( ADVICE FROM THE VET ) CARE OF THE MARE
PRE AND POST FOALING By Spring Paddocks Equine Vets - Registered BEVA AI Centre
So you have had your mare covered naturally or artificially inseminated... What should you do now? Most mares have a pregnancy of 335-342 days although this can range from 320-400days so you have plenty of time to get ready for the arrival of your foal.
1st TRIMESTER
Regular, routine checks are important to ensure the health of your mare, the embryo and to check for the presence of twins.
This picture shows an ultrasound scan typical of a 16 day conceptus
We advise at least two ultrasound scans: • 16-18 day scan: to identify that the mare is pregnant; the conceptus looks healthy and allows the vet to check for the presence of twins.
• 26 day scan: the ‘heartbeat scan’ and to again confirm that twins aren’t present. • A third examination can be performed from 6 weeks post covering to identify early stage pregnancy loss.
VACCINATION
We advise vaccinating your mare against the following diseases, vaccinating boosts antibodies in the colostrum (the first milk the foal will suckle). Absorption of these antibodies during the first 12-24 hours of life protects your foal against a wide variety of diseases during the early postnatal period.
• Influenza and tetanus:
• Mares should be kept up to date with routine ‘flu and tet' vaccinations throughout pregnancy.
• A ‘booster’ tetanus toxoid injection 4 weeks before foaling is also advisable- if the booster is not given, the foal will require a tetanus antitoxin injection within 24 hours of birth to be repeated every 45 days for the first 6 months.
• EHV (Equine Herpes Virus, types 1 & 4): • Pregnant mares should be vaccinated at 5, 7 and 9 months of gestation.
• Herpesvirus can cause abortion. especially between 10-11 months, so it is worth making sure she is protected.
24 MARCH/APRIL 2019 PRE-FOALING • Rotavirus:
• This vaccination is given at 8, 9 and 10 months and will protect the foal against potentially fatal diarrhoea. • This is particularly important where there are large concentrations of foals .
WORMING
During pregnancy mares natural resistance to worms decreases. This increases the risk of mares passing worms to the foal via milk as well as increasing the risk of foals being exposed to excessive numbers of worm eggs in the environment.
• We advise a worm egg count 2-3 months prior to foaling and appropriate worming. • Our recommendation is to give an Ivermectin wormer to the mare within 24 hours of foaling.
• Foals can be wormed from 6 weeks of age with an ivermectin based wormer- this should be repeated every 8 weeks until the foal is 6 months old.
ROUTINE CARE
• Dental care: it is vital that you keep up to date with routine dental checks with either your Vet or a qualified Equine Dental Technician (EDT).
• Routine farriery: poor foot quality can
increase the risk of gestational laminitis and pregnancy loss due to chronic pain. • Feeding:
• During the first 8 months of gestation pregnant mares should be fed as for non-pregnant mares.
• Only during the last 3 months of pregnancy is foetal growth at its highest and you may need to supplement feed. • Lactation is highly demanding of protein and energy- sufficient quantity and quality of forage and concentrate in this time period is essential.
• Exercise: light ridden exercise for the first 4-5 months of pregnancy followed by access to turnout will help her to maintain a good level of fitness for foaling.
• Reduce stress: introduce mares to the foaling environment a minimum of 2 weeks (ideally 6 weeks) before they are due to foal. • Appropriate environment: professional studs will be set up with large foaling boxes, CCTV and night watchers- this ensures your mare is constantly under supervision so that when she begins to foal the process should run as smoothly as possible.
• If a stud is not an option then make sure you are well prepared; a large straw lined box, access to warm clean water and your Vet ready on call in case something goes wrong. • Mares who have had a Caslick procedure will need an episiotomy within the last month before they are due to foal.
• Predicting when your mare will foal can be very difficult, some common indicators are: • Softening of the ligaments around the base of the tail.
•“Waxing-up”- beads of wax-like material will appear on the ends of the teats approximately 6 to 48 hours before foaling, however it can also occur several days before foaling or sometimes not at all.
• A drop in body temperature can occur the day before foaling. Neither of these methods are reliable for accurately predicting the day of foaling. • Nearly all (86%) of mares foal during the night, with most mares foaling between 10.00pm and 2.00am so ensure you can discretely monitor them frequently to ensure the safety of both mare and foal.
• Keep an eye out for:
• Colic- this could indicate a problem with the pregnancy including premature birth and uterine torsion, or the foal could simply be moving around and causing discomfort. It is always best to get the mare examined by a Vet if the mare is showing any signs of colic.
• ‘Bagging up’: should normally occur a few days before foaling, however if you see your mare running milk you should call your Vet as this can result in a loss of colostrum (first milk) or even indicate something more serious such as placentitis or impending abortion. • Discharge from the vulva of any kind at any point in the pregnancy can be indicative of a wide range of potential problems. Call your Vet immediately if you see this.
• If your mare is overdue: gestation periods are highly variable (320-350 days) so individual mares will vary widely. However if you have any concern over the length of pregnancy call the Vet .
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