# Possible Unwanted Pregnancy: Chances, Options...



## Druydess (Jan 25, 2008)

I would terminate. Unless you want a foal. If early enough, it's a simple injection. I'm sure others may have experiences they can relay.


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

Firstly, was the yearling gelded or not? If gelded he's not fertile, just randy. If not - how come nobody spotted the "Christmas baubles"? Had they not dropped (cryptorchid)? Are they visible now? If they're not showing there's a good chance he's not fertile anyway as the body heat kills the sperm. I know a number of geldings (including mine) that will happily mount and even penetrate a mare if given the chance but have less chance of making babies than a teapot has.

If on the other hand his testicles have appeared then there may be a problem. I'd still be scratching my head over how no one noticed though...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Nope. He is a confirmed stud. His owner talked directly to the person she bought him from and he admitted he wasn't gelded. I don't know how it wasn't noticed he had dropped. He isn't my horse, so I wasn't checking up on a supposed gelding's balls. And I guess no one else was either. But I did look with my own two eyes, and they are _there_. Apparently they have been for a while. The BO's daughter said she noticed "something" and guessed it was just scar tissue. *facepalm*


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

Brighteyes said:


> Nope. He is a confirmed stud. His owner talked directly to the person she bought him from and he admitted he wasn't gelded. I don't know how it wasn't noticed he had dropped. He isn't my horse, so I wasn't checking up on a supposed gelding's balls. And I guess no one else was either. But I did look with my own two eyes, and they are _there_. Apparently they have been for a while. The BO's daughter said she noticed "something" and guessed it was just scar tissue. *facepalm*


OOPS! Oh dear, then there may be a problem... :shock:

I'd be terminating if she is pregnant - seems like it's too great a risk to your mare, and the horse market is pretty bad out there. It should be an early termination so not too hard on your mare hopefully. I'll leave further advice up to the experienced breeders.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Once she is past a certain stage though it is considered to risky to terminate. You need to have the vet out ASAP. The vet will probably palpate and/or ultrasound to determine if bred and how far along she might be. This is done rectally 


Good luck.


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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

We terminated a pregnancy once. The mare was staying at another place, one of those lovely back yard breeders. Well the lady put the filly put with her sire. This filly was only two years old. So not only was she a baby, her baby was from her father. We gave her a shot to abort the foal. She got really sweaty and irritable for about an hour. And then she went back to normal.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Thank you. I'm going to call and see if the vet can come out any earlier. Two weeks is some time. 


Cowgirl... How far along was this mare when you terminated? At the risk of a stupid question: What became of the fetus? Did she pass it or did it just... Reabsorbe?


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

They don't reabsorbe the fetus. It's physically impossible.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> Thank you. I'm going to call and see if the vet can come out any earlier. Two weeks is some time.
> 
> 
> Cowgirl... How far along was this mare when you terminated? At the risk of a stupid question: What became of the fetus? Did she pass it or did it just... Reabsorbe?


They pass it, however, it would probably be unnoticeable when it happens. This is where the "absorb" it thinking comes in - most owners don't notice a mare that is miscarrying/aborting at a really early stage.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

OP - How long ago was he covering your mare? In order for Lute to really be effective to abort a pregnancy it has to be done in the first 40 days I believe...


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

The first time I saw it was mid-November. More precisely November 13th. (I have no idea how I remembered that date. Random.)


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

The pregnancy would be determined by rectal palpation and ultrasound. It can be aborted with a shot of lutalyse which is basically the same hormone that destroys the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum early in pregnancy secretes progesterone which maintains the pregnancy (its this hormone that gives women morning sickness). After a few months of pregnancy the placenta starts to secrete the progesterone which means you can't abort via lutalyse. If the mare is past this stage, you can either maintain the pregnancy or "pinch it off". This is done basically crushing the embryo and its blood supply. This is often done in cases of twins which are dangerous to the mare. 

Its up to you how you proceed. In my book, if you think your mare has a genetic disorder than you should probably abort the pregnancy. If you are not 1000% committed to raising the foal and training the foal then you should not have a foal.


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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

I believe she was like a month along. And she just passed it. It is not something you notice. But she was pretty early in the pregnancy.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I'd be looking for some expense money from the colt's owner. It was her responsibility to check him out before bringing him in with other mares.


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## Merlot (Sep 12, 2012)

Absolutely agree with aborting. At this stage the fetus is really just a mish mash of cells the nervous system isn't developed so there won't be any pain or even awareness for the fetus so please don't feel guilty about 'terminating a life'.
It is better to terminate at this stage then, as someone said before me, not be fully committed to the pregnancy and the resulting youngster 
That's my two cents for what it's worth ;-)


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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

We didnt even have our vet out. I called told her what had happened. She met me with the shot. She said if shes not pregnant, nothing will happen. If she is in foal, she will start sweating within minutes. And she was dripping sweat about two mins later.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I called my vet again. He's coming out this Tuesday to check Baby Girl. 

