Mini Mare is Scaring Me

[Double FC]

My mare's eating and bathroom habits have been a little off lately.

We got her through a rescue effort and we don't know when she is due, but we figure she is close...

The past few nights she hasn't gone into her stall when I dump her grain which is what she has always done before. But now she just stands in her paddock or walks into her stall and walks right back out.

And tonight all her manure was in one area at one wall, normally it is scattered. She had some diarhea in her stall, but she has protozoans in her system we can't treat yet because the treatment will hurt the baby.

And she went to pee before going into her stall and she really had to push and all she got out was a little droplet...

Her udders aren't getting any bigger, they're still little, but I can tell there's milk in them...And she's looking smaller then she used to be, though that could just be me being paranoid(I haven't had good foaling expierences, having my big mare abort twice).

Any insite on this? Lucy is 7 years old and I've been told she's had a few babies before.

[MaryKansas]

From what I have seen over the last 3 years of mare staring...when a mare is close to foaling, they use the bathroom in one area of the stall...to keep the rest of the stall clean for the baby...sort of a mare's way of "nesting"
Hope this helps some!!

[notadumbld]

We just checked Lucy 10pm EST. THe baby is really active!

Baby is transverse
Some tail resistence
Marginal vulva lengthening
Lucy seems to be in good spirits

BUT

Frequent pooping, small amount of pee
Smooshy tail
Falling away of musculature from vertebrae at lumbar region

So we have signs of impending labor and signs that she's not due for awhile. Might as well be reading tea leaves with this girl!

Your opinions would be appreciated. Time to sleep in the barn?

[Heather T]

Oh my - wish someone would post here. I'm still learning. We need Doug's advice....oh DOUG!!!!

[Leah]

I have Shetland mares and have also had the experience last year of foaling out some pony mares that came to me in very poor condition. With the small ponies and minis they just do not have as much room inside as a big horse, so with them you tend to see more frequent urinations and bowel movements in the later stage of pregnancy and it is not unusually for that to start a month in advance of foaling. Also the same with the backing off on their normal eating/appetite....with the baby taking up some much room they just cannot eat as much. I am going through that right now with a mare that I think is at least another two weeks off from foaling. It is taking her all day to eat what a week and a half ago she would eat in less than an hour!

As far as dealing with rescue mares and foaling I have found that most do not bag up as much or as far in advance as my well cared for pony mares. I had two born last year with very little notice. One was born in the pasture, pretty strong foal but mare had to be on oxytocin for three days to get her to have some milk. I had noticed two days before foaling that I could see her teats....she had just enough swelling in her udder that you could "look" and see that she had teats hanging down. The other mare was so thin that I had her in a stall and she foal a tiny weak filly, had no milk and it was a struggle but they both made it and everything turned out fine, the first 48 hrs were the worst. The only signes that mare showed before foaling was being a little restless...no pacing, sweating, pawing, etc and very little udder swelling.

I have foal out a lot of big horse and the ponies and minis still have me learning. For the most part they foal faster and have less pain afterwards. I would suggest that you have some oral IgG on hand which you can get from your vet...I am having good luck with the gel and for the pony and mini foals one tube is enough for them (a big horse foal needs three to five). The oral IgG is a synthetic replacement for colostrum and seems to give these little foals a real boost, especially if the mare does not have a lot of milk at delivery.

From what you have said I think that your mare is still a little ways off from foaling so it is not time to sleep in the barn yet! You are doing great by noting all of her behavior changes since those may be the best indicator for her than the normal, she is waxed up and now she is dripping milk so she is going to foal signs! Even with frequent checks do not be surprised if you walk out one morning to find a little foal standing there nursing! These little mares are quick at "spitting" the baby out!
Leah
www.Lmequineservices.com

[doublefc]

I checked Lucy again tonight at feeding...She didn't go into her stall willingly to eat...Her udders are the same...

But her bum feels a bit soft(it's squishable) and her vulva looks a bit relaxed.

So I'll be up all night watching the cam LOL(Thank God for Saturdays!) and I may end up sleeping in the barn(the weather is so nice out...It's like 58 degrees!)

[Leah]

I still think that she may be a week or so off but sounds like you have nice weather for a barn campout anyway!

There are some mares that are not comfortable foaling in a stall. I let one of my mares foal out in my barn alley (dirt alley, 12 ft wide and 72 ft long) last year. She was very unhappy and restless in a stall so I tried to figure out what would work for both of us since I wanted to see the foal born! She had only foal in a pasture in the past.

Since you have your little mare on a good nutrition program now, I bet she will bag up some more for you...she may foal on the next full moon!

Oh, I know that you said that you do not know when your mare was bred but where is she from...what state? A lot of mares down here in TX will foal early in the season...Feb and March but most mares that I have bought from the midwest (KS, IA, MN) tend to foal April through June...sort of mother nature taking care that the foals will be born when the weather is decent. Anyhow, that might be a guideline to help you know when she might foal.

[notadumbld]

Leah - THank you for your answers. It helps to have someone's brain to pick.

[doublefc]

I checked Lucy's udders last night at midnight and they were twice as big as when I checked about 6 hours before.

[Leah]

Sounds like she is definantly getting closer to foaling!