Slwoing down milk

Clodagh

Clodagh

Playing chess with pigeons
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Dixie and Piper have been in seperate stables overnight for about a month now. They are turned out together from 8 - 2ish. Her milk hasn't slowed at all, every morning she has the most enormous bag, it looks horrible, really uncomfortable.
Tomorrow I am taking her to the yard at which I work for at least 6 weeks. Piper is pretty independant anyway but will stay here with his pal. She will no doubt get very stressed, she is much more dependant on Piper than him on her.
I am worried about mastitis, she can't be out 24/7 (shes a wuss) and in fact will probably only have a couple of hours turnout a day. I can ride and lunge her.
So, she will be on soaked hay and not much food, she isn't thin.
Do I milk her or if it is dripping out do I leave her to it? Any thing else I should do?
 
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I havent had much dealing with this, as I have been lucky that all my mares have just dried up slowly but surely ;)
I wouldnt milk her too much as if you express the milk she may just produce more.... I would speak to your vet and he what he says.
I have had mares with really big bags when weaning time comes and I havent had a problem with masitis, I just keep a close eye on things and watch that it doesnt get too uncomfortable for the mare. You will hopefully find that after a couple of days with her being in her new enviroment etc that she will dry up ;)
 
I wean gradually to avoid any stress and the risk of mastitis. I have found over the years that the only thing that will decrease production is if you do not allow the foal to completely drain the milk. What I do is start by allowing the foal to feed every 6 hours but not drain all of the milk, then it ups to 12 hours then 24 and after that production usually ceases and the bag no longer fills right up and is usually gone within a week or two.

If you do decide to milk some off yourself make sure the teat and your hands are clean to reduce the risk of infection and only take enough off to reduce the swelling, and watch out in case you get kicked, wear a hat as the most docile mare in pain can land you one.
 
Thank you. If I was going near Ds bag it would definately be a hard hat and body protector job! Piper has to ask very nicely before hes allowed near it.
I have been trying to wean gradually but Dixie has to come back onto work now and if she can't see Piper shes a complete PITA so its her I'm weaning, not him. Hopefully it will dry up quicker when hes not there at all.
 
One of the ladies on my yard was telling me today that there are tablets you can get from the vet to help disperse the milk, i have no experience of this but might be helpful??
 
I was just about to post regarding gradual weaning so this post is really helpful. I like what karynk has said and i,m just at the 6 hours tonight and will go to your overnight stage OP very soon.
It is also my mare that is more stressy than the foal I,m aiming for the end of the month hopefully as mare is losing a bit more weight than I would like.
Let me know how mare gets on when you move her as I will be doing the same.
 
I weaned my colt earlier than usual this year (7 months) as he is a thumping great thing and with the drought through the summer he sucked the life out of my mare, she lost a lot of weight and everything I fed went to him. At weaning apart from the odd strop he was fine the other side of the electric fence, even managing to snatch a quick drink carefully over it!!!

She on the other hand ploughed a furrow along the fence every time he went more than a few meters away from her! Her strop lasted for a week and a half until I turned her out with the rest of the herd in the next field and she immediately forgot about him, and now two months on she totally ignores him and her 3 year old daughter has taken it upon herself to protect her brother from everyone else, so he is mothered by most of the others and is still fat and growing, showing no ill effects after loosing the milk at all!!

She put the weight on really quickly without him suckling, mostly on add lib quality haylage and a bit of A&P calm and condition. He’ll be getting a shock in the spring though as he is off to his new home with a bunch of older geldings!
 
Well for those interested in not so gradual weaning...
Loaded Dix up and took her up the road to where I work, never a neigh and she was stuffing her face when I left.
Piper is here, his top door is open, he is eating his haylage and has eaten his tea. He is neighing now and then but is not at all distressed.
So far so good, I'm more stressed than either of them!
 
Dix's bag is HUGE. It was dripping this morning but not after turnout and lungeing. I tried to get a bit off but can't get anything out, any hints?

Piper is fine, a bit tired but not sweaty or stressed.
 
LOL

It's like milking a goat - not as easy at it looks!

Don't pinch the teats. Wrap your whole hand around the teat, bring your hand up to the bag and squeeze gently downwards with your palms, not your fingers - and take care not to get soaked!!! ;)
 
Bless her do you think it is uncomfortable for her ?

I ask as Trixie is doing 3 feeds per day and before I let Henna feed I feel her bag to see if it's filling less each time. But so far it's always big, hard and warm but not hot. She lets me touch it but does walk a little slower.

She isn't bothered about feeding but I let her feed because I want to ease her discomfort - It's so hard to tell how they are feeling isn't it.
 
OK Ginnie I will don full body armour and give it a go in the morning!

Beatrice5 - she is moving as well as ever, doing wonderful airs above the ground in the school this morning, it must be sore though, or at least heavy!
 
Clodagh said:
Dix's bag is HUGE. It was dripping this morning but not after turnout and lungeing. I tried to get a bit off but can't get anything out, any hints?

Piper is fine, a bit tired but not sweaty or stressed.
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You may need to stimulate the bag to get a bit to flow, foals nudge the bag before feeding, but you can also do it by squeezing it a bit above the teat, the tissue feels quite lumpy but some good squeezing should release enough for you to ease the pressure, you sort of get both sides between the finger and thumb and squeeze together then drag down towards the teat, hope that remotely explains it!! Thats why I let the foals do it for me!
 
yeah you sort of need to 'bump' it up, then your thumb squeezes it out- if you use your thumb it naturally inclines the teat away so you dont get squirted!
 
Well having printed this off and trundled off to milk her I got there this moring and her bag has really gone down. Its not empty but quite flabby, and not hot. Yay!
 
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