# pH levels of 'milk'



## luckilotti (19 June 2011)

so, i havent been able to get my hands on any of the testing strips that i need (have ordered them), but, i suddenly recalled i had some pH test strips and amazingly, i managed to lay my hands right on them! (bought them last year and wasnt sure where they had been put - they were in the 1st place i glanced!) 
Anyway, they do pH 1 - 14, and it's a colour chart that you go off. 

BOTH of my mares are showing 7... 

Most websites seem to say this means soonish... but a couple others i glanced at says once its 7... keep watching as its very soon.

I know its not ideal going off just pH like this but its all i can go with at the moment - one i think very well could foal very soon as even though she doesnt have wax, she is very restless, vulva looks ready, her shape has changed drastically the last 24 hours.  The other mare - didnt give us much of a clue last time so she may well do the same to me - crazy as IF she were to foal in the early hours, it would be the same date as her last (and 1st) foal!

For those who have tested, what pH did they foal at?  what pH seemed the constant in the days leading upto foaling?

Thanks


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## Thistle (19 June 2011)

The pool ones test from 8.4 (or 8.2?) down to 6.2.

I believe that following the advice from the many posts on here that mares foal with 48 hours or so of reaching 6.2.

My mare is 321 days, has a medium sized bag and is starting to slacken off. She is testing at 7.8. I am not testing her every day atm.


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## Spring Feather (19 June 2011)

They never foal above 6.2ph.

A 7ph reading is an awful one to get for your first time as you have nothing to gauge it on .  

I've had mares sit at 7ph for days and days before dropping.  Others have been 7.2ph in the morning, 6.2ph in the evening and they've foaled an hour or so later.

If you had the calcium reading to match (ie. around 500) then I'd say keep an eye as mare could foal in the next couple of days, but if your calcium is only at 150 with a 7ph then you could have some time to go.

Sorry I'm guessing that was no help whatsoever to you


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## luckilotti (20 June 2011)

Thanks for the replies. 

I emailed the shop i ordered the Aquacheck strips from and asked if they could post them asap as i was pretty desperate for them and hadnt been able to buy them locally - i dare say they think i am nutter but never mind 

My KWPN was very unsettled again last night, but... she then went and knocked her water feeder off the wall... it's on the wall not covered by the cctv... and i have now found out that the sound on the camera is no longer working.... 
Sooooo, i have a very flooded stable... a foaling bed totally wrecked, and a mare who doesnt want to go out (app she does this close to foaling). 

I've swept some out, and given her breakie and will have to somehow try and dry it out, i'm thinking of going and buying some wood pellets i can put down to soak it all up then just empty the pellets out.  

Plan on doing another pH test when i get back to the yard as thankfully a livery is down keeping an eye on her whilst i have had to come home so hubby can go to work and i'm here when the children wake up.


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## Thistle (20 June 2011)

Oh, so a nice restful day in store for you then!!!

Can you get any water hardness test strips, maybe from a garden centre/shop. That should test the CAlcium, as that's what causes water hardness.

My mare with pH7.8 measures 100Ca. We think she is a way off foaling yet. At least that would then tell you yes or no


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## luckilotti (20 June 2011)

I've not managed to get any for the calcium, my parents have a pool and i've been through their pool room but all i can find locally/at parents is liquid/tablet type tests, and considering i am only taking 0.5ml milk and mixing with 3ml distilled water i doubt i would be able to break down a tablet etc enough to get the ration right (BTW - havent a clue how the tests above work - just assuming that if they are for ponds, pools etc that the tablets are designed for use with much larger quantities of water).

One of them is only 319 today but as mentioned before, she has really changed the last 36 hours.  Started bagging up weeks ago, was fit to burst at the end of last week with her udders, very slack/puffy vulva, vulva has been 'gapping' open... slackening off of backend, tummy has also changed and from one angle you can now see ribcage (not seen that for ages!), restless, getting and down quite a bit, not wanting to go out, constant tail swishing (so much that she keeps of swishing her tail bandages off - so have given up for now with them as have to wash and dry them all again now), also tail rather floppy (but not as much as my other mare who is due later). 

I did do something quite good last night though - i rescued a swollow - it was fully hung from the pony mares fly paper... wings fully out, totally upside down - thankfully i saw it happen so freed it straight away but it attempted to fly off with very sticky wings :-/  hope it managed to get the sticky stuff off!


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## luckilotti (26 June 2011)

Whispers.....

pH now seems to be 6.2..... well, a few of us think it was.... 1 on the yard thought it looked more like 6.8 - but the midwife who apparently reads test like it daily thought 6.2.....


