# Miscarriage/spontaneous abortion



## trakehnersrock! (8 December 2010)

Hello, I am the first to admit I know little about pregnancy in horses apart from the basics (how it happens lol, gestation period etc) so would like a bit of info from you experts please.
I heard today that a horse at our yard lost her foal yesterday, and wondered if, like humans, there are periods like the first and last three months of pregnancy where the pregnancy is more precarious and liable to miscarriage?
This mare was 6 months pregnant and in good health, regular vet checks etc. The guy turns up at the yard yesterday, goes in the box and finds the foetus lying on the floor. I haven't spoken directly to him; someone there at the time told me today but I'm sure it was a terrible shock to the poor man. Btw he got the vet at once to check her out.
Do you think this terrible cold snap might have been a factor or is that just a coincidence? Is it unusual to lose (slip? is that the correct term?) a foal at 6 months?
I just wanted some basic info before I see the owner around the yard so I can talk to him sensibly without appearing insensitive or ignorant.
Thank you in advance


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## AndyPandy (8 December 2010)

Sadly, most commonly abortion is without obvious cause (idiopathic) and seems to happen rather randomly, however, a lot of the time we can find out some reason for the abortion. Post-embryonic abortion (i.e. beyond 40 days gestation) happens in around 10-15% of pregnancies. The cause can be infectious or non-infectious.

Infectious causes are most often EHV or EVA-related, or placentitis caused by EHV, leptospirosis or salmonella.

Non-infectious causes could be things such as placental insufficiency, twinning, uterine torsion, mechanical breach of the cervix (by hand or by breeding) amongst others.

The aborted foetus and associated tissues, and the mare herself should be regarded as potentially infectious until a necropsy has been performed on the foetus, in case it was an infection-related abortion.

Don't forget to look out for spontaneous lactation, and/or purulent discharge from the vulva in your pregnant mares everyone.. those are the general signs of impending abortion! You may still be able to do something about it at that stage.


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## only_me (8 December 2010)

We are waiting for signs of abortion at the minute - one of the mare in foals escaped her pen/shelter area last week, galloped on the snow covered yard, slipped and fell on hard concrete ice, and slid for about 8 feet.

We think she has damaged her pelvis, not sure. (her owner is a vet).
So its now a waiting game - vet thinks that if there are no signs in 2 weeks she may be ok 
so its all fingers crossed here!!


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## Jules19 (8 December 2010)

Only_me - hope all is fine.  I'm sure it won't happen, but I can remember one particularly traumatic foaling, that once foal had been extracted it became clear that it had a leg fracture that had then set, unfortunately not at a viable angle.  Consensus of opinion was that the mare had been kicked at some point during pregnancy.  Sorry, don't mean to worry you, but it was a fascinating case!  If any consolation I've only come across it once in 20 years working in the industry!


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## Springs (14 December 2010)

Jules19 said:



			Only_me - hope all is fine.  I'm sure it won't happen, but I can remember one particularly traumatic foaling, that once foal had been extracted it became clear that it had a leg fracture that had then set, unfortunately not at a viable angle.  Consensus of opinion was that the mare had been kicked at some point during pregnancy.  Sorry, don't mean to worry you, but it was a fascinating case!  If any consolation I've only come across it once in 20 years working in the industry!
		
Click to expand...

We had an in foal mare who was pinned into a corner by another and proceeded to kick the #x/# out of her the in foal mare ended up sitting down with the other kicking her in the foal area!! luckly I managed to chase her off and it was touch and go for the mare over the next few days ( in fact the next morning i expected to to find either a dead mare or and aborted foal, but they had both survived).

The mare suffered for a few weeks but eventually improved and then foled early!!!! The foal was very ill, no milk from the mum, suffered from colic, had a blocked back passage and could not stand by him self, the vet thought the worst, but i stayed up for the next 3 days and lifted him up for him to feed when he wanted (gave mum some coco powder so muld was flowing within 6 hours of foaling) called the vet back out at the first sign of trouble. Harry is now 1 1/2! 

From another mare we have had a breach birth (couldn't get the foal out in time)

we have also had an aborted birth, had the aborther feotus (6 months old) checked out by Liverpool uni but nothing was found wrong with the little bugger! 

A few years ago we have had a mare with a ruptured prepubic tendon as well


just thought I would share this with you.


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