Wee Foal Pregnancy Test Kit

[Concetta]

Has anybody used this test? and if so how accurate has it been? Any info appreciated

Thanks in advance

[NorthHillFarm]

I bought one just for fun but I can't tell you how accurate it is...
My mare is supposed to be open but has a pretty big belly (probably a hay belly as they get free choice hay) so I thought I'd try for fun...I'm still HOPING she's pregnant even though she was confirmed not in foal at 19 days and also had just a little bit of fluid.
Well, she DOES NOT pee on command. We tried everything but ended up catching some urine on a sponge tied to her blanket. It must have been too concentrated (it sure looked it) from being on the sponge who knows how long (sponge was tied on overnight) because it did not run on the test strip very well. It gave me a positive (pregnant) result, which in the disclaimer says will happen if you screw up the concentrations.
I *think* we gave her lutalyse to make her cycle and get rid of the fluid when she was confirmed open so there should be no way she is pregnant.
I'm doing a blood test in the next few weeks so I guess I'll find out then...

[Concetta]

Well my broodmare was a rescue so she is very thin and does not look pregnant to me at all despite being confirmed in-foal by a repro vet a little over a month ago by a rectal exam...she was bred in April-so if i'm calculating correctly that should put her due date around mid-end of March making her 9 months in foal

I did the wee foal test today and it came back negative...now the urine wasn't fresh-probably from the evening before-i grabbed the urine soaked straw from the pee spot in her stall,rung it out into a cup and did the test off of that....that was the only way as my mare kicks...the test info gives all sorts of reasons for a false positive - but doesn't mention anything for a false negative

I know the other obvious sign would be if she were going into season/heat which i have not noticed-so-i don't know what to think...she certainly does not look like she's going to have a foal in 2 months?

I know this sounds silly..but is it possible for mares to not look pregnant if they really are? or is it possible for the test to be wrong?

[Dressage_Diva333]

I know this sounds silly..but is it possible for mares to not look pregnant if they really are? or is it possible for the test to be wrong?

I've never used WeeFoal, I prefer to just do a blood test, more accurate IMO.

It's very possible for mares not to look pregnant even right before foaling, especially maidens. It all depends on the mare. I've got one right now at 7 months who is HUGE, you'd guess she was more like 10 months... then I have two other mares at 6 months along who aren't even showing in the slightest.

This mare was a maiden when I took these pictures... she foaled a huge filly ~two weeks later:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/fohlen/Gracie/Gracie-confo.gif

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/fohlen/Gracie/Gracie-trot1.jpg

Same mare in 2009 less than 12 hours before foaling her second filly:
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/fohlen/Gracie/feb602.jpg

[pintopiaffe]

:yes: absolutely mares can hide those babies!!! Most especially younger mares, mares with full turnout who are not multiparous etc.

A rectal at 9 months is practically infallable.

If she hasn't been getting enough groceries, she will have given all she *can* to the foal, but the foal grows so exponentially in the last 90 days, I'd consult with the vet and do everything in my power to get groceries IN to her--GOOD minerals, lots of fat and great protein... I might *not* free choice hay unless it's at least partly alfalfa--lots and lots and lots of it, but I have known several mares that in order to get enough *nutrients* in to them, couldn't quite free choice my grass hay or they wouldn't EAT the grain/supps/fat etc. because they weren't hungry.

[Concetta]

Ok...well that makes me feel a little better-however your mare looks bigger than mine-but my mare is a rescue and in poor condition when i got her a month ago...very thin,never dewormed,vaccinated, etc etc-your horse looks in way better condition than she does

I don't know how to attach pictures here but i'm going to try and attach a link ....see what you think

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx260/Littleturtlehurdle/IMG00403.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx260/Littleturtlehurdle/IMG00404.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx260/Littleturtlehurdle/IMG00405.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx260/Littleturtlehurdle/IMG00406.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx260/Littleturtlehurdle/IMG00407.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx260/Littleturtlehurdle/IMG00408.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx260/Littleturtlehurdle/IMG00409.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx260/Littleturtlehurdle/IMG00410.jpg

[Concetta]

:yes: absolutely mares can hide those babies!!! Most especially younger mares, mares with full turnout who are not multiparous etc.

A rectal at 9 months is practically infallable.

If she hasn't been getting enough groceries, she will have given all she *can* to the foal, but the foal grows so exponentially in the last 90 days, I'd consult with the vet and do everything in my power to get groceries IN to her--GOOD minerals, lots of fat and great protein... I might *not* free choice hay unless it's at least partly alfalfa--lots and lots and lots of it, but I have known several mares that in order to get enough *nutrients* in to them, couldn't quite free choice my grass hay or they wouldn't EAT the grain/supps/fat etc. because they weren't hungry.

My mare is 7yrs old and about 15.3 maybe 16H Tb...i got her teeth done right away,and she has been getting Triple Crown Senior-its the only thing she'll eat,and free choice straight alfalfa hay,and she got ivermectin about a month and a half ago,and i just gave her Equimaxx yesterday...she is a pretty picky eater so i'm limited in anything "extra" to give her ...my other horses all get Progressive Nutrition Diet Balancer and plus /minus beetpulp and Envision for those who need it...i tried giving it to the mare and she won't go near it...so the Triple Crown seems to be the next best thing....its beetpulp based and contains ricebran as well as probiotics...its 14%protein,10%fat,17%fiber and she's getting about 8lbs/day of it ...anything more than that she won't finish ...she seems to have picked up some weight already so hopefully we're going in the right direction

[Concetta]

I've never used WeeFoal, I prefer to just do a blood test, more accurate IMO.