After more thought and you guy's advice, I'm leaning more strongly towards abortion. I researched more about the lutalyse shot. It seems safe and easy. I'm still going to kick myself because of the "what could have been" factor, but terminating makes more logical sense.

But hopefully she won't even be in foal and it won't come to that. *crosses fingers*


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

The B.O./Colt owner should definitely be paying this vet bill, regardless of outcome.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

God yes, she _should_! It will probably been a _massive_ fight to get her to, though... Might not even be worth the battle.


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## Druydess (Jan 25, 2008)

Brighteyes said:


> God yes, she _should_! It will probably been a _massive_ fight to get her to, though... Might not even be worth the battle.


Invoice her and take it off the board.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

^^ Now that's an idea right there.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> God yes, she _should_! It will probably been a _massive_ fight to get her to, though... Might not even be worth the battle.


I don't know how much you pay for board or what your vet charges but I would merely deduct it from my board bill. 

She bills you for your board, send a check and a letter with a copy of the vet bill and your check. $250 board - $175 vet = $75 difference and that's how she'd get it. She might be ****y but I'd just look at her and walk away.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

Holy cow! The owner has some liability there to my way of thinking. I'd be willing to bet you aren't the only one who should be worried about an unwanted breeding. Yikes.
Good luck to you. Hopefully the vet will find she is not pregnant. That would be good.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I agree with the stud owner footing the bill and I am also of the opinion that it might be a good idea to search for new stable/boarding facility. Equine testicles are not exactly petite and what if you had not caught the mare early? 9 months down the road and you would be staring down the barrel of a very pregnant mare who is now to far along to terminate and has missed several important vaccines. Is this stallion being gelded? Are there safeguards in place to prevent the next romeo from getting in to the area?


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

The colt is being gelded Tuesday. The appointment was made the same day he was found out. He is currently in a tall, secure round pen on the opposite end of the property from all the mares. 


My mare is the only one who anyone's seen the colt actually mount, but all the mares he has been housed with are going to be examined -- six mares total, I believe. :shock: Needless to say everyone is very unhappy.


In the area I live (rural Georgia), there simply isn't another place to board. This incident aside, I've been boarding at this stable for two years and have been pleased with it. However... This incident is a big deal and I'm not taking it lightly. I had a talk with the owner today and have expressed my _extreme_ displeasure. She doesn't want me to leave almost as badly as _I_ don't want to leave. She agreed to instate a strict mare/gelding separation policy, make sure everything she buys is absolutely ball-less, and pay my vet bills.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

^^^ Now that is a nice barn owner. Sounds like she has her head on her shoulders. I agree this should never have happened, but...now that it has, im glad to hear she's being responsible regarding all of this.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

She was surprisingly civil about it. She can give me hell about so many things, but I'm glad she decided to be fair about this one.


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## MelissaAnn (Aug 26, 2011)

Don't feel bad about the lute. There are thousands of horses in this country that are looking for good homes that are perfectly good horses. You don't want to bring another in.....

and maybe have the vet bring out 6 more shots of lute for all the other mares?


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> She was surprisingly civil about it. She can give me hell about so many things, but I'm glad she decided to be fair about this one.


As a barn owner, I cannot imagine giving a boarder "hell" about anything, period. 

I'm glad she's going to be responsible and step up to the plate and handle her mistake. "Surprisingly Civil"? She better not be anything else, given that it's HER horse that possibly impregnated every open mare on the farm! She ought to be absolutely crimson faced, groveling apologetic! 

Since she's fixing the problem, I wouldn't move either, but I'd be real sure that all the horses in with mine, from now on, only had girl parts. :lol:


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## Casey02 (Sep 20, 2011)

That's great to hear that your BO is doing all of that, lesson learned inspect everything that comes onto the property! Good luck and ill be waiting to hear how the check up goes!


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

The BO can be a little hard to get along with. But she's tucked her tail and fervently apologized to everyone this time. 


Update on my vet appointment, however. My vet called me. He had a sudden conflict and can't come out Tuesday. :-( I really hate scheduling complications and moving things around. The new current plan is to trailer up to the vet's office Friday morning and have Baby Girl ultra sounded.

The wait is going to kill me. Four more days.


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## trainerunlimited (Jan 26, 2012)

If you aren't planning on keeping the foal, I wouldn't even ultrasound her, I'd just give her the shot of lute. That way you deal with less guilt if she is bred and don't spend more money for the same end result.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

The only thing is, she might be more than 90 days. _Probably_ isn't, but she's been exposed to this stud for several months. Lute is only effective up to 90 days, I believe. Plus, I would rather know one way or the other, weird as that is.


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## trainerunlimited (Jan 26, 2012)

Didn't you say she had been covered mid November?


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

That's the first time I myself _saw_ her being mounted. Doesn't mean it didn't happen earlier. They live in a pretty big pasture. You don't see the herd unless you call them up, so who knows what happened when no one could see. I'm not totally familar with how mares response to stallions mounting them when they are already bred, however. If she was already in foal, would she tolerate him? My only breeding experience has been with llamas. The males with mount the females at any time during their pregnancy. Maybe it's different with horses...


