# Help please! I think my mares in foal



## Beth210193 (25 March 2014)

Hii...
My 5 year old mare has just started dripping milk out of her teats. She has previously had a foal about just over a year ago. However, she has never had milk come out of her teats before. I had noticed about a couple of months ago that her teats had got big, but didnt think much of it. Today i took her out for a hack and she was behaving wierd, she reared and just wanted to come back to her stable (which she never does) also she is very quiet. Once we got back from our hack i was grooming her and noticed her teats looked really full so i felt them and milk came out and she was also picking her back legs up at me as she didnt like what i was doing :/ I have lifted her tail up and all under there is looking rather saggy and long! I really think my mare is in foal and if she is she is very close to having it. I will be getting the vet out tomorrow, but i would like to see what other people think please.
Thank you


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## tallyho! (25 March 2014)

Perhaps a big stable and thick bed, and a call to the vet ASAP might be the first things to do.


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## Beth210193 (25 March 2014)

The vet will hopefully be out first thing in the morning. Just looking for advice as never had a foal before but got plenty of space and people to help


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## Tiddlypom (25 March 2014)

There's a lot of good info on this thread from last year.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...-bear-BOGOF-thread&highlight=Tessy+bear+bogof


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## Beth210193 (25 March 2014)

Thank you i will take a look


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## Drum (25 March 2014)

If she is looking that close you want to be checking on her every 20 mins. Do you have any friends etc with foaling experience?
Good luck!


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## Beth210193 (25 March 2014)

The owners of the yard live there and they have had a few foals so know a bit about it. They owners and yard manager are going to check on her for us. And hopefully everythings ok until the vet can come out in the morning and double check shes actually in foal


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## gallopingby (25 March 2014)

If your mare is dripping milk it's possible that she is going to foal tonight, have you noticed any wax on her teats? You really need to check her through the night if you think she's going to foal. I hope you've got someone to help? Have you got any idea when she had her last foal? How long have you had her?


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## Beth210193 (25 March 2014)

People are checking on her for us tonight. Yes we have people to help any signs of her going into labour then the vet will be called straight away! Well a couple of months ago i noticed her teats were abit funny and felt wierd but didnt pay that much attention to it! But then tonight her behaviour changed so when i groomed her i noticed her teats looked full and i touched them and milked squirted out so fast and were dripping. Well i bought penny November 2013 off my friend which she bought her september 2013 and her foal had been taken off her august however, the foal was not old enough really to have been taken off her and that is all we know


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## Spring Feather (25 March 2014)

You could very well have a foal tomorrow.  Are your people going on full blown foal watch tonight?  Have they milk tested her to see if she's going to foal tonight?  I'm astonished that no-one noticed her bag before now; they do get rather large.


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## Beth210193 (25 March 2014)

Ow dear. We are going to speak to them in a moment and just tell them to check her every half hour. We havent milk tested her no. We seen her teats had got big but just not full untill today.


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## Spring Feather (25 March 2014)

Best of luck :smile3: hope all goes well for your girl.


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## Beth210193 (25 March 2014)

Thank you &#55357;&#56842;


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## tallyho! (26 March 2014)

Hope all is well.


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## Beth210193 (26 March 2014)

This is Penny the mare we think is in foal. The vet will be out this afternoon so will update then


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## rainer (26 March 2014)

Hi just a message to say good luck if she is in foal/has had foal, I can't see many pages as I'm on my phone so needed to post to see an update if there is one


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## Zero00000 (26 March 2014)

http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w624/beth210193/Mobile Uploads/image_zps731c0e43.jpg

She is very pretty


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## twiggy2 (26 March 2014)

if she is usually in at night make sure she has a nice deep straw bed all the way to the door, put her hay on the floor not in haynet to prevent mum or foal getting caught up in them, remove anything else they could get caught in. you don't need to call the vet when she starts foaling but you do need to know what signs mean the vet is needed urgently so speak to your vet and ask them to advise you. unless you pay full livery on a stud I would not expect people at the yard to check on your mare every half hour through the night, I would stay up there if the vet feels the birth is very close-more because i would not want to miss it than anything else. good luck


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## tallyho! (26 March 2014)

Do hope all is well... actually looking forward to a foal!


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## rainer (26 March 2014)

She is gorgeous  can't wait to hear what the vet says x


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## Exploding Chestnuts (26 March 2014)

Everything is relative, best thing is a huge stable or a safe paddock, she wil probably manage just fine, what can a vet do to assist?


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## kal40 (26 March 2014)

Nothing valuable to add from me except I am sending lots of luck for you and your beautiful girl

Kx


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## Exploding Chestnuts (26 March 2014)

twiggy2 said:



			if she is usually in at night make sure she has a nice deep straw bed all the way to the door, put her hay on the floor not in haynet to prevent mum or foal getting caught up in them, remove anything else they could get caught in. you don't need to call the vet when she starts foaling but you do need to know what signs mean the vet is needed urgently so speak to your vet and ask them to advise you. unless you pay full livery on a stud I would not expect people at the yard to check on your mare every half hour through the night, I would stay up there if the vet feels the birth is very close-more because i would not want to miss it than anything else. good luck
		
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I got sent a bill for inexperienced girls to check on my mare! Long story,  but there was no way I could have stopped them interfering with a perfectly natural process, pity they did not inform me about a foal until the previous day ........... out on loan!
It was wonderful to be a "mum by proxy" , she was the best ever little filly, though it took me three months to get hold of her!


