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2003 Newsletters |
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MONTH
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SUBJECT
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January
2003 |
- Broodmare Care |
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January 2003
Happy New Year!
2002 was an exciting year for me and the
start of my practice here in Minnesota.
Thank you for being such great clients.
Several months ago I promised a
newsletter on pregnant mares and this
issue will address the most common
concerns with broodmares. Next month I
will focus on foaling.
Broodmare Care:
1. Worming - Your mare should be
wormed regularly during her pregnancy.
One month prior to her foaling date she
should be wormed, and the again te day
that she foals. This extra worming is
important because the mare will be the
foal's primary source of parasites
during the first few weeks. This is whey
it is crucial to make sure she is as
parasite free as possible. Broad
spectrum wormers such as Ivermectin or
Fenbendazole are very effective.
2. Exercise - Light riding can be
continued up to the 7th month of the
pregnancy. From months 7-11 the mare
should just be tuned out to pasture.
This will be all the activity that she
will need.
3. Nutrition - For the first 7
months the mare will only need good
quality hay and pasture forage. The last
four months are when the foal is growing
most rapidly, so the mare will require a
little more food added to her diet. I
suggest extra hay and a 12-14% protein
grain and/or pellet mixture. It is
important to make sure she gets the
added nutrition, but don't overdo it
because a fat mare may have a little
more difficulty foaling. Too much extra
feed, while well intended, may cause the
foal to grow larger than it should. this
could lead to problems with delivery
and/or conformational problems with the
foal itself.
**Fresh clean water should be available
at all times for your mare.
4. Vaccinations - The mare hsould
stay on her normal vaccination schedule
with two exceptions.
1) She should be receiving the Rhino
vaccine during the 5th, 7th, and 9th
months of her pregnancy. This is to help
protect the mare against Herpes Virus 1
or 4 during the later months on
pregnancy. This virus causes late term
abortion and is also easily spread
throughout a herd of mares.
2) She should receive booster vaccines
for East/West Encephalitis, Flu/Rhino,
Tetanus, and West Nile (and Potomac
Fever if you vaccinate for that) one
month prior to her foaling date. This is
very important because the foal will
rely on the mare's colostrum (milk that
the mare produces during the first 6-12
hours of the foal's life) to provide its
immune system for the first several
month's life. The colostrum contains all
of the immune system antibodies, and
boostering the mare with vaccinations
one month before foaling will elad to
the maximum amount of antibodies to be
present in the colostrum.
5. Length of Gestation - The gestation
of a horse is approximately 340 days or
11 months. Normal foals can be born
anywhere in the range of 320 to 380
days. If your mare does go past the
foaling date it should not cause too
much concern, she should just be
monitored more closely. Inducing labor
in the mare is very risky and is rarely
done except in special circumstances.
6. Abortions - They are not that common
in mares but they do occur. Possible
causes include viral, bacterial, and
fungal infections, placental defects,
fever/illness, twins, and toxins.
Clinical signs of impending abortion are
premature distension of the udder, early
lactation, and vulval discharge. It is
also possible that your mare can abort
without showing any clinical warning
signs. With a pregnant mare, it is
important to notice any subtle daily
changes.
If you do notice any of these signs or
feel that your mare is not doing well,
it is important to have her examined.
Early detection of problems can, in come
cases, save the pregnancy.
7. Caslick's - Remember if your
mare had a caslick's operation to get it
opened up 2-4 weeks prior to the foaling
date!!!
In Summary:
One Month Prior to Foaling Date:
1. Worm with a broad spectrm wormer such
as Ivermectin or Fenbendazole.
2. Vaccine Boasters for East/West
Encephalitis, Flu, Rhino, Tetanus and
West Nile.
3. Prepare stall for mare to foal and
bedding with straw is the best for new
foals.
4. Open Caslick's.
If you have any questions please call.
I hope everyone had a good holiday
season.
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