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## trainerunlimited (Jan 26, 2012)

Oic. It depends on the mare, some will let a stallion mount at any time, others won't.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Some mares will stand for mounting all through the pregnancy and some won't. it varies from mare to mare.


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## CattieD (Nov 6, 2012)

What ever you decided will be best for you


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

We're back from the vet!


Had her ultra sounded. The vet said she's about three weeks pregnant. :? She gave me a syringe of lute, which I'm going to give Baby Girl on Wednesday. 

I'm a little freaked about giving it to her. The vet said that some horses will sweat buckets, cramp, and generally act _miserable, _so I better be prepared to see that. But after half an hour it'll be done and over...


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Please be aware that the drug is absorbed through the skin of humans and accidental exposure can cause a human to lose a pregnancy. When I was of child bearing age and hoping to get pregnant, I always let a male employee actually handle the drug.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

^^

That's actually why we're waiting till Wednesday. The BO's pregnant daughter is hanging around the barn with the rest of us and everyone's taking uber eprecautions to make sure she isn't exposed. We just decided to wait until she leaves town. Probably a little over kill, but it doesn't hurt. :lol:

I myself am not pregnant or seeking to become pregnant, so I've been cleared to inject.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I'm glad that you are aware of it. That stuff is scary. It took me three years and a lot of doctor visits (as well as the normal stuff.... )to get pregnant with my son and I sure wasn't going to take a chance on losing him.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> ^^
> 
> That's actually why we're waiting till Wednesday. The BO's pregnant daughter is hanging around the barn with the rest of us and everyone's taking uber eprecautions to make sure she isn't exposed. We just decided to wait until she leaves town. Probably a little over kill, but it doesn't hurt. :lol:
> 
> I myself am not pregnant or seeking to become pregnant, so I've been cleared to inject.


Just wear gloves and don't spill and you'll be ok. Your mare will sweat buckets and will make you feel really guilty, but she'll be fine. You can fix a bran mash while she's going through the worst of it and when she's feeling better, give her a treat.


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## MelissaAnn (Aug 26, 2011)

It should make you feel better to think that it will be a lot easier and less painful to pass a three week old fetus than a fully developed one!


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

i would be ****ed if a BO put a stallion in with my mare. She should have checked to see if the horse had Testicles or not, they are not that hard to miss! And if I had seen a horse Mounting my mare, I would have checked myself. You can have your mare spayed. Good luck with the abortion shots.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

what a ****er. So sorry your mare has had to go through this. Glad the BO stepped up to take financial responsibility.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

I am glad you followed through on all this-the vet check, the ultrasound, & talking w/the B Owner. At least now you know there is a reason to give the shot,what to expect, & a relief that your mare doesn't have an unplanned foal. Hope it isn't too stressful when you give the shot. If it's cold maybe blanket her afterwards until the aftereffects are over. Are the other mares getting checked in time?


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I would be very unhappy if somebody exposed my horse to a substandard stallion. Dang...............


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I gave her the shot today. I'm glad I was warned about the side effects, because _dang_, it was dramatic. She was sweating so hard she ending up standing in a puddle. She laid down after about 20 minutes and didn't get up until it was over. Poor girl... I could barely watch. We gave the rest of the mares their shots too, but Baby Girl reacted most dramatically.

But after 30ish minutes, she stood back up, shook, and was perfectly fine. I kept her in her stall for an hour after that to watch her and gave her some soaked alfalfa cubes. Turned her out and she galloped away, no harm done.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> I gave her the shot today. I'm glad I was warned about the side effects, because _dang_, it was dramatic. She was sweating so hard she ending up standing in a puddle. She laid down after about 20 minutes and didn't get up until it was over. Poor girl... I could barely watch. We gave the rest of the mares their shots too, but Baby Girl reacted most dramatically.
> 
> But after 30ish minutes, she stood back up, shook, and was perfectly fine. I kept her in her stall for an hour after that to watch her and gave her some soaked alfalfa cubes. Turned her out and she galloped away, no harm done.


They're amazing aren't they? The way they just blow off something that would put your or me in bed for a week and they get up and just, "OH LA!" and off they run.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I know, it's crazy! She acted like she was dying, and than was perfectly alright. If I had to go through something like that, I would be in bed for days! :lol:


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> I know, it's crazy! She acted like she was dying, and than was perfectly alright. If I had to go through something like that, I would be in bed for days! :lol:


I had to do that to my first Arabian mare who was a bit of a drama queen anyhow. She sweated and she groaned and she all but put a hoof to her forehead and convinced me she was going to DIE RIGHT NOW. After 30 mins, she was like, "Oh that's better. Got a treat?". 

She was so bad when she ovulated that when I sent her out for breeding and forgot to warn the stallion owner and I went off to a horse show, after a day or 2 at the show I got a panicked phone call that she was down, colicking, dying, groaning, sweating and moaning. I said, "Give her 2 hours and see if she doesn't get up, fine. I think She's ovulating, go breed her.". They called the next day and yup, that's exactly what was going on. Amazing!


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