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Julie
| | Posted on Saturday, Apr 3, 1999 - 11:54 am: |   |
Hello! My 6 (almost 7) year old palomino Quarter horse/Thoroughbred mare was bred in May of last year. The vet (whom I figured out is not very reliable) palpated her and said she was not pregnant.
I have been riding her, doing some small jumps (maybe a foot tall), but not very much galloping. I noticed that about two weeks ago her udder became larger. Basically, there is a pouch in front of the teats and on the sides. It doesn't hurt her to touch them. If she were pregnant, the foal would be due around April 28. I have another mare who will be due on the 27 (bred to the same stallion), and she is HUGE, with obvious changes in her udder. However, she has had quite a bit of food and has not been ridden since she first became pregnant (I just bought her a month ago, or else I would have excercised her).
My question is, why is my mare (who was said to not be pregnant) showing signs of bagging up if she is not pregnant? Also, if she were pregnant, is it possible for her not to show it in weight at all? Thanks! |
Julie
| | Posted on Saturday, Apr 10, 1999 - 5:43 pm: | |
Can anyone help me out? |
DrO
| | Posted on Saturday, Apr 10, 1999 - 9:20 pm: | |
Hello Julie,
We do not know why your mare is bagging up and yes some mares do not look real heavy when pregnant. But...none of this answers your question: Is she pregnant? You need to have her palpated. |
Julie
| | Posted on Sunday, Apr 11, 1999 - 2:09 pm: | |
Well, actually I was really wondering if mares could have a false pregnancy that lasts as long as an actual pregnancy (I read an earlier post where someone's mare did something like that, but I was wondering if there were more specifics on it.), and if they did, would there be signs that it was a false pregnancy? I know that a pregnancy question could not be answered accurately unless the mare was tested by a vet, I guess I probably shouldn't have titled this posting the way that I did (Is she pregnant?). Thank you |
The Advisor Vet, RN Oglesby DVM
| | Posted on Monday, Apr 12, 1999 - 6:33 am: | |
Hello Julie,
I think the concept of a "false pregnancy" is not well defined in horses and when people use the term I am never sure what they mean. If you are referring to your mare bagging up, you may be having a real pregnancy. On the other hand a lot of mares when they get into a positive energy balance, like happens in the spring, add a little fat and fluid to the bag.
Loss of the fetus after day 40 will result in a mare not returning to estrus for a several months due to hormaonal events which could be called a false pregnancy. These mare usually return to heat aorund day 200 post breeding unless this has thrown them into the anestral times of the year.
DrO |
Julie
| | Posted on Wednesday, Apr 14, 1999 - 6:51 pm: | |
Thank you, this helps a lot! |
Chris M
| | Posted on Thursday, Apr 15, 1999 - 3:50 pm: | |
My mare has large teats that sometimes drip alittle - this is called witches milk and isn't that uncommon. My vet told me not to worry. It seems to happen this time of year.
When she was pregnant and bagged up, she also had a pronounced belly button and veins along her belly leading to her udder. The week before she gave birth, her muscles along her croup slacked quite a bit.
This far along, perhaps you could hear 2 heart beats with a stethascope if she were pregnant?
Unknown to all, my own mare was pregnant when I bought her many years ago. Even though I noticed the changes in her body, (I'd only had her a few weeks) I didn't know her well enough to suspect she was pregnant. She delivered a "surprise" foal on her own.
I heard all kinds of "surprise" stories after that event. My favorite was the person at a 4-H show who notice a foreleg sticking out of the back end of a competitor's pony - the foal was born at the show after the rider had competed earlier in the day! Tough pony.
I guess if you really want to be sure, you'd have your mare palpated by a vet you trust. Good luck. |
Julie
| | Posted on Friday, Apr 16, 1999 - 10:54 pm: | |
Thanks Chris! Definately a tough pony. It is unbelievable the way some of those things happen! |
Terry
| | Posted on Wednesday, Apr 21, 1999 - 3:23 pm: | |
Howdy
I have a Appy Mare that is due sometime on or about April 30. She is a Maiden Mare and I'm a little worried , as she has not started to bag up.
