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Member
Posts: 37
| Only looking for cons or issues with spaying a mare. Thanks in advance for sharing ?? | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
| I spayed a mare last year. I took her to Colorado State University where Dr. Hendrickson performed Laparoscopic Ovariectomy. We dropped her off on a Wednesday, surgery was Thursday (June 30th), and I was able to pick her up and take her back home (to Utah) on Saturday.
They went in through her flanks while she was still standing to take the overaries. It is a lot less invasive than the other methods. There is a video on YouTube that shows the whole procedure. I wouldn't do this procedure any other way than laparocopic IMO.
I was cleared to start riding her again on July 14th and was back to running her on July 29th (gave her a little time to leg back up).
**Edited to add**
My mare would break panels in half by laying on them. Her ovaries would swell during cycles to 4x the size they should be. She was in massive pain. We tried all sorts of supplements and Regumate - it helped, but didnt get rid of the problem.
To me, she was a breeding stock paint with not great conformation (super heavy shouldered, front leg turned out slightly- to name a couple things). This is not a mare I would want as a breeding candidate so we decided to spay. You can tell she was so much happier afterwards - a completely different horse.
Edited by Mis_Trev 2017-03-27 2:52 PM
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 Straight Shooter
Posts: 5725
 
Location: SW North Dakota | I had one spayed in 2007ish. Also through the flanks. I gave mine 6 weeks off, then legged back up.
I had her spayed because she was cinchy and bronc-y and I thought it would help. It didn't
She showed heat hard and was a real witch. She still showed "heat" and was still a cyclical witch afterward. (research says this happens, even when they take it all out!)
I wouldn't bother to spay an aged mare (mine was 6, but had had one foal). I might spay a terminal cross as a baby, though. | |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| Depends on why you are considering spaying one and what their issues are.
I have spayed two. Neither responded to ANY other types of treatments. Both would get multiple, retained follicles that increased the size of their ovaries up to grapefruit size (they are normally the size of walnuts).
The first would lay on panels, walls, trailer, etc, kick horribly when hauled and would wear holes in her hocks from leaning while trailering. She could not stop after a run and her front feet would come up several feet off the ground because she could not get her rear under her to stop "normally". I spayed her when she was 8 (after owning her for that one summer), the best thing I could have EVER done for her. That was 23 years ago and we chose to do a midline spay so that we could manually and visually check for granulosa tumors. Did she still cycle? Absolutely! Did those "cycles" cause performance problems? Absolutely NOT. It took away her pain, the only thing I was trying to accomplish. She was the grittiest, most honest, most fun you could have riding a horse, mare. I lost her last year at age 30. I would have loved to have a baby out of her but I bought her to run, not breed. Vets have told me it probably have been almost impossible to get her to settle and carry to term with her issues so that makes my decision a bit easier to take.
The second mare I spayed at 9 after fighting her ovaries for 4 years. It got so that I could tell the vet what side she was ovulating on and how big the "ovary" was just by riding her at a long trot. She would turn in to the laziest, most unathletic piece of crap I have ever sat on with each heat cycle and got progressively worse during the summer. I put off making the decision because she was big, gorgeous, athletic and well bred. I think it was the best thing I ever did for her also. We did a standing spay through the flank but unfortunately she abscessed in one incision, and THAT turned out to be a MRSA infection. She also capped an elbow while at the clinic. All of that was "normal" for her because there was always something wrong with her....I hope since she no longer lives here she has gotten out from under that dark cloud that haunted her.
Spaying is not something I would consider lightly and if you are looking to change an attitude, you won't. But if there is great pain with her heat cycles and nothing else works, I wouldn't hesitate doing it again. | |
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