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## Spring Feather (26 March 2014)

MrsD123 said:



			Everything is relative, best thing is a huge stable or a safe paddock, she wil probably manage just fine, what can a vet do to assist?
		
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Providing the vet is close to hand then he can save the mares life if something goes dreadfully wrong during birthing.  He can reposition the foal if the owner is not experienced in dealing with malpresentation of foals.  He can help haul the foal out if the foal is a placenta previa delivery.  Anyone who is not experienced with foaling out mares should always make sure they have their vet on call, and not hesitate to call him should anything seem amiss or the stages go on longer than they should.


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## JanetGeorge (26 March 2014)

Spring Feather said:



			Providing the vet is close to hand then he can save the mares life if something goes dreadfully wrong during birthing.  He can reposition the foal if the owner is not experienced in dealing with malpresentation of foals.  He can help haul the foal out if the foal is a placenta previa delivery.  Anyone who is not experienced with foaling out mares should always make sure they have their vet on call, and not hesitate to call him should anything seem amiss or the stages go on longer than they should.
		
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Exactly!!  I call my vet at the first sign of serious trouble - not least because if I leave it to the point that I know I CAN'T sort it out, it will be too late!  In 10 years, 90 foals born, the vet has never managed to arrive before I have delivered the foal - in a couple of cases I just cancelled the visit - but in a couple of others I was more than pleased for the vet to still come to give mare anti-inflammatories and anti-biotics!


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## Fides (26 March 2014)

If she is running milk already you need to be collecting and freezing it as valuable colostrum is being lost and you could end up with a sickly foal. Usually running milk is a sign of imminent delivery, as is when the muscle above the tail starts to sag and go squishy.

If I had a mare running milk I would be calling a vet out immediately, if not for them to immediately come out, at least to make them aware they may get a call...


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## Beth210193 (27 March 2014)

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These are some pictures of penny. Around her bum the muscle has gone really squashy and relaxed. The vet said she does not look in foal and didnt even check her heart or anything. She has got a scan booked for tomorrow with a different vet


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## Patterdale (27 March 2014)

To be fair, she DOESN'T really look in foal, or even bagged up, to me. However, that doesn't mean she's not!
Glad you're getting a scan.


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## Char0901 (27 March 2014)

I'm not an expert, I've only ever had one foal and comparing her to my mare last year she doesn't really look in foal.
My girl went really saggy and loose, and was huge! But like Patterdale said, it doesn't mean she's not! 
They're all different.
Glad too you're getting a scan at least you'll know either way.
A bit surprised the vet didn't check her out though.
Good luck


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## Beth210193 (27 March 2014)

She has never been this big before and she lived out all last summer. Shes totally changed shape. Her teats have gone down alot since the other day. But if shes not in foal we think theres something wrong as she hasnt had a season not even last year so hopefully the scan will let us know


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## Fides (27 March 2014)

In all fairness she doesn't look 'bagged up' or saggy at the tail so maybe she's not - just a phantom?


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## Beth210193 (27 March 2014)

Yes thats what we though either in foal or a phantom. Its just that she hasnt had a season that is really worrying us


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## Spring Feather (27 March 2014)

Sorry, she doesn't look pregnant to me I'm afraid.  She isn't bagged up at all and her foo-foo doesn't look like a pregnant mare's who's close to foaling.  Are you sure it was milk coming out?  Sometimes mares do get fluid coming out of their teats.  Glad you have found a decent vet who can scan her just in case there is something wrong inside.


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## Beth210193 (28 March 2014)

Deffinately milk thats why we was so shocked! The vet is out this morning to scan her so we will find out what is wrong and hopefully of anything it can be sorted &#55357;&#56842;


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## JanetGeorge (28 March 2014)

Yep - she certainly doesn't look in foal - although some can be deceptive.  But the fact you haven't seen her in season isn't necessarily relevent either.  Some mares announce it to the world - some will take 15 minutes close attention from a stallion before they show!  I had one visiting mare that took 40 minutes of dedicated attention from the stallion before she showed - and she WAS fully in - we covered her that day and she got in foal.

A scan will show if she's cycling - it's still quite early and a LOT of mares don't come into season over the winter.


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## dianchi (28 March 2014)

Any news?

Fingers x for you OP


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## Exploding Chestnuts (28 March 2014)

The teats are big in dimension but do not seem to be  "bursting with milk"


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## Beth210193 (28 March 2014)

The vet has been shes having a phantom pregnancy but she said its a rare one as she has got bits of milk. But other then that she is healthy and just needs to be kept in a field on her own and that will keep her happy. She needs lots of work doing to get her manners back due to her attitude changing.


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## Fides (28 March 2014)

Poor sausage  all the hormones and no baba


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## Beth210193 (28 March 2014)

I know ye feel so sorry for her. Shes a stressy mare as it is and this is just topping it off


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## dianchi (28 March 2014)

Least no foal to worry about tho!


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