Is this normal for Maiden Mares or should I consider looking for a surrogate mare..
I' hoping and praying that Mother Nature takes its course, but am also worried about the new born as well.
Thanks All.
Terry |
M.Cheri McCann
| | Posted on Thursday, Apr 22, 1999 - 2:30 am: | |
Guess what. Have a different vet check her again. My friend opted to have her mare palped at 2 months instead of an ultrasound and her mare that "is not pregnant" per the first vet miscarried due to rhino a lovely jet black purebred Arab colt. She is currently taking the vet to court. |
Terry
| | Posted on Thursday, Apr 22, 1999 - 9:57 am: | |
She is diffently Pregnant, You can accutally feel and see the foal move. My question was " I was a little concerened that she has not bagged up as of yet. The foal is due between 7 to 11 days..
Thanks Terry |
Julie
| | Posted on Thursday, Apr 22, 1999 - 11:17 pm: | |
Terry-- I have read and heard that some mares do not bag up at all until they actually foal. Some of them show no signs of foaling and go straight into Stage 1 of foaling. I am not sure about getting a surrogate mare though. Also, I think that the response that Cheri gave was to my question :^)
Cheri--I am guessing that the response you gave was to my question. If it was, thanks. If she were pregnant, she would be at about day 332, and I am guessing that I would see more signs of her being pregnant by now. She is a maiden mare. She also is not very big in the first place, and she was skinny before I had her bred, so I am thinking that she would really be showing by now if she were pregnant. Thanks again! |
TAmela Kelm (Notch)
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jul 16, 2002 - 9:05 pm: | |
I had a mare that we bred and checked her with the stud and she never showed signs of being in however around 40 days we had her on vacation and she showed some signs of being in heat although they were not near as strong as usuall. When we got home we had her palpated at around 50 days and the vet said he did not think she was and that it was almost impossible for her to hide the foal at this time of pregnancy so we took her to another stud and she wants nothing to do with him and has not come back into heat. Is it possible he missed diagnosed this pregnancy? I have read it is hard to palpate and be sure unless you do alot of them. I have had this mare a long time and even think she looks to be more filled out even at this early date which is around 70 days now. We brought her home and just intend to wait and see. |
Heidi Hocker (Heidih)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002 - 8:25 am: | |
Hello,
I'm not Dr. O, but I've been in this situation before. The best way to find out if your mare is pregnant is to have an ultrasound done. The main reason would be to check for twins, since most mares can't carry twins to term. Twins can also put the mare's life at risk.
Right now you shouldn't be able to see anything in the mare, the fetus at 70 days is very small, about an 2 - 3 inches long with a sack about the size of a football. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM (Dro)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002 - 8:42 am: | |
Tamela,
Most of your questions are answered in the article on Reproduction: Pregnancy Diagnosis and Equine Diseases: Reproductive Diseases: Problems Keeping Mares Pregnant: Early Embryonic Loss & Abortion, including why mares who lose a foal after day 40 do not come back into heat. If there is doubt about the last assessment why not have a second opinion?
DrO |
TAmela Kelm (Notch)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 24, 2002 - 10:16 pm: | |
We have chose not to have the mare checked again and just wait and see. We took her to another stud and she never came in or was even interested. I am betting that the vet is wrong this time as I have been told even the best vets have a hard time telling sometimes.
Tam |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM (Dro)
| | Posted on Thursday, Jul 25, 2002 - 7:46 am: | |
It is true Tamela. Sometimes you reach in there and you just cannot locate the uterus. Usually the mare is not cooperating and straining makes it difficult to palpate or there is a lot of air in the rectum distending the wall and making it difficult to manipulate. Also I have had cases where the bowel is on top of the uterus or behind the bladder. You have to learn to say, I don't know today, lets recheck her tomorrow.
DrO |
