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Expert
Posts: 3300
  
| So I have a maiden mare who is due on Valentine's Day but she is wanting to come sooner. The problem is shes been dripping milk since Saturday and I'm just a little worried because she could hold out till Tuesday or after and be leaking till then. Should I call my vet and hope he has some colostrum on hand or just wait and see? I've bred horses but never have had one do this lol |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Due dates mean nothing to mares. She is only 4 days off. I have had them be 3 weeks early and run a full year as well. Some drip a tad but that has never been serious concern, it is usually a thick yellow wax and not colostrum like you might think. Read this, found it just doing a quick search.
http://animals.mom.me/soon-horse-baby-she-starts-leaking-milk-10554.html |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
| It was never yellow leakage. It's white I know if it's yellow not to worry as I've done this before. |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | I pasture foal so I usually have no idea what goes down, but we have only lost maybe 1 foal in 16 yrs that could have been saved had we been right there. She was still half in the mare when we found her but the sack never broke over her nose. But if you are worried, I found this
If the mare is over 320 days gestation and dripping milk, she is probably very close to foaling. If there is significant milk loss (constant and considerable dripping and streaming of milk) the vital first milk (colostrum) will be lost before the foal can ingest it. This alone could be life-threatening to the foal (“failure of passive transfer”).Mares that are dripping milk long before their due date (before 320 days of gestation) are in imminent danger of abortion or premature birth. There is probably an underlying problem with the pregnancy and this must be diagnosed and treated in order to prevent abortion and/or death of the fetus. So premature lactation at this time is a sign that must be taken very seriously. |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
 
| You're worried about a week??!! I had one born almost a month early and she was fully formed. The vet was worried about lung formation but she was 100% Super strong, straight legs too....no weak ankles for that baby girl. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I encourage you to let her foal out at a vet.
Had one dripping milk and the foal was born at home, day 2 spent at the vet 2k worth of vet bills still lost the baby after 7 days at the vet clinic
If we ever breed her again she will be foaling out at the clinic, and will be getting igg just because
My vet said they will never replenish colostrum. |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
| rodeoveteran - 2017-02-09 12:19 PM
You're worried about a week??!! I had one born almost a month early and she was fully formed. The vet was worried about lung formation but she was 100% Super strong, straight legs too....no weak ankles for that baby girl.
I'm not worried about a week it's about her dripping milk for a week |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | cheryl makofka - 2017-02-08 8:40 PM I encourage you to let her foal out at a vet. Had one dripping milk and the foal was born at home, day 2 spent at the vet 2k worth of vet bills still lost the baby after 7 days at the vet clinic If we ever breed her again she will be foaling out at the clinic, and will be getting igg just because My vet said they will never replenish colostrum.
I agree here - make sure the baby gets plasma. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 878
Location: "...way down south in the Everglades..." | Fun2Run - 2017-02-08 11:15 PM
cheryl makofka - 2017-02-08 8:40 PM I encourage you to let her foal out at a vet. Had one dripping milk and the foal was born at home, day 2 spent at the vet 2k worth of vet bills still lost the baby after 7 days at the vet clinic If we ever breed her again she will be foaling out at the clinic, and will be getting igg just because My vet said they will never replenish colostrum.
I agree here - make sure the baby gets plasma.
I agree too...call your vet. Have you attempted to collect and freeze any of the milk? Might not be a bad call if you can do that in the meantime, but dripping milk for a week would concern me enough to take her to the vet's to foal. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 214
| This is kind of off topic but our vet said a lot of clients are moving towards induction. When the mare starts dripping white he will administer a shot and have a foal within a hour or so. This is our first year expecting a foal of our own so I was curious about this process as I would much rather have vet supervision during the foaling process?? Has anyone here gone this route, for the op's mare would this be an option? |
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 Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | Dripping all the colostrum out on the ground is a concern. If you have any stored colostrum on hand or can get some I would definitely have some and give it. Then you should draw blood on the baby 24 hours after birth and have an IGg done. Make sure the baby got enough. If you have some or can get some, don't heat it in the microwave. Heat it in a water bath.
I've had mares drip milk for a week before foaling, did an IGg and they needed plasma. That's over $400 to get that all done. You're much better off giving some colostrum (needed or not) then test to make sure. Rather than having to give them plasma. |
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 Very Important Person
Posts: 5682
Location: South MS | Get you some Seramune equine IGG (Valley Vet sells it). It works! Literally a life-saver for us. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 380
| I had a mare that was not dripping but streaming milk 2 weeks before she foaled. She foaled on her due date, more than enough milk and the foal was healthy and never had an issue. If you extremely concerned you can collect some of the milk and freeze, just be sure to sanitize her udders before collecting. Colostrum and milk freeze well, just do not shake it up.
But I honestly think your mare and foal will be alright. |
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 Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Dripping milk is normal. I wouldn't worry this close to due date.......but, no harm in calling vet just to ask if they have colostrum available. Lots of foals get the Immunoglobulin too. I think you are fine. |
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