# Swollen udder in mare



## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

So first off, *vet has been contacted. *_Only looking for some input as I am a huge worrier and would like some extra insight, I realize this is via internet and I do not have pictures available but I feel like this will help stop worrying quite so much until vet sees her._ After discussing via phone (though bad connection) my long-term vet decided it was not an emergency, and I am giving her a call Sunday and will go from there if things have not cleared up. So unless things get worse, we are waiting until Sunday to take the next step here.

I have a pony mare whom I have had not quite 13 years. She was previously a broodmare, but has not been bred in the time I have had her. I moved both my mares 5+ years to a breeding barn, so there are studs/mares/foals on property. Last year during breeding season/foaling I noticed my mare's udder slightly swell up. Didn't think much of it, and it went away just as quickly as it came on. So now it is January, breeding has not yet started for this season, and first set of mare's are not due until March/April. My mare is not bred, she is older but still thinks she's 2 so always a bit of a hot mare to handle (lol), but definitely not in foal. 

So today I take her blanket off per usual to groom. She's 13.2h, so I crouch down to groom her belly - her udder is completely swollen. The left is swollen a tad more than the right, hot to touch and it is quite hard. Not rock hard, but quite noticeably hard. She has some darker colored discharge down her leg, probably not noticeable other than her being a grey. I can poke and prod and she does not seem in pain despite how swollen it is. She is seeming herself otherwise (temp is normal, eating and drinking, poop is normal, acting like her normal sassy self).

What could this be? Would this have anything to do with her swelling up last year during the time other mare's were foaling/being bred? 



As I said above, vet has been contacted and will be out Sunday unless things have cleared up, in which case I would still have vet out just at a later date. Only looking for some outside input so I can quit worrying so much, lol.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Probably just hormones, I've had an unbred mare have her udder fill with milk and that's all it was. Went down on it's own in a week or so.


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

Minor things like Heat cycles, or benign hormones in alfalfa hay or soy in grain, and things more serious like endocrine disease or mastitis can cause udder development in mares.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

Dehda01 said:


> Minor things like Heat cycles, or benign hormones in alfalfa hay or soy in grain, and things more serious like endocrine disease or mastitis can cause udder development in mares.


Vet did mention mastitis, however since my mare seems to not be in pain she said that would be unlikely. I am of course still worried it could be, but that's probably just me being a huge worrier!

And regarding heat cycles - she has never in 13 years I have had her had noticeable heat cycles. She's a hotter moody mare in general, but I wouldn't say she becomes more moody during heat either, it's just her day to day personality. So would that be possible that her heat cycles have changed over the years and even though she's no more moody than usual, her udder can change like this? 

Even though I have always owned mares (minus 1 gelding), I have never dealt with anything quite like this. I used to teach lessons as well and start young horses, and never had a mare that would get so swollen and hard like this.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

Not able to edit my OP apparently, but just wanted to update and say that today (24 hrs later upon first noticing), the swelling/heat/hardness is 100% gone as if nothing ever happened. I am still left wondering what the heck was going on. It was seriously swollen and hot to touch yesterday, what in the would would cause symptoms to just vanish like that?


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