Is my horse about to deliver?

Question

My mare, named Missy, currently has quite a large "bag" and is very restless at night. She constantly looks back a her stomach and sometimes lightly kick at it. She also stops when she is chewing, looks up and then continues alot. Her tail is constantly sticking up in the air, and her v****a has elongated. Her hips seemed to have widened and her belly has dropped. Her sides are also sleek looking. Her "bag" has gotten twice as large then they were a few weeks ago but a few weeks ago i could take a sample of her milk easily, but now when i try she 1. backs away so I can't or 2. no milk comes out... I very concered about this and if anyone has any advice or opinion about this ajenda plz tell me. O ya and if u think she is about to deliver plz don't hesitate to answer my question!

Thankyou!

Answer 1

The signs are there...

But it's just a waiting game...it really is.

My mare NEVER waxed or dripped milk.  Never gave any signs of impending labor.  The only thing different...is that her bag would fill up TIGHT.  Not just full...but really tight and full.

With the elongated v****a and dropped belly...I would be watching closely starting now.  In my experiences...those 2 things happen up to a week before the foal actually comes.

If her bag is filling...the milk is there for the foal.  Don't worry, the sucking motion of the foal will get the milk.  If she's getting close..the milk is alot thicker.  It won't be as easy to 'milk' out...as it is when the fluid is thin and watery.

My honest opinion is that she is very close.  It's just waiting for the right time to deliver.  If you see her 'hips' as widening...that could be that the muscles are falling away from the tailhead.  That's a very good indicator of getting really close to birthing.  

Ya just gotta wait...and have the vets number available when needed.

Answer 2

Our last foal was born in March and caught us off guard. The mare was very tense, HUGE milk bag that sometimes leaked, alot of the same signs yours is exhibiting. She was due Feb 29th. Welllll, that came and went along with the first half of March. Our filly was not born until March 17th. Every day we had people on watch around the clock checking signs and symptoms. Finally on the morning of the 17th her milk bag was almost like sticky-sweaty feeling and she was pouring milk every time she moved. She was also leaking urine out the back down her legs without squatting to pee. We left to run to the store to buy batteries for the flashlight for that nights watch and when we returned the foal was standing in the stall next to her! Everyone jokes it took her 17 days to get some privacy to do her business alone.

Just be patient with your mare. I know it is a nervous/exciting period but she will let you know when it is time. My advice though if you want something to monitor it would be look for the sticky-sweaty feeling on her milk bag. Delivery will be within 12-24 hours from there.

Answer 3

before they are going to deliver they start to leak milk. This can happen a few days to even a week in advance of labor. When she is really close (like about to have the foal) the milk will start coming out really quickly and she will start tucking her haunches underneath herself. I assume you know to have the stall really clean and to put straw down before she delivers the baby (if you when you wake up you think it will be that day get everything ready because it happens really fast). Good luck : )

Answer 4

Look for her to start  leaking milk. She will have the foal in a day or two after that. Don't worry about her, her instincts are kicking in. She will be fine. Pregnancy is VERY uncomfortable for humans, and we only have 20 lb babies.. try being a horse! :)

Hope everything goes well.

Answer 5

I would think there would be milk dripping from her teats but sounds like she isn't.

How long has she had this swollen belly?

Usually a mare's gestation period is 340 days.

Before a foal is born, the mare is restless and may bite or kick her sides. Also she'll repeatedly lay down.

Maybe her milking is malfunctioning. I would think there would be some kind of milk flow going on this close to delievery. I would suggest keeping a vet close at hand in case anything goes wrong.

Answer 6

She sounds more like she is has colic than in labor. She shouldn't kick at her belly. I would call a vet just to be safe. She should wax over before she goes into labor.

Answer 7

Keep an eye on her as her time is close. I have had mares that I called sneaky because they'd never wax up or drip milk. You'd just go out and there would be a foal with her the next morning. Another thing you may see is her butt will look like the muscles have gotten loose and she'll look out of shape. This is the mare's body getting ready for the event. By the way, my mares generally kicked at their stomachs and looked at them when they were in labor.