It's very possible for mares not to look pregnant even right before foaling, especially maidens. It all depends on the mare. I've got one right now at 7 months who is HUGE, you'd guess she was more like 10 months... then I have two other mares at 6 months along who aren't even showing in the slightest.

This mare was a maiden when I took these pictures... she foaled a huge filly ~two weeks later:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/fohlen/Gracie/Gracie-confo.gif

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/fohlen/Gracie/Gracie-trot1.jpg

Same mare in 2009 less than 12 hours before foaling her second filly:
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/fohlen/Gracie/feb602.jpg

Do you have any idea how much money the blood test runs? Beautiful mare !

[Concetta]

Well i heard back from the company of Wee Foal and this is what they told me:

If you have a negative when she is in fact preg then she is due to foal within these 6 weeks. The hormone levels of Estrone Sulphate is at a set level on the test pad. If a foal is present then it will trigger the higher levels and show a positive. However, about day 300 (average for all breeds) that hormone (ES) drops and will read negative. It doesn't do that in ALL horses but does work like that for the majority. I would say your mare is in the final home stretch.

I had a breeder of mini donkeys where the WF 120 showed her still preg and she delivered the next day. This is unusual.
:confused::eek:

[pintopiaffe]

Concetta, what a sweet looking mare! She is lucky to have found you...

What I see is that her topline is really 'skinny' *but* her abdomen and in front of flank is pretty full for how much spine/hips/etc. you can see.

She also has the huge barrell ribs that my Trak mare had. She would hide those babies until the last minute. She also would show ribs even when 'fat' because they were just so well sprung.

So I'd say, yes, entirely possible that a small foal is tucked right up in there.

Nothing's for sure until they break water, of course... but... Entirely possible.

Nutrition sounds great! TC Sr. w/ Alfalfa hay is a good thing! That's what my old, hard keeper Trak mare ate for all four of her pregnancies--she had her first foal at 17 and her last at 23--and was inspected/approved RPSI at 22. ;) If she'd take any oil on top, that is the one safest thing you can add... the problem being it's almost impossible to get them to put on weight post-foaling, so she needs to gain as much as safely possible now.

She really has a lovely face. How can people mistreat that? :(

ETA: the last photo looks pg to me. But what do I know. Had my first false pregnancy in 20 years of midwifing last year... But it does. ;)

[pintopiaffe]

BTW--where did you get your kit?

I must be googling wrong... I got all excited, then realized I was in Oz and NZ. ;)

[Concetta]

BTW--where did you get your kit?

I must be googling wrong... I got all excited, then realized I was in Oz and NZ. ;)

Thankyou!! she really is a sweetheart....so sad that she was neglected so badly:cry: i'm so glad to have found her and help her

here's the link for the test!

http://equinediagnostic.com/

[judybigredpony]

Just to clarify a few fuzzy points...the mare was not being mistreated or starved on purpose.
She was in a herd of all TB' mares and was a homebred, farm raises., broke @ 2 but injured so never raced.
Like so many breeders the farm was in dire financial situation and HAD to reduce herd numbers drastically immediately.
At almost any cost, including sending to auction.
Mares confirmed not in foal were 1st to go. Stallions, non preforming race stock and equipment.

She had access to round bale and pelleted feed, but vaccinations,teeth, de-worming and feet trims were out of the $$$ question. She also still had her 2009 foal sucking on her. While 25 mares on over 30 acres killed about any chance of nutrition from an already depleated pasture resource. Mare was lowest on totem pole and in a free choice trough feeding situation she got the dregs.

A group of mares were privately purchased brougth up to date on shots, de-wormed, confirmed in foal and then new homes were found.
This mare was by far in a condition indicative of heavey parasite infestation, no teeth care, She was re started on oats n 14% sweet feed and all the hay she would inhale for a month before Concetta was gifted her. And was now consuming groceries for just 2 not 3.
Her coat was rough and scragy but w/ Concetta's care she is improving, and once Concetta was finally able to get more de-wormer in her it will help alot. Thats one of the keys getting her clean of long standing parasites.

Regarding the Wee Foal a phone canvese of full time active reproductive Vets in a heavely populated active TB and WB breeding area brought Absolutely No knowledge of the product...zip..never heard of it.

Concetta has the cover dates and unless mare aborted AFTER the vet felt a live foal present 2 months ago or the foal has died and is still in utero (then a VERY sick mare) it will be what it will be....most likely a small foal??? but given the level of nutrition and care mare is recieveing now they will have every possibe chance. But foal to will need a regular de-worm program and carefull balanced feed program to gain ground lost.

The remaining mares on farm are in a MUCH better situation, reduced to a managable affordable number, some homebreds have run well putting $$ in the coffers.

Alls well that ends well..................

[pintopiaffe]

Concetta... any update?

I am expecting a test kit in the mail this week.

Tried to draw blood and absolutely could not find the vein on the horse I needed it on... I was trained at the track by my vet, but I just could not get blood out of her.

This place has a $25 blood test, but you've got to be able to GET the damn blood. ;) www.biotracking.com/bioPRYNes.php Customer service seems to be amazing too. They were willing to wait their every-other-week test by a day to get mine in the batch had I been able to get it to them... would not have affected other customers' results time--still by Friday. I thought that was pretty amazing for just ONE test.

Meanwhile, I ordered the urine test just to test it. If it's doable, it'll be a great mid-winter panic antidote. :lol:

Now we'll see if getting urine is any easier than blood... :uhoh: :lol: