Twins in horses

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tullison

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Hi,

I had my horse scanned in foal by a vet last year when she was 28 days gone and the vet confirmed she was in foal and evrything was fine. However 10 months later she has just given birth to twins which sadly died as their organs were not developed well enough internally. Just wondered if anyone else had experienced a scan failing to show up twins as it is normally a good preventative measure. Any info greatly appreciated.
 
Problem is probably with timing (assuming your vet is competent!). We scan at 14 days - because that's when it's easiest to pick up on twins and it's the easiest time to 'deal' with them! We scan again at 28 days (or earlier if a twin has been pinched) for heart-beat - and a second check for twins. But by 28 days, if the twins are 'back to back', it can be very difficult to spot them as they are implanted and don't move! And even if they are spotted, the only way to deal with them at THAT stage is to terminate the pregnancy!
 
So sorry you have lost your twin foals and I hope your mare is OK.

Scanning is the only way to know if your mare is twinning - as above I normally have mine scanned at 16 days (or as close to if its a weekend), again around 24 days and again at 42 days. Sadly if twins are detected as late as 42 days the only option is to terminate the pregnancy and chances are that will mean a barren mare for the season.

Scanning is only as good as the operator and even then it is always possible a twin pregnancy can be missed.
 
Yes my YO friends mare has just had twins. They were on bbc news last night. Vet had scanned and so had she and they had both missed them. Somethime these things happen I suppose. Sorry to hear about your babies though.
 
My friend's mare had undetected twins the year before last. Her abdominal wall collapsed a month before due date. The foals were born by emergency c-section but sadly the mare and both foals died.

Also, a mare I had put on loan had twins early this year. One was mummified and the other could not survive. The mare was ok though and is back in foal.

Both mares had been scanned by good vets. Sadly some mares seem to be good at "hiding" their twins when scanned.
 
Hi,

So sorry to hear about your foals, it is gutting when you lose a foal (or two), I hope that your mare is OK.

I scan at 14 days and if twins show then scan again at 28 days, my mares (I use the same stallion) consistently show twins, and by the 28 day scan only carry singles. Mother Nature often sorts things out by herself - but not always.

A couple of years ago I had a 7 y.o mare scanned, it showed a single, she produced full term (340 days) twin colts that were stillborn only because the first massive one got stuck and took us two hours to deliver. I gave the mare a year off because she was very ill afterwards, she ran with the stallion in 2009, took at her first season and had a perfectly healthy colt this year, simple, straight forward foaling.
 
My vet scans at 14 days so he can 'pinch' any twins then scans again at 28 days for a heart beat. To date I have been very lucky in that no twins have got passed my vet!
 
Sadly, with todays much improved nutrition, twining can be a frequent problem.Even native mares are now displaying this problem.

We always scan at anything from 13 days and our vet is extremely dilligent.If he is at all unsure he will do a repeat scan for our clients, free of charge.He is also very good at pinching out but it does take a very experienced vet.

JANE
 
Marchell said:
Sadly, with todays much improved nutrition, twinning can be a frequent problem.
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Nutrition is part of it, but I think that the main reason we're seeing so much more twinning IS scanning! Before we could detect twins - and pinch one - the foals were normally lost. Now, in MANY instances, one is pinched and the other survives - but it IS still a twin! It goes on to breed (if a female) and may well be genetically predisposed to twinning.

I have several home-bred mares in my herd who WERE twins (before pinching - I always tell the vet to pinch the colt and leave the filly!:D) and all of them have twinned at least once. We watch them like a hawk!!

The advantage of mares who twin is that - over their breeding life - they tend to be more fertile and easier to get in foal. As it happens, all my home-bred mares are AI'd - because they are by my own stallion - so we get fore-warningof the likelihood of twinning when they're scanned pre-AI. And my vet is VERY careful!!
 
Is it generally best practice to pinch the smaller of the two? What happens to the remains of the one that has been pinched.
 
I am so sorry you lost your foals.

My friend's mare was scanned in foal, but they didnt pick up that there were twins, so it was a bit of a shock when they born! The colt was much smaller than the filly, and had wonky legs, but they both pulled through and developed well.
 
Sprout said:
I am so sorry you lost your foals.

My friend's mare was scanned in foal, but they didnt pick up that there were twins, so it was a bit of a shock when they born! The colt was much smaller than the filly, and had wonky legs, but they both pulled through and developed well.
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Were they the ones featured in the H&H mag last month?
 
Sorry to hear your news. We scan routinely at 14 and 16 days, if a triple ovulation then we'd scan at 13 days. [we have scanned several triplets now] We also always scan day or two after squeezing a twin.

I also think now the extenders are so good in AI'ing semen, semen lives longer so twins/triplets are more common.
 
Very sorry to hear about your foals.

My mare is a surviving twin - she is very fit and healthy and has not had any health issues the in the 3 1/2 years I have owned her apart from getting injured from a kick in the field, which could have happened to anyone. She was slightly smaller than her sibling when born, and is now about one hand smaller than her dam and sire. I adore her, she is very intelligent and trainable.
 
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