Need Placentitis help, update

[ljshorses]

I have a mare that I suspect has placentitis. She has been bagged up since day 308. Shes now at 318 days. She's been on a double dose of Regumate and SMZ tabs since she bagged up early. From the 2nd day of her treatment the discharge has stopped and udder still large but can't express any milk. So my question is should I keep her on a double dose Regumate (10cc/twice a day) or drop her to the usual once a day of 10ccs. I will also continue with the SMZs tabs until she foals. My vet seems to think it's safe to go to once a day but I'm nervous and just want to hear a few other opinions before I decide. Thank you all in advance.

[Hillside H Ranch]

We always reccomend weaning off the regumate, so that once they are inside the "normal gestation", i.e. 320 days they aren't receiving any Regumate. We do also continue the antibiotics until parturition. So, for example, when I have a mare on 20 ccs Regumate (and I give 20cc once a day) I will start weaning her off at 300 days, by lessening the dose by 1 cc a day, so that once she reaches 320 days she is not receiving any Regumate. You should definitely follow your vet's advice, but if it were my mare I would have her weaned off by now, and if not I would start reducing her dose now.

[Elfe]

Make sure the mare does not foal unattended. My mare's placentitis showed up at about the same time as your mare. When she started labor the placenta detached and everything came out at the same time. Be prepared for the foal to be sick, although my foal was small but completely healthy and normal. As a precaution he was on antibiotics for a week after birth. Also because not getting enough nutrients from the placenta his cuboidal (spelling ?) bones had not calcified and he had to spend the first 2 months of his life confined in a stall. He is completely normal now and is catching up sizewise.
Good luck !

[Zydeco Sport Horses]

My vet had me start weaning around day 315. The mare was completely off by 325 and foaled at 334--it was a healthy colt by the way;)

Best of luck. Jingling that all goes well for your mare and her foal!

[ljshorses]

Thank you all for your responses. Yes I think it's a good idea to begin weaning off Regumate and will do so. I have a foaling camera set up and checking udder several times a day to see if any changes and to try and milk. I haven't been able to get enough milk to do a calcium test yet. Her tail and muscle around it are very lax and vulva is slightly open. I am worried but trying to stay optimistic. I've had other mares over the years with placentitis but not this one and not one that changed so dramatic. Keep fingers crossed for me I need it, well heck cross toes too, every bit helps. Thanks again.

[Thomas_1]

Whoops... for a moment I thought Placentitis was someone's weirdo username and you were trying to attact her attention!

[tucktaway]

wishing you good luck and best wishes for an uneventful foaling and a healthy baby!!!!!!!!!:)

[Dalemma]

Good luck and do let us know how it turns out.

Dalemma

[Signature]

Yes, I agree with other posters, don't miss the foaling. We've had two mares with suspected placentitis, one foaled at day 318 without warning, foal was ok. The other foaled at 328 and the foal was very ill, septic and dummy foal too. The mare also retained the placenta for 5 hours (normally expells right away). Foal passed away at NC State at 24 hr old... not to scare you but just be extra aware that there might or might not be issues with the foal's health depending on how long the placentitis was occurring. But, you're doing all the right things so fingers crossed all will be just fine!! :)

[Tiki]

All fingers and toes crossed. Definitely be there when she foals. If the foal needs help, it will need it immediately! Good luck we hope for a healthy foal and Mom report!

[ljshorses]

I got a new question for anyone that has experienced placentitis. Did any of you have trouble expressing milk even with a completely full udder? Is this a good sign that foaling isn't soon? Her vulva is loose, tail no resistance and soft muscles on either side of tail (symptoms I start to see within a week of foaling). I'm wondering if the antibiotics and Regumate may be masking or amplifying some symptoms?? I think I'm driving myself crazy...

[Indy-lou]

LJS: Wishing you all the luck. These things are so frustrating and indeed will make you crazy with worry when all you can do is keep your eye on the mare and wait.

[Signature]

I know at least with our mares, the easier the milk is to express, the closer they are to foaling. So, I can't say for sure but if you are an experienced "milker" (this sounds gross, sorry LOL) and you can't extract any, I would have to think she would not be imminent? I think they have some way to allow or disallow milk letdown too so not 100% positive...

[ljshorses]

I know at least with our mares, the easier the milk is to express, the closer they are to foaling. So, I can't say for sure but if you are an experienced "milker" (this sounds gross, sorry LOL) and you can't extract any, I would have to think she would not be imminent? I think they have some way to allow or disallow milk letdown too so not 100% positive...

Thanks Signature and yes I am an experienced milker, lol (it's on my resume along with many other gross things like top poop scooper and smegma remover, yuk, lol the things we have to do when we breed horses). But seriously, that's kinda what I was hoping, I'm just working myself into a frenzy with worry. But my gut says if I can't milk then she's not ready, ugh...stressful.

