Pregnant mares should be vaccinated against equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) at
5, 7 and 9 months of pregnancy
to decrease the incidence of viral abortion.
Can you vaccinate a nursing mare?
Health Programs for the Foaling Mare
Recommended vaccinations typically include
tetanus toxoid, encephalomyelitis, West Nile Virus, Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis, and possibly, Strangles and Rotavirus A
. Several of these vaccines require multiple doses.
When should a pregnant mare be vaccinated?
Pregnant mares should be vaccinated against Equine Herpes Virus (EHV or Rhinopneumonitis virus) at
5, 7 and 9 months of gestation
, with many veterinarians recommending vaccinating at 3 months of gestation as well.
What do you do after a mare foals?
Encourage the mare and foal to rest as long as possible. Give them an opportunity to bond undisturbed.
Treat the umbilical cord with an antiseptic solution
, recommended by your veterinarian, soon after the cord breaks and for several days thereafter to prevent bacterial infection.
How soon can you worm a mare after foaling?
The mare should not be wormed until
at least two weeks after foaling
unless under veterinary supervision – this is because metabolites from the wormer can be passed through the mare’s milk to affect the foal.
When should I worm my mare in foal?
First worming at
10–12 weeks
with a benzimidazole, the most commonly used wormer being fenbendazole. Second worming should be carried out 3 months later. The product used should be faecal analysis.
Do maiden mares foal early or late?
It is certainly not uncommon for mares to carry their foals beyond 12 months of gestation. The gestation length also varies with season; mares foaling
earlier in the season
tend to have a longer gestation than those foaling later in the season.
Can you abort a horse pregnancy?
About 10% of equine pregnancies
(after a positive 6-week pregnancy test) end in abortion. Most are due to non-infectious causes but a significant number are caused by viral or bacterial infections, some of which may be contagious.
How many days in foal is my mare?
How long is a horse pregnant for? A typical adult horse female (mare) goes into labor (foals) around
330-345 days
after mating.
What does a pregnant mare need?
Pregnant mares need
adequate daily exercise in a paddock or pasture
, and any horses kept together should be compatible, which helps to reduce stress. Vaccinations and deworming should be done before the mare is bred, with no vaccinations given during the first 90 days of gestation.
When should you pull a foal?
It is an emergency and the placenta needs to be opened and the foal delivered as quickly as possible. You should never pull on the foal to assist delivery with anything more than your own muscle power, and pull
only during a contraction (when the mare is straining)
.
How many foals can a horse have?
But in general, a horse could have
about 16 babies
throughout their lifetime. Horses can start breeding from about 4 years old and their prime for foaling is from then up to about 15 years old. After 15, and up to about 20 years old, their fertility drops.
How do you tell if your mare is having a colt or filly?
Pluck a long tail hair. Tie a horseshoe nail to one end and dangle it in the middle of your mare’s hindquarters. An old wives’ tale predicts that if the nail swivels in a circular motion, the foal is a filly.
If it swings back and forth or side to side, it’s a colt
.
How often should I worm my foal?
Worming your foal
Foals are particularly vulnerable to the effects of worms and need a special worming regime. This should be continued
every four to eight weeks
, depending on the type of wormer: Ivermectin-based wormers such as Eqvalan should be used every eight weeks.
Can you give a pregnant mare ivermectin?
Pregnant mares should be administered ivermectin or a
benzimidazole 1–3 days before foaling
to prevent lactogenic transmission of Strongyloides westeri, which can cause diarrhea in young foals.
How long does a mare bleed after foaling?
Small vaginal tears heal well with little treatment. Larger vaginal tears that involve the rectum require treatment by your vet. For
5-10 days
after foaling, normal mares produce a reddish, bloody discharge called locia.
What Wormer is safe for foals?
The foal should be wormed according to the type of worms seen e.g.
fenbendazole
to treat ascarids; pyrantel, ivermectin or moxidectin to treat cyathostomes (moxidectin should not be used on foals less than 4 months of age).
Do mares eat their placenta?
Horses do not typically consume the placenta after birth
. They evolved as a nomadic species and if permitted to do so, move the foal well away from the placenta and birth fluids which might attract predators.
Is EQUiMAX safe for foals?
About EQUiMAX.
®
EQUiMAX
®
(ivermectin 1.87%/praziquantel 14.03%) is a broad spectrum parasite, bot and tapeworm control.
It is safe to use in foals as early as 4 weeks of age
, pregnant and lactating mares, and breeding stallions.
Can I worm a nursing mare?
Worming pregnant and lactating mares
does not need to be done any more often
than other mature horses, however care must be taken that the brand of wormer used is licensed in breeding horses; not all brands have undergone the extensive testing needed to prove the drug is safe for mares and their foals.
What are the signs of a mare about to foal?
- Udder distension begins 2-6 weeks prior to foaling.
- Relaxation of the muscles of the croup 7-19 days prior to foaling; relaxation around the tail head, buttocks, and lips of the vulva.
- Teat nipples fill 4-6 days prior to foaling.
- Waxing of the teats 2-4 days before.
How soon does a mare bag up?
