My mare is in foal and due anyday now. Is it safe to worm her at this stage?

Question

We wormed our mare 4 weeks ago, but heard we should retreat a week before. Is it safe? What are some signs of the impending birth?

Answer 1

Check with your vet but my gut instinct is no we never wormed then.

Okay as she gets ready to foal her area under the tail (her v***a-where she pees) will get looser and looser..  kind of sag (is this her first foal then it won't get as loose.)  Her area around the beginning of the tail will loosen up and kind of get like jelly when you poke it hard it kind of shakes.

Within 24 hrs of foaling she will get wax on her teats. .  it clearish milky colored and when you see it you know she is about to pop.  It will break off just like wax from a candle but softer.  Then you need to watch her close.  Let her get up and down and move around if she wants once she starts labor.  Although if the foal is half out and she gets panicky don't let her bang the foal's head into the wall but this happens rarely.

Warn your vet that your mare has wax and you Will BE Calling if you feel there is a problem.  So he has a heads up and you Know he will be home.

Once the foal is born, the mare will then continue to contract and pass the afterbirth.  Take a pitchfork and put it in wheel barrow to be buried later.  

As soon as the foal hits the ground be prepared with soft clean rags or towels and immediately clear it's nose.  Some people use an e***a bulb to suck out nose if it has a lot of stuff in there but usually you can just wipe them good.

A good thing to do after the foal is 8 hrs or so old is to lead the mare up and down the aisleway or around in a corral or something to get the foal to move around - a stall is kind of limiting to their needed exercise for that first bowel movement.  Walking around for 15 or 20 minutes helps them with their first bowel movement - which will be black and slimey looking.  Once they pass that watch and note bowel movements for a few days.  If the foal gets weak acting and has not had a bowel movement call the vet.  When they need to go and don't they will kind of hump up.  The following bowel movements are usually very light in color - yellowish like baby pooh.

You can give them a fleet e***a which is for people but is a good size for a foal and comes all prepared in the drugstore..  but if you are NEW  - Please just call the vet.

The foal's feet will look like shredded wheat on the bottom.. once they stand it goes away rapidly.  Let them be mom and baby naturally and don't try to get the foal up yourself.  It will rest a bit and look around and mom will nuzzle, l**k etc.  Then it will start to get up on its own.  It will stagger and fall some but usually 2-3 tries and they are 'up'.  Don't try to force them to nurse.  Give them several hrs before you call the vet if they don't nurse.  If you try to 'help' them their natural instinct says to 'pull back' when you push them..  it is almost impossible to get them to do it by forcing and it just tires them out to fight you.  So just let nature take it's course and standby with the phone in case you need the vet.

Once in a great while, a young mare with her first foal will keep moving around and the foal finds hard to nurse with her antsing around.  You can tie her to the manger if this happens but I really doubt it will.  We then stand at her butt end and keep a hand on her hip so she is against the wall and foal has a chance at a non moving object lol

Let us know when that baby arrives - what it is and how it all went!

Good luck!  You are going to have so MUCH FUN!!  

Answer 2

I worm all my broodmare 4 weeks before due date and then again within 12 hours after foaling. This helps to make sure that worms are not passed thru the milk to the foal. I only worm with ivermectin during these times. I will them worm again in 4 weeks using a pyrantel pamoate. I worm my foals at 4 weeks as well.

Answer 3

This is an example of a worming schedule for broodmares...

http://www.equusite.com/articles/breed/b...

I have done it, but I followed my vet's advice for my particular mare.  I think it's a good idea...but that's me.

Impending birth signs...I like this site for simple explanations and photos...http://www.horseweb-uk.com/features/preg...

There are two pages on the second link...don't forget to check it out!