[cinthia]

My mare is currently at 286 days....yesterday I found what I am sure is the mucous plug in her tail. No other discharge. Minimal, if any udder development. How worried should I be? She had one previous foal 4 years ago, uneventfully. When I did a search, I saw a couple of postings about "ascending placentitis"

[ljshorses]

My mare is currently at 286 days....yesterday I found what I am sure is the mucous plug in her tail. No other discharge. Minimal, if any udder development. How worried should I be? She had one previous foal 4 years ago, uneventfully. When I did a search, I saw a couple of postings about "ascending placentitis"

I hope my issue isn't worrying you unecessarily. I have been breeding for years and have therefore dealt with placentitis before. This is the only time I had full udder development so early. If you are concerned you can ask your vet to ultrasound the thickness of the placenta. There is a guage they can go by to determine if the thickness is suspect for placentitis. In previous cases with no udder development but discharge, this is what we did. I only had to put them on antibiotics and only once had to increase to Regumate as well and that was because she started udder development. This mare now presented with no udder one day and then next day full udder and heavy discharge so that is why we began smz tabs plus double dose Regumate. Now that discharge has stopped we cut Regumate back to single dose of 10cc Regumate/day. But my vet said that if I begin to see discharge again or milk dripping to go back to double dose. I am slowly weaning her off the double dose to the single dose just in case. I hope this helps. Is your vet a repro vet?

[Sunnydays]

Cinthia - don't let the early mucous plug discharge worry you, if all else is normal. Usually I never see mucous plug discharge, but did once well before 300 days, and mare did not foal till day 350+.

[Indy-lou]

LJS: Hoping things are going well. Just curious, fresh or frozen pregnancy?

[ljshorses]

Fresh and I went over all her notes from previous pregnancies tonight. She has never bagged this early but has gone as early as 13 days so I'm thinking if I can get one more week, maybe all will be okay...trying to stay positive.

[cinthia]

Thanks so much for the input, all of you! I am pretty much a "nervous Nellie" since my last mare ended up loosing the foal and having a c-section. 2 years later, I finally got brave enough to breed again! I called my vet, who is 2 hours away and not a specialist, who said I "could" put the mare on regumate and SMZs, but that she should be ultrasounded to check foal and placenta. Unfortunately we got 2 ft of snow today, so the roads were not too good. Thanks Sunny for letting me know that there is at least one other mare in the world who passed the mucous plug way too early and was fine. I read all my repro books and could not find anything relevant. Except "ascending placentitis". While she has no udder development, I am additionally worried as she has had some fescue in her diet....maybe 10-15%...at least when I am able to get her in to be ultrasounded, I will now know what to make sure the vet checks.
I have always heard that breeding is not for the faint of heart. How true! Best of luck to all the fuzzy 4 legged pregnant girls!

[Zydeco Sport Horses]

ljs, I would keep watching like a hawk despite being unable to express milk. My vet loves to tell me time and again, the only thing predictable about foaling is it's unpredictabililty! My mare's bag wasn't full, but in former pregnancies, I had been able to express and test along the road--the last time, which was actually the second pregnancy with signs and syptoms of placentitis, she delivered within 24 hours of me being able to express any milk (skilled milker here too). I knew we were close once I tested the milk, but based on my previous experience, the fact that we were so close surprised me.

Adding jingles for you too Cinthia--hope your vet can get to you today. I would start the SMZs and Regumate if you have it on hand or can borrow some to get you through until the vet evaluates--you can always discontinue if he/she feels all is well.

Good luck ya'll!

[ljshorses]

Update, mare is ready to foal, was at 200 on Chemetrics last night, heavy wax this morning. She is only a few days off her due date so I think we may be okay. I did get oxygen just in case but hopefully won't need it.

[RyTimMick]

Thanks for the update. Sounds like she is going to be okay, due to your diligence. Let us know when the little one hits the ground.

Tim

[Zydeco Sport Horses]

Jingling like crazy, ljs. Please let us know how things progress!

[ljshorses]

Foaled a healthy filly at 12:10 this morning, so relieved.

[madoy]

YAY! Congratulations!!!!!! =0)

[Dressage-ryder]

Congrats!! Don't forget photos :)

[Zydeco Sport Horses]

Happy dancin' for you here. Love to hear a good outcome! Congrats on a job well done to you and the mare!

[TrueColours]

What FABULOUS news!!!! Yay!!!!! :D

Of course you need to post pictures now too you know ... ;)

[ljshorses]

Here are a couple pics from yesterday. Still not unfolded but looking healthy.

[Signature]

GREAT news!!! What did the placenta look like, did she in fact have some placentitis that responded to your treatment? Congrats!! Big relief!

[ljshorses]

GREAT news!!! What did the placenta look like, did she in fact have some placentitis that responded to your treatment? Congrats!! Big relief!

I think so. It was very heavy and very red. It also came out right after baby so I think we got very lucky.

[Dalemma]

Wonderful news and what a nice looking foal.

Dalemma

[SSFLandon]

congrats! so cute :)

[cottagefarm]

Congratulations. Having been in your postion I know how stressful it can be.
Love all the colour :)