early foaling

[stormyskies]

i have a mare due to foal 4 weeks today.

she has had wax on her teats in morning for past 2 days and today was lying down and groaning with laboured breathing. then she got up and was fine. lying down again tonight whenjust checker her but then got up and ate hay and hd a wee.

she has no other signs otherthan scrubbing her tail which all mine seem to do. is this common?

anyways, obviouslyoal would be very early and when spoke to vet he said chances of survival would be slim.

Just wondered what the earliest any of your mares had foaled prematurely and survived.

am hoping its just she is tired. she is also lame so may just be taking weight off her feet.

thanks

[kayjayem]

One of our visiting mares foaled at 10 months and foal was fine. Their vet said the dates were wrong but she wasn't even with us at the time he said she was covered Dates were 100% correct!

[sarah00000]

I hope everything is OK? xx

[sarahp]

I had two born three weeks early - same mare - who were both fine. Small and a bit wonky but all responses normal and no special measures needed, both straightened out fine too. Vet did say much earlier than that and he would be worried though. Hope yours is fine too. She could be just feeling large and fed up - has she foaled before and how do the muscles in the quarters look if she has? I find those the most reliable indicator, but it doesn't work for maiden mares, they can show no signs of impending labour and then just drop it without warning!

[stormyskies]

maiden mare. muscles in quarters not relaxed or dropped at all.

she seemed fine this morning, quite energetic so am hoping she was just feeling the weight of the baby.

thanks for all replies.

[boothsdale]

If she is lame I would opt for the taking weight off her feet - often when they're quite heavily pregnant they can sound a bit groany and laboured breathing wise as baby takes up a lot of space an exerts pressure.

We have one A mare who has foaled upto 3 weeks early in the past. She's due on the 28th March (340 days) but is very well bagged up. I'm meant to be off to the WPCS AGM tomorrow so she's enjoying driving me up the wall! Needless to say if she's waxed tomorrow morning I won't be going anywhere!

[holiday]

We have a mare religiously foal 10 days early last year she foaled 21 days early, foal was absolutely fine her foals are always tiny but none of them have been the same size as her always bigger from 2 inches to a two year old now standing 1 1/2hands bigger!!!!

I would just suggest for any mare that is really early to have the foal blood tested to check they have enough colostrum so if needed a plasma transfusion can be done thus hopefully preventing any loss. Most are fine if within the last month.

[roseview]

A friend of mine had a foal 6 weeks early this year!! Caught them all out. She was covered in hand so dates were right before anyone asks!!

[poop]

have had them regularly 3 wks early and been fine.
Are you sure its wax and not the tiny bits they can get on the teats with about 4 weeks to go? Are her teats fully engorged - any milk present when gently squeezed?

Boothsdale, I am waiting for a maiden mare too so had to cry off the AGM boooo!

[stormyskies]

am now thinking its the bits they get on trats. was very waxy but no real bag but underteats feels full and hard.

she had stopped showing any signs now however and is back to normal self.

she is due april 1st and am hoping to go to bspa winter champs on april 3rd/4th so i hope she does foal early!!

[bardwellstud]

quick way to tell for wax or cristals , wax you can roll in your finger and thumb just like warm candle wax cristals are just the oppersite and wont roll at all ,hope this helps , on the early front we have a mare that allways foals 3 weeks early and her foals are fine ,in fact you would think that they had been here before !!!!!