Udders are hard. normal??

My mares bag is hard is that normal?? I know with dogs that's not good and means they may have mastitis. I have no clue with horses.

My mares is hard aswell there about 1/4 full so I don't know will be intresting to see as im a little worried too
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Here are some pictures of her today. Yup we are getting more rain and wont let up all week. GRRR.



She is still looking a bit thin in areas she has been wormed and the vet says she is fine.

Is she bred?

Yeah she is bred. She was bred with a clydesdale.

Thy tend to be firm until the milk comes in. They shouldn't be real hard though. Are they hot to the touch. I dealt with mastitis before and the jenny that had it her udder were extremely hard and hot to the touch. She didn't develop it until after the foal was born though. Has she already had the foal?

No she has not had the foal yet. The udders are not hot they are just hard. I checked to see if anything would come out and I got clear, sticky fluid just a few drops I didnt want to get to much out.

She is still a ways away from having it. I don't think she has it.

Mastitis from what I was told when I dealt with it it often shows up after the baby is born. I think she is just fine.

Hard udders on pre-foaling mares is perfectly normal. As long as they're not hot to the touch and one half isn't abnormally larger than the other...you're good! Your mare looks like she's coming along...not quite there--judging by the the udder(she should fill out in the teats a bit more). But close! Good luck! (Bred to a Clydesdale? That should be a neat cross!)

As someone who has experienced mastitis my self, let me tell you this. If you can touch it, she is fine. Trust me lol.

In terms of if she can get it before foaling, well that depends on if her milk is running or not. Mastitis is a blockage of a milk duct that causes the milk to burst out into the surrounding tissue. So while your mare is starting to produce milk, until it starts needing to go anywhere, I don't think she can get it.

The best treatment for mastitis, btw, is to express it out lol. Once again, trust me when I say the relief is immediate