Any one had this problem in their broodmares?

vallygirl927 · Postby **vallygirl927** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 2:14 pm

I have a mare in foal on an April cover. She's been ultrasounded twice, once to check for pregnancy, another for a heartbeat. She's also been palpated within the last 2 months to confirm. She needed to be on regumate to catch..my vet tested her progesterone levels and determined she needed to stay on progesterone injections until 120 days once we confirmed her in foal. At 120 days I attempted to quite giving her the progesterone shot and a week later, she started acting like she was coming into heat...you know, all the typical signs. We immediately gave her a shot of progesterone and I have since tried to stop again and she's exhibited the same symptoms. Let me state, she is at 150 days now, and looks like she is still in foal...but I cant figure out why she exhibits these signs when the fetus should be producing the progesterone on it's own now. I'm afraid that if I stop, she may abort. Anyone ever had a mare like this? Obviously I will continue to give her the injection to prevent anything bad from happening...I'm just a little stumped.

griff · Postby **griff** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 2:29 pm

I use Regumate on some of my mares.. It's a liguid that I give orally..

Is this the stuff you are injecting?? If so do I need to talk to my Vet about injections vs oral ?

griff

PS: I have a mare that looks like she is 8 or 9 months in-foal a month after she has been bred.. Might want to check you mare again.

vallygirl927 · Postby **vallygirl927** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 2:52 pm

It's injectable progesterone...not regumate...it's only given weekly, as opposed to regumate with is given orally on a daily basis.

griff · Postby **griff** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:09 pm

What does your Vet say about this?/

griff

Laurierace · Postby **Laurierace** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 7:17 pm

Looking like they are in heat is not a reliable measure of a pregnancy's health. Hormones can do wacky things. Sometimes they get very lovely dovey, sometimes very studdish, sometimes raging hussies but all the while things are fine inside.
I have been afraid to stop progesterone long after it should have been needed because it made me feel like I was doing something. Talk to your vet.

secretariat · Postby **secretariat** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:10 am

my mare did the same thing. had her sonogramed and it confirmed her still in foal.

Shannon · Postby **Shannon** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 6:11 pm

I've seen many mares show signs of estrus while preganant. One maiden we actually covered on 2 cycles, then when the vet went to culture her, we discovered she was pregnant! She actually stood and took the stallion on 2 covers, all the while being pregnant.

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Mon Oct 18, 2010 1:31 pm

Quite a lot of mares can still come into estrus and ovulate while pregnant. Check before giving up hope. MANY a mare owner has killed a viable fetus by short cycling a mare who showed signs of estrus while pregnant...

Shannon · Postby **Shannon** » Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:02 pm

Valley, you can keep her on the Progesterone without harm, it's just costly if it's not required. A lot of older mares require long term therapy while gestating.

FYI, at around 120 days, it is the placenta that takes over and produces the progesterone, not the actual fetus. Prior to that it is the Corpus Luteum (left over "casing" after ovulation) then around the 40-60 day mark the endometrial cups. The transition phase from the CL to the placenta is usually when you see abortions occur. I'd have the vet recheck her, and she sounds like a candidate for treatment throughout her pregnancy.