# Mare has foaled,but has no milk?



## marotelle (3 June 2016)

As in the title, my mare finally foaled two days ago, she was well overdue and has been
cared for in a very good stud, especialising in embryo transfer and ensemination.
She took everyone by surprise as she showed no outward sign that the foal was coming,her udder was non existant she didn't wax up, infact the foal has had to be bottle fed as she has so little milk.
They gave oxitocin after the birth, which in itself went very smoothly,the after birth was there within the hour ,but the foal struggled to stand and is very skinny.They milked what colustrum she had and fed the little one with a bottle.Blood tests shows his immune system is ok, but we are still waiting for the milk to come!
 The mare is in good physical condition and has accepted the foal well,she allows herself to be succled but has two empty gloves hanging between her legs.The vets are giving two daily intravenous injections to stimulate things and they keep the foal hungry in the hope that this gets things going.
      I am worried, as the mare is off her food but has no temp, the weather here is appalling , there is no way
she can be turned out, I am pretty sure good green grass would do her the world of good;
at the same time I don't dare give her food which is too rich, she gets plenty of hay and is on a huge  deep littered straw box; the care given is faultless and the vets themselves seem baffled, the foal is lively and happily gallops around its mother,he is v playfull and is inquisitive. Do any of you lot know what I could do, he is now two days old I would have thought the milk would be there......Help!


----------



## Lgd (3 June 2016)

Cocoa powder - proper stuff like Bournville often helps to get the milk down. 
Medications - oxytocin, but if not responding domperidone can be tried.


----------



## popsdosh (3 June 2016)

marotelle said:



			As in the title, my mare finally foaled two days ago, she was well overdue and has been
cared for in a very good stud, especialising in embryo transfer and ensemination.
She took everyone by surprise as she showed no outward sign that the foal was coming,her udder was non existant she didn't wax up, infact the foal has had to be bottle fed as she has so little milk.
They gave oxitocin after the birth, which in itself went very smoothly,the after birth was there within the hour ,but the foal struggled to stand and is very skinny.They milked what colustrum she had and fed the little one with a bottle.Blood tests shows his immune system is ok, but we are still waiting for the milk to come!
 The mare is in good physical condition and has accepted the foal well,she allows herself to be succled but has two empty gloves hanging between her legs.The vets are giving two daily intravenous injections to stimulate things and they keep the foal hungry in the hope that this gets things going.
      I am worried, as the mare is off her food but has no temp, the weather here is appalling , there is no way
she can be turned out, I am pretty sure good green grass would do her the world of good;
at the same time I don't dare give her food which is too rich, she gets plenty of hay and is on a huge  deep littered straw box; the care given is faultless and the vets themselves seem baffled, the foal is lively and happily gallops around its mother,he is v playfull and is inquisitive. Do any of you lot know what I could do, he is now two days old I would have thought the milk would be there......Help!
		
Click to expand...

If an experienced stud dont have the answer I doubt it will come off here , It sounds like a long term bottle job or find a surrogate . If the milk is not coming by now I guess it wont it happens some times  I see it it cattle to varying degrees and is usually linked to poor nutrition which would be born out by the weak but overdue foal certainly when I have experienced it ,it very rarely rectifies itself.


----------



## marotelle (3 June 2016)

Thankyou Lgd, Its true i totally forgot about Cocoa powder, I had heard about it before; do you know the amount I l might give her?
  I know she recieved oxytocyn but they have now put her on sulphemides? i am not sure,I am not a vet, but that is what I believe I heard.
 She must have some milk as the foal has gained weight;I am keeping my fingers crossed.


----------



## Alec Swan (3 June 2016)

Milk powder,  Lamlac works and there are several proprietary brands for either calves or lambs.  I'd build it up very slowly,  and even then,  for a horse sized animal,  spread over say 4 feeds a day,  she'd probably only need a tea-CUP full,  if that. (eta,  that's to be fed to the mare,  obviously!  )

Failing that,  and if the foal is at a professional stud,  has their vet not suggested Domperidone? (sp!).

I understand the worry of a mother not making milk,  and if she really doesn't produce any,  then a foster mare may be the answer.

A PM to sallyf on here may produce a result,  she's highly experienced in such matters!  

Alec.


----------



## marotelle (3 June 2016)

Thank you for your reply Popsdosh,I trust the vets in this stud, the mare has been  with them
for over a month;on arrival she was judged to be a little overweight, I had been feeding her on Podolac(Pavo) during the last Three months of her pregnancy,she had two feeds , morning
and night and was turned out on 2acres of adequate grass throughout the day.
  We are still hoping  this might sort itself out; of course we shall battle on & if necessary find a surrogate; as bottle fed foals can turn out to become quite unpleasant in the long run.
Meanwhile I am off to get some cocoa powder!


----------



## Dry Rot (3 June 2016)

There are wiser heads than mine on this thread but I had a very weak foal years ago that could not even stand. I had to hold her up to the udder and try to get her to suck, then milk the mare out and feed it by bottle to the foal every few hours. Quite a job when you are working alone!

If the foal is strong and gaining weight, it sounds promising. Foals are not like calves and they drink a little and often.

My foal survived and grew to be a strong and healthy yearling -- only to get her head caught in a freak accident and have to be pts. Such is life.


