Posted 2010-04-22 6:02 AM (#119156) Subject: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
Mrs Retento here and I know this is not trailer related but anyone who breeds horses may be able to offer some me some insight. Have a older broodmare at 345 days that started waxing and leaking milk on Monday am. She foaled uneventfully Tues morning at 1:00 am Have a maiden 8 year old mare (269 days) that has been having a slighty puffy udder in the mornings for the last week or so, back to about prepregnant size in the evening. Monday am her udder is significantly enlarged with clear serous coating on teats. Everything was fine all day Tuesday until about 8:00 pm when she delivered an aborted foal. Vet estimated the foal had died 18-24 hours prior to delivery. All vaccines, worming done like clockwork, the two mares were in the same environment. Is this just an incredible coincidence/bad timing or can an alpha mare foaling stimulate another mare? Input appreciated.
Posted 2010-04-22 8:54 AM (#119168 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824 Location: Kansas
What a horrible break; I am so sorry. I've only bred twice so not pretending to be an expert, other than to say it was likely just a case of "stuff happens".
ETA: you might want to take this question over to workinghorseworld side; lots of breeders there.
Posted 2010-04-22 9:30 AM (#119172 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Veteran
Posts: 134
I am very sorry to hear about your loss. We have been breeding horses for about 20 years. Is there any chance this was a twin? Alot of times if there is a twin the stronger twin will rob from the weaker twin, and when the weaker twin dies the mare will abort both of them. If there was something wrong with the foal, and it could be a hundred things,for instance, the placenta could have seperated from the mare. Without an autopsy you will probably never know, but I will say I have never run across one mare going into foaling because another one does. Again I am very sorry. I know what heartbreak it is to lose a foal.
Posted 2010-04-22 10:28 AM (#119180 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
No twins that I know of, last Ultrasound was at 88 days, showed one fetus. Vet actually had to reposition this foal to get it delivered, the head was twisted back. Foal and placenta looked normal other some color and necrosis consistent with a demise within the past 24 hours. There was no other change in environment or any other stressors that I can pinpoint.
The reason I even thought of a correlation b/w mare foaling and abortion was this. 4 years ago, the older mare and a different mare were in foal, older mare about 3 weeks ahead. Older mare foaled. Other mare went in 24 hours from showing absolutly no signs of impending delivery to waxing and then foaling 4 hours later. Other mare was far enough along that the foal was fine. Probably just coincidence.
Didn't necropsy this foal, had a late abortion (about 290 days) 2 years ago, in the above older mare. We were gone to a horse show, had an intense storm while we were gone and the mare aborted. Necropsy showed absolutely nothing amiss. This mare had 5 foals with easy deliveries prior to that year.
Posted 2010-04-22 11:58 AM (#119194 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Member
Posts: 43 Location: Valdosta, GA
I am far from a breeding expert, but I do have some recent experience to share.
Scenario: Ten year old maiden mare, kept in show barn, excellent care, bred AI by a very professional breeding facility, excellent ultrasounds, aborts first foal 10 days before due date.
Mare receives immediate vet attention. Gets cleaned out, cultures come back clean, rebred the mare back on next heat AFTER foal heat. Another year of excellent care and attention. Good ultrasounds and vet checks. Round the clock care. Mare aborts second foal during last 2 weeks of pregnancy!
Answer: Mare had a uterine fungus that does NOT show up in rountine cultures. Fungus causes placenta to thicken to the point (at the very end of term) that the baby suffocates.
Posted 2010-04-22 3:59 PM (#119202 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Elite Veteran
Posts: 781 Location: La Cygne, KS
Sorry about your loss. Could be a case of bad luck. However, another option is to check her for cushings disease. Some mares that are in the early stages of this disease will abort the foal. Been there, done that. Took 6 years to diagnose one of my mares with the disease. Lost several foals without a good explanation. She did not exhibit any signs of the disease until later in life. Could have saved lots of money and heart ache if it was diagnosed earlier.
Posted 2010-04-22 8:25 PM (#119213 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420 Location: Iowa
Sorry about your loss. I'm with pleasure man on this one. Also, check the cord. Was it twisted by chance? There is a reason the foal died, just have to find out why. Do you have a Vet School close by that you could take the foal in? The sooner the better. Lets us know how it goes if you decide to take it in.
Posted 2010-04-22 10:52 PM (#119220 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Elite Veteran
Posts: 714 Location: Minnesota
Sorry for your loss. We lost twin foals a few years ago @ 325 days. No idea twins were there. The worst was when a mare died leaving us a 10 day old orphan. She is now four and my wifes' favorite riding horse. We raised sheep for 25 years. Sometime there is just nothing you can do. As our vet says, "Usually when an animal aborts, there is something wrong with the fetus. Mother nature believes in survival of the fittest."
Posted 2010-04-23 9:57 AM (#119247 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Expert
Posts: 1871 Location: NY
that is sad news ,there is other web site that i go to and some people there breed you could go check over there to see if anybody had an answer for you draft horse village there are more them draft horse hope this helps
Posted 2010-04-23 10:43 AM (#119252 - in reply to #119194) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Veteran
Posts: 119 Location: 99320
Originally written by Pleasure Man on 2010-04-22 9:58 AM Answer: Mare had a uterine fungus that does NOT show up in rountine cultures. Fungus causes placenta to thicken to the point (at the very end of term) that the baby suffocates.
$8,500.00 later, you live and learn!
What was the fungus and how did your maiden mare contract the fungus? We are about to have our maiden mare bred...am wondering if I should ask for a fungus culture??I'm sorry to hear about the foal loss. I lost twins several years ago - went full term, but mare had too much trouble with the birthing. Back then, I didn't know to get her checked and also found out later she was a twin herself.
Posted 2010-04-23 12:46 PM (#119262 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Expert
Posts: 1723 Location: michigan
I doubt the mare foaling had anything to do with the other mare aborting otherwise you'd hear of this happening all the time at larger horse farms where they foal out multiple mares every year.
Posted 2010-04-24 7:49 AM (#119294 - in reply to #119156) Subject: RE: Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
Location: Central Arkansas
Sorry for your loss.......... We had a mare off the Babcock ranch that aborted two years in a row 24 to 72 hours after her LAST Rhino (killed) was given. No problems with the first two Rhino injections. Mare had delivered a healthy foal in the past. DVM /pathologist therory is that either
1) the Rhinovaccine labeled "killed virus"was indeed mislabelled
2) the mare harboured Rhino in her system that caused her to abort late in her pregnancy after the 3rd (@ 9 months) rhino injection was given. Even though this mare was strictly a broodmare (non rider) and never left the farm after she returned from the breeders
Maiden mare aborted at 269 days same day another mare foaled
