Century Equine

Soon mares will be foaling and owners will have new foals to brighten their lives. We want to do all we can to make this process go as smoothly as possible. Read on for more information on what to expect 4 weeks out to the time of foaling.

Around 4 weeks out from your mare’s due date, she should be vaccinated and de-wormed. You can discuss with Dr. Oliver as to which vaccines and de-wormer you should use. Vaccination is critical to allow for your mare’s colostrum to have appropriate antibody levels. These will be the only antibodies your foal will have initially.

Physically, your mare will have already become quite large with the foal sitting low in her abdomen. She will have and will continue to need high energy feeds to meet her own and the foal’s requirements. After foaling, she will be lactating heavily which will also require an increase in energy on her part. Most companies make a mare and foal feed that is appropriate. Again, let us know if you have any questions about feeding. Also, your mare’s udder will begin to fill 2-4 weeks prior to foaling. Her teats may become engorged 4-6 days prior to foaling. She should not leak milk as this will cause a loss of colostrum. Mares often have ‘waxing’ of their teats which is a yellowish secretion at the end of the teat. This often occurs in the couple of days before foaling. The muscles around your mare’s vulva and tail head will relax within a few days of foaling. She may even develop some abdominal swelling or edema close to foaling. This is not usually a concern unless the swelling becomes very large or your mare appears uncomfortable.

There are several ways you can try and predict when your mare is going to foal. It is always nice when you know the breeding/ovulation date however a mare’s gestational length can vary. Most mare’s will foal between 330-345 days but can foal as early as 320 and as late as 360. This leaves us with large window for predicting foaling night. It is more preferable for someone to be present when your foal is born. This allows for quicker intervention if needed and gives owners the chance to see their foal being born! The physical changes of your mare are helpful in alerting you to an impending birth however these can happen days before foaling. Other methods include measuring calcium levels in milk but this requires a kit and performing serial dilutions. A new method is to test the pH of your mare’s milk. This requires only a drop of milk and a way to read pH. You can use either pH strips or an actual pH meter. A pH less than or equal to 7 is correlated with a mare foaling within 24 hours.

Now, mares tend to foal more often at night and they seem to have some control over their delivery. If they feel nervous or uncomfortable, they will try and hold off. This means your mare may be uncomfortable with you coming in and out of the barn or her stall every hour or two to check on her at night. If possible, it is likely easier on you and more comfortable with your mare if you can set up a camera to watch your mare in her stall. If not already, you will want your mare put in her stall at night starting at least several days before your foaling date unless she is telling you otherwise. You will want to have your mare in a large, clean stall with good bedding. Straw is usually preferable as it is less likely to cling to the foal’s umbilicus and eye’s.

Stages of foaling:

Stage 1: Lasts 1-2 hours. Your mare may get up and down, appear colicky and restless. She will have some contractions as the foal is getting positioned. She will likely urinate a lot so don’t confuse this with her water breaking. She will posture to urinate. This stage ends when the mare’s water breaks (rush of fluid).

Stage 2: Lasts 30 minutes. You should see a shiny placenta (amnion) over the foal. Your foal will be born with its front feet first followed by its head in a diving motion. Any other position is an emergency. If the placenta over the foal is red (chorioallantois) then call your vet immediately as this is an emergency. Please call us if your mare hasn’t made significant progress in 15 minutes.

Stage 3 labor: Lasts 1-3 hours after foal is delivered. After 3 hours if the placenta isn’t expelled then you need to call us.

Your foal will almost always break the fetal membranes and you will see it breathing. You will not need to break the umbilical cord. Letting the mare and foal rest after birth often allows blood to transfer to the foal via the umbilical cord. You will treat the umbilical stump with dilute chlorhexidine 2x/day for several days after birth to prevent infection. We recommend starting soon after the foal is up and nursing. The foal should attempt to rise within 30 minutes and should be up by an hour. Your foal will have weak legs and will have to try several times to rise. He/she may be low in the fetlock or pastern for the first day or two. Most foals straighten with time and strength.

Call us if your foal hasn’t nursed within 2 hours or the mare appears to be rejecting the foal. It is crucial your foal nurse shortly after birth. Colostrum is the first milk your mare makes. It is high in antibodies and it is crucial the foal drinks this within its first 8-12 hours. This is also why we don’t want the mare leaking milk prior to foaling. Also, your foal has a very low reserve of body fat that is utilized very quickly. Your foal also doesn’t have good glucose regulation so it will need to nurse many times throughout the day. A foal’s serum can be tested 8-12 hours after birth to determine antibody levels. If inadequate, your foal may need treatment for failure of passive transfer. This is often done with a plasma transfusion.

Your foal should pass meconium (dark, sticky stool) within hours after birth. If not, an enema may need to be given. Your mare should be bright and alert. She can eat as soon as she is ready. She may be somewhat crampy when expelling the placenta and when the foal initially nurses. Save the placenta in a large black trash bag and keep it chilled for your us to examine.

We will want to keep your mare and foal in its stall for several days before turning out. Then we will likely do a slow turnout schedule (out for 30 minutes for several days, then an hour for several days, then 2 and so on). The stall must be kept very clean.

It is always recommended to have us out the day ofter your foal is born for a wellness and serum antibody level check. Please let Dr. Oliver know if you have any other questions!