False Pregnancy or late term Pregnancy.. Vet not an option

My mare is 390 days pregnant. Or she has been faking it this whole time. The reasons I feel she could be faking it is only because she does not look too large. I live in a very rural part of Honduras and I have not had any luck getting a vet to come out. I have had some so called agricultural engineers give me there advice that comes to: "horses have babies at 11 months and she doesn't have a big belly so she isn't pregnant". I don't know how old she is exactly around 20-24ish. I have owned her for 15 years. She has had 3 or maybe 4 foals before I owned her. She has also never missed a heat, it has been something that everybody around her has always commented on. How "hot" she is, all my other mares are on her cycle and she has very visible heats. She has not come into heat since she was covered. She has also gained weight, not a lot, she has bagged up, but is not yet producing milk. Last Sunday, we thought it was happening. She laid down after pawing around like mad, was breathing hard and grunting and moaning, Her belly was moving around like crazy and her vulva opened to about 1 inch, and is still today very slack and wrinkly. Anyway after a couple hours of acting like she was going to have the baby, she stood up and went to sleep. She has been acting a little colicky since then, and I have noticed if possible that she looks even less pregnant in the belly. Before you could could argue she was pregnant especially on her left side. Now both sides are even. I am debating whether to lube up and check anally if I can feel anything, or if there is absolutely no risk, besides myself having a heart attack, in waiting longer. Advice, similar circumstance?

Here she is at her most pregnant looking, at around 11 months.

In this case, you are probably stuck with waiting for feet to come out or the mare deciding that she is done faking it. Make sure you are ready for a baby incase she does have one. Clean straw or a clean grassy pasture is ideal. Do you have any pictures of her current looks? Good luck and I hope everything turns out well

Not an ideal situation :( Do you know for sure the days she was exposed? That would help to determine that she is in fact at 390 days.

I would not advise doing a rectal exam yourself. 1st if you don't know exactly what you are feeling for it won't do any good. 2nd you can injure her if it is done incorrectly.

Do you have any experienced cattlemen that preg check their own cows? One of them might be able to do a rectal for you.


Side note - your profile photo is fabulous.

Subbing!

That is a tricky situation. Anxious to see what others say!
Posted via Mobile Device

I am very certain about her breeding days, Feb 3-12th 2011.

After Sunday she seems to have gotten smaller in the belly. If that even makes sense. I just ran out and took this picture. I keep her out of her stall until just before dark, I have also been making her trot around. I have no idea if that is good or bad. I am just trying to get things moving, if there is anything to move.

Another thing to mention is.... I also bred my welsh pony 2 weeks after this mare. She hasn't gotten too large in the belly either, and has also missed all her heats. This is her first breeding, and I wasn't too certain if she was pregnant because of her small size as well. Today I ask a doctor friend with a stethoscope to see if he could hear heartbeats. He didn't on either mare, but on the grey welsh, he said he heard movement that wasn't gas stomach noise etc. He said he would say the grey was pregnant... she is at 12 months and barely has a bump. I also have my barn at 1800m above sea level. I have a strange idea that since it takes longer to bake bread here, maybe it takes longer to make the baby horse? Or maybe since they are together/same diet/same climate/same vitamins (Farnam Mare plus) they are both faking it together.

Subbing
Posted via Mobile Device

Some mares simply don't show their pregnancy until they drop. She could be one such mare. What were her other pregnancies like?

I know nothing about her other pregnancies except they were all little bay fillies. I think the only way to know for sure without just waiting is having somebody with some experience check rectally. I see that she really doesn't look really pregnant. And at this point I would be happy just knowing I don't have to worry. I am thinking tomorrow about finding somebody experienced with cattle to check. Are there serious risks with this? From my day spent online becoming an expert she could be next to death or be totally fine.
Posted via Mobile Device