Bagging up can occur anywhere from
around 6 weeks prior to foaling to just days before foaling
, but it is a good time to begin watching the mare. They will also form a wax-like substance on the ends of their teats, called “waxing up”, within a few days of when they will foal.
How do you terminate a pregnant mare?
Termination of pregnancy due to mismating in the mare is easily treated with
prostaglandin administration
to induce luteolysis from day 5 – 35 days when the mare is still dependent on luteal progesterone.
Can pregnant mares have banamine?
NSAIDs such as Banamine, Bute or Equioxx are generally used in a one-time dosage as chronic use may harm the fetus or cause kidney problems. Buscopan, which is an anti-spasmodic used in gas colic,
should not be used more than once on pregnant mares for fear it will
relax the cervix.
What is an abortion storm?
noun. Medicine.
A spate of abortions in a herd or flock of domestic animals
, typically as a result of an epidemic disease.
How many weeks is a mare in foal?
It is very normal for mares to carry a fetus for 320 to 380 days. In general 330 days (
11 months
) is the most commonly cited gestation length.
What can you not feed a pregnant mare?
One type of hay or pasture to avoid is
fescue
, which is often infected with an endophyte that causes problems in pregnant mares, including prolonged gestation, difficult delivery, and lack of milk. Make sure all bedding is free of fescue, too.
What causes red bag delivery in mares?
The most common causes of red bag are
placental infections, fescue toxicity and stress
. Chronic placental separation from the uterus may occur over a period of several days or weeks during late gestation as a consequence of placentitis.
How long after a mare waxes will she foal?
Waxing is the appearance of beads of wax-like material on the ends of the teats. This wax is actually colostrum which oozes from the teats in the last few days of pregnancy. Waxing occurs in about 95% of mares
6 to 48 hours before foaling
, however it can also occur several days before foaling or sometimes not at all.
How do I know when my mare is ovulating?
Normally mares will be in heat for five to seven days, and will
ovulate around the fourth or fifth day of heat, about 24-48 hours before they go out of heat
. “If you don’t use a hormone to induce ovulation, you may end up breeding that mare two or even three times during a given estrous cycle,” states Dr.
How do you take care of a foal after giving birth?
- Make sure the foal is breathing.
- Put iodine on the foal’s umbilical stump.
- Make sure the foal (including orphan foals) receives colostrum soon after birth.
- Make sure the foal is protected against tetanus, either through the colostrum or by a tetanus antitoxin injection.
Can you ride a mare in foal?
Mares are usually very devoted mums, and the best way to have a happy, contented mare and a calm, confident foal is to leave them together uninterrupted. The Riding
Establishments Act makes it illegal to use a mare for hire or reward
(ie, to work in a licensed riding establishment) until the foal is three months old.
When to call a vet when a mare is foaling?
Ideally,
within 12 to 24 hours
, the foal should have a veterinary examination and have blood drawn to determine that the foal has received the proper amount of antibodies into its bloodstream from suckling on colostrums.
Are foals active before birth?
Mares can display a
variety of behaviors in the weeks just before giving birth
. Mild, intermittent discomfort throughout the day or night is normal in some mares, and often coincides with activity of the foal. During these times, if you watch the mare’s flank region closely, you’ll often see the foal move.
Do mares eat while in labor?
In the first stage of foaling, mares become restless.
They will not eat
and they may pace or walk in circles, look back toward their flank, and switch their tails. Some mares lie down and stand up repeatedly. … As labor progresses, mares may assume a straddling, crouching position and may urinate frequently.
Can horses have twin foals?
Rare Case All Around
In horses,
twin fetuses are uncommon
. Carrying them to term is even more unusual, and birthing healthy twin foals is especially unlikely. “Twin pregnancies are extremely undesirable in horses, as they almost always have a bad outcome,” said Dr.
Why is it bad for a horse to have twins?
There are
high risks
in delivering twins.
After the delivery of twins, many mares retain their placenta, which is a severe condition and can be fatal. So, not only are the foals at risk, but the mother is as well. Another issue is the twins are typically born unhealthy and smaller than single birthed foals.
How often do twin foals survive?
The chances of twin foals being born alive are considered
one in 10,000
. But the odds of both animals surviving past their first two weeks are deemed much higher still, with most pregnancies ending in the death of at least one of the infants and often imperilling the mother.
When do you worm and vaccinate foals?
As a consequence, it is strongly recommended that all foals be dewormed initially at
1 to 2 months of age
. Treatment should be repeated every 30 to 60 days until one year of age, at which time the now-yearling can be placed on the same deworming schedule as other horses on the farm.
When should you worm horses?
All horses should be wormed in
the late autumn
with a combined round/tape wormer to remove bots, tapeworms and any adult roundworms. 4. For many horses once a year worming will be sufficient. Horses identified with higher worm burdens will need to be wormed more frequently.
What are Ascarids in horses?
The roundworm, or ascarid, is
a prolific egg layer
. Each female can lay from 100,000 to 200,000 eggs each day. The eggs pass out of the horse with the feces. Infective larvae develop within the eggs, which are triple-coated and are not affected by adverse weather conditions.