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## Spring Feather (26 June 2011)

luckilotti said:



			Whispers.....

pH now seems to be 6.2..... well, a few of us think it was.... 1 on the yard thought it looked more like 6.8 - but the midwife who apparently reads test like it daily thought 6.2.....
		
Click to expand...

What colour was it showing?  If it is closer to a white peach colour then you're on your way.  If it has any pink/red tones then you aren't.  Sometimes it can help if you take a photo of the strip alongside the chart.  The photograph sometimes gives a clearer resolution than just looking at it in daylight.


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## luckilotti (28 June 2011)

Thanks for the photo tip, my eyes are useless so am asking lots of opinions from whoever is on the yard at the time lol!






Was this morning - was also this colour last night. 

I also use a plain old pH stip each time to see what that says - its not as accurate but this is also what its been showing for about 24 hours now. 





The bottom 3rd along is 6, the 4th along the top is 7 - so this defiantley looks more like a 6. 

So now i guess its just wait wait wait


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## Thistle (28 June 2011)

I think your foal may be on it's way!


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## Optimist (28 June 2011)

Looks like it's time to prepare for a sleepless night!

Good luck.


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## Spring Feather (28 June 2011)

Looks like a 6ph so yes I'd say your mare is well on her way.  Without knowing the calcium could make the difference of the timing of her foaling.  To give you a bit of an idea, the longest I have ever waited for a mare to foal at 6.2ph (or lower) BUT with a low calcium reading, was once and it took 72 hours before she foaled, however she was special .  In almost every other mare, once they hit that 6.2ph the calcium is around 800 and they almost always foal within 24 hours.

Worst case, you're looking at 72 hours but I think that doubtful, I'd work more on the 48 hour window as that is more usual.


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## luckilotti (1 July 2011)

Still no foali! 

I havent milk tested since i did 2 that looked like a def 6.2 as TBH i didnt see the point. 
She is dripping slightly so dont want to make it worse, a couple of days ago she had what seemed like wax (but was lighter in colour than my other mare last year), that fell off/got rubbed off when shes started leaking (the stud i bought her from did comment she often leaks).
We still have a long gapping vulva, restless, etc, her belly has changed dramatically the last 48 hours, with lumps moving about etc. 

I am now thinking - forget milk testing - and stick with my predication from earlier this year, based upon sods law.... i have to have my 3 year old twin toddlers with me on foal watch on saturday night as their dad is away for the weekend... whilst they could stay with my mum, she is on call for me - she will come down the second i give her the green light so by the time she woke the boys up... she would miss it!  
So.... it's bound to happen this weekend!
plan is... IF something isnt right and i have to be with my mare rather than watching through the cctv...if boys are asleep, leave them in the caravan (just by foaling boxes), if they are awake... put them in a pushchair outside the stable and give them whatever junk food - crisps etc will keep them quiet! (just hope they will eat if its the middle of the night!) if i give them toys etc, they will prob throw them down, then moan/scream until i pick them up and then that starts a whole new game!

Anyway, heres a little snap of her yesterday afternoon when she was stood at the paddock fence wanting to come in.





(It's a paddock of a couple of acres... with nice grass on... except for where she choose to stand!)

I am dreading it being de javu - we got further than this last year then we found out that she had infact lost her foal earlier on, and continued with a phantom... she even had the vets fooled.  Keeping everything crossed it hasnt happened again!


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## Spring Feather (2 July 2011)

Have you managed to get a calcium reading yet?  That has to be way up there alongside a low ph for all things to come together.  I also find Sods Law always helps push things along


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## luckilotti (2 July 2011)

Hi, 
as she was showing lots of physical changes, plus with the pH dropping, i decided not to bother getting the other strips as i honestly thought that she would foal before they arrived - that oviously wouldnt have been the case lol!

I think it very well could be tonight as.... the foaling alarm (only used for 6 nights) has a faulty sensor so has to go for repair.... last night, the ariel on the cctv reciever broke - well, the solder inside that connects the ariel to the workings of it has broken... cue cellotape and a now more fuzzy image.... Plus the fact i have the boys with me    i've just been food shopping and got them a load of goodies so its going to be a big adventure for them, will be quite amazing if they see the foal being born via the cctv as everytime i take them down they ask if the baby is still in her belly.  

The main thing is he/she will be born when they are fully cooked - i need to stop being impatient!


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## Spring Feather (2 July 2011)

Oh dear   Well, it will happen when it happens and you can almost bank on it happening at the least opportune time


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