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Has any breeder had this happen to you?

4K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  dressagebelle 
#1 ·
My Thoroughbred mare was palpated at 5 months pregnant on the dot. The vet declared her open. At month 7 she started getting a large belly and is now at month 8 and her belly is growing. She is bigger on the right side. Has anyone had their mare palpated without US and the vet declared her open and then the mare produce a live foal? :-| She has not developed a bag but I have been feeling movement in front of her udders. It could just be her gut movements or muscle movements. Just wanted to see if this is a typical mistake with veterinarians. Feel free to share stories! I promise I will update thread when I find out. If she has a foal I will post a picture!
 
#2 ·
Vets mistake a mare for open all the time, I've seen vets say a mare is just fat and palp her then not too long later surprise surprise! I wouldn't say those vets a very good, but any vet can be wrong.
 
#3 ·
Yes. I had a mare we picked up at an auction palpated. She was "open" and then her kept getting bigger and bigger. Had her palpated again, and there was a foal.

I'd have another palpation done. Perhaps by a different vet? (That's what we did)

movement typically wouldn't be infront of the udder at this point. Its mostly seen in the flanks. there will also be a "filling" out in the flank area.

unfortunately you wont know for sure until hooves are coming out. But i'd definitely want another check for peace of my own mind. :)
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#5 ·
At 5 months the fetus is still rather small. They dont begin growing much until the last trimester then they gain about a pound a day. So it is easy to miss one.
Have the mare palpated again to see if she is in foal.. It is the only way to know now. Or you can wait a few months then either be surprised or relieved. Shalom
 
#8 ·
At 8 + months, I'd certainly hope not.

And the movement in the flanks, I personally thought it was quite noticeable. Then again, I thankfully had positive ultrasounds. So I knew what it was. Its not massive kicking, but the further along they are, the more they move.

i started to feel movement at 6-1/2 months. You could see it was well in my mare.
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#10 ·
Thanks! She is on daily wormer, fed a full scoop of grain and on hay. Only recently have we started feeding her more because her body score was decreasing as her belly got larger. Trying to get rid of those ribs! She is not an easy keeper and have always had to feed her extra because she loses weight fast! I would like to have a vet US palpate her instead of palpate with just hand after reading stories online of vets missing a foal through palpation!
 
#11 ·
I had a mare last year that lost condition in her last trimester it was really hard to keep her from losing more. Omolene 300 worked really well to keep her from losing too much. She never gained what she lost back while pregnant or nursing.
Now is the time to increase her feed to avoid this problem with your mare. Shalom
 
#13 · (Edited)
Yup, I bought a mare and had her checked (palpated) and the vet said she was open. Several months later I had him check her again because her belly was getting larger despite riding her lots. Yup, that time he felt a foal! So it does happen. :)

Let's see, I think my mare would have been 2 1/2 months along the first time he checked her and missed the pregnancy after I bought her in early November. (Maybe that was too early to confirm by palpation?) Then in the spring he confirmed she WAS pregnant after I had my suspicions and asked him to check her again.

Then mid July the next summer I had this: :D
 

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#16 ·
I would definitely get her re-checked. At this point I doubt ultrasound would be necessary if she is pregnant, she does sure look it. Might be able to get a closer estimate on how far along she is if the vet is good and experienced with the ultrasound though. As a person who has palpated (very few) mares, I will vouch that it takes some practice to know what's going on in there, and if a vet is not doing it on a regular basis/built up enough experience with it, it would be easy to miss something, especially the earlier they are. Not all mares are especially cooperative patients, and that can make it tougher too!
 
#17 ·
Thanks everybody for all the wisdom! I just got horrible news today that the stud we bred her to passed away! I'm hoping and praying she is pregnant because if she is not, there is no way I can get the foal I wanted out of that stud. I cried when I was told. That stallion was an amazing boy. Keep the stories coming and I will keep updating the thread. We've got until mid April until we find out. She's at 8 months so the foal should start to grow rapidly and I should hopefully see a bigger belly progress. Trailhorserider that is a very cute foal!! How fun =)
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#19 ·
Trailrider, I just have to pop in and say I really like your mare, she's gorgeous. OP, I'd seriously consider getting the vet out to do an ultrasound so that you can make sure that the mare gets all the nutrition and care that she needs if she is pregnant, pregnant mares do need different care and feed than the average horse, so I'd get it checked asap.
 
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