----------



## marotelle (3 June 2016)

Thanks Alec; I had thought about powdered milk and have some for goats; the mare weighs in
at 679 kg,She was used to have linseed oïl (a small glass) in her evening feed.The stud stopped giving it to her as they found her a little over weight, they also give a mixture which contains maize(corn) so considered it as an overkill.
She is medicated twice daily, I don't know if is with Domperidone, she is very quiet, which is unusual for her!
 I will ask the vet,he speaks English,it might be the same medicament but Under a french name, it is a Professional yard they have over 65 mares, they also stand Peppermill JW former
ride, he is an older boy now, but he is in superb condition,he is treated like a king and has a temperament to die for, Nothing fazes him.
  The said vet and yard owner, does not seem to worry too much,he firmly believes Philomina
is giving some milk and has cut down on the number of bottles.Its just that the stud is an hour's drive away and I want to feel I am doing Something!!
   I am taking photos each day in order to compare the progress and keeping our fingers crossed that we don't have to go down the surrogate way.


----------



## marotelle (3 June 2016)

I am sorry you lost your yearling after all the hard work, Dry rot.I was Lucky as the stud took over, the little fellow only managed to stand after 2&half hours, they also milked the mare and bottle fed him every two hours, by the time I turned up he was quite agile, if somewhat weedy.He feeds often and I hope he is out of the woods,at the stud they seem quite
hopeful but continue to Watch over him carefully.
 Other than the vet, you are the only person who has told me that they to do catch up,I shall continue taking photos and hope for the best!
Thanks for the encouraging words.


----------



## Dry Rot (3 June 2016)

This was my foal at about a week old. Soon after birth, she could not stand, let alone suck, so I had to lift her on her feet, then guide her towards the udder with my left knee and use my right hand to put her nose up to thhe teat. I don't think she started sucking properly until day 3. Then, I'd top her up from a bottle with milk drawn off the mare. The Highland mare was fantastic and after the first day I did not even need to tie her up to milk her. Incidentally, the rug is one half of a pair of leggings! The only rug I have ever put on a Highland!







The same foal at several months, now strong and feeding well. She was indistringuishable from any other foal at that age. If yours can stand, suck, and is gaining weight, I really think all will be well. But I would keep topping her up every few hours from the bottle if she will take it, but don't over do it either! Nature does not like young animals to die without a fight. Mine dieing later was just an accident and one of those things. But the next foal this mare had has turned out the best ever (Morrich Fearna), so it all worked out in the end...as I am sure yours will.


----------



## marotelle (3 June 2016)

Goodness what a differance! She was beautiful and how heartbreaking to lose her like that; horses are Strange,they can be so bright and yet when they panic they seem to loose all sense
of self preservation, I have witnessed  so many incidents when perfectly normal well balanced animals do some of the dumbest things.
 I am trying to understand how to post photos, I hope that on a later date I am able to compare the before and after, but frankly at the moment I am not feeling too clever.
We shall see what tomorrow brings and shall let you know.


----------



## Tetrarch 1911 (4 June 2016)

I don't have any advice to give on this, but I wish you and your foal all the best! It is a worry, and having bottle-raised foals before, it can be very wearing, but it sounds as though your baby is coming along. When you have the time and you are less stressed, we would love to see a picture of your baby. Keep us in the loop - we can always cheer you on from the sidelines, if nothing else.


----------



## marotelle (4 June 2016)

Thank you for your kind wishes,I had the stud on the phone this morning, they told me "Misery" had only recieved three bottles this night; eightpm,12pm&finally one at 4am,they left him to his own devices this morning and warned me that I might wish to rename
him, or I might live to regret it once he is a  strapping 16.2 standing over me!
 I am popping over this morning, I shall take new pictures; my son promised me he would deal with 'how to post bussiness' so you lot will get your picture overload, infact I would be delighted,er or not, by what you think of him!


----------



## Mariposa (4 June 2016)

Best of luck, I really hope it all goes ok and your foal thrives, looking forward to seeing the photos!

Also - really interested to hear of domperidone being used for horses, I take that as an anti-nausea medication when I have to take painkillers for migraines! Never realised it had a place in the tack room too!


----------



## abbieandfiona (5 June 2016)

Mariposa said:



			Best of luck, I really hope it all goes ok and your foal thrives, looking forward to seeing the photos!

Also - really interested to hear of domperidone being used for horses, I take that as an anti-nausea medication when I have to take painkillers for migraines! Never realised it had a place in the tack room too!
		
Click to expand...

I used domperidone on my mare it was the only thing that worked to produce milk. You feed it in very high doses she had 55 tablets a day. It's also given to women who are struggling to breastfeed.


----------



## Smitty (5 June 2016)

I had the very little milk problem with my maiden mare some years ago and rang Joanna Varden at the National Foaling Bank on the advice of a friend who ran a stud.  

Joanna told me to give Bournville Cocoa powder to the mare, at the rate if I remember correctly, of two tablespoons morning and night mixed into the feed.

This did the job in no time and mare never ran out of milk after.

I hope your mare and foal are doing well now and you have no need of this.


----------



## Mariposa (5 June 2016)

abbieandfiona said:



			I used domperidone on my mare it was the only thing that worked to produce milk. You feed it in very high doses she had 55 tablets a day. It's also given to women who are struggling to breastfeed.
		
Click to expand...

Absolutely fascinating, I had no idea. Thanks for the info!


----------

