the used strips from this morning? Take another look at them now they are dry and see if you can see what shade of blue the calcium looks now. The fluid has run in the photos that's why I'm hanging back with saying what I think I'm seeing. And I'm not used to blue being the colour to work with, purple is the usual one lol!

 

[Deli]

Mare is running milk. It's all down her back legs. She keeps swishing her tail. Day 341 I'm hoping will be the night.

 

[HeresHoping]

Fingers crossed for you for a safe and swift foaling. Will look forward to your news in the morning.

 

[Magicmadge]

Fingers crossed for you tonight, look forward to pics. Nothing much new to report here except bag stayed up and teats fuller.

 

[Spring Feather]

If tonight is the night Deli, good luck and I hope all goes smoothly

 

[Deli]

Tonight was the night. A bay colt but he will not feed!! Just won't latch on

 

[AMW]

congratulations x hope he has worked out feeding now