# Is my mare pregnant?



## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Hey everyone! I am new to the forum. My dad purchased a horse back in April. He gave her to me and I have had her for about 2 months. When he bought her, there was a "possibility" that she was pregnant. I had the vet come out at the beginning of October and he said no. However, I also heard that after a horse is at a certain point in their pregnancy, a palpatation isn't accurate anyway. Everyone at the barn I board her at swears up and down that she is pregnant. She does have a big belly. How will I know for sure? Is there a way to post a pic on here to get everyone's opinion? Thanks so much!


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

The only way to know for sure is to ask the vet again.

Photos posted on the internet will not give you a concrete answer.


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Ok thank you! I may call another vet out to do an ultrasound. Or I know they have weefoal but I don't know how easy it would be to get her to pee on a stick.


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## Piaffe (Jan 11, 2010)

you should post pics anyways  ! but only the vet will be able to say for sure of course!


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

I could post pics just to get some opinions...how do I do that?


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Oh wait I figured out how to do it. I am going to take a few tonight from different angles and get them posted on here!


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## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

If you don't know when/where/if the mare was bred, an U/S is a good idea anyways, pasture breeding can lead to a higher incidence of twins. Also, is she DOES turn out to be bred. with some measurements of the fetus on U/S, the vet can get you a rough gestational age and due date for the foal.


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Thank you! How much do ultrasounds usually cost?


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## Piaffe (Jan 11, 2010)

I called my vet about my preggo mare and they said an ultra-sound (if i took her there) would be about $45. Now that I have to have the vet come out for the ultrasound I am guessing it will be more,but I don't know how much...

I had another one done on a mare probably a year ago and they came to the house and I believe it was around $55-$65


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

Kcombs7 said:


> I also heard that after a horse is at a certain point in their pregnancy, a palpatation isn't accurate anyway.



Nope, wrong! You can always palpate the foal. I have palpated our arabian herd (about 60+ girls) all through their pregnancies and I have never not been able to feel the fetus.


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## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

tealamutt said:


> Nope, wrong! You can always palpate the foal. I have palpated our arabian herd (about 60+ girls) all through their pregnancies and I have never not been able to feel the fetus.



Listen to Tealamutt! She was a godsend to me when I went through my mare's pregnancy :lol:


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

It is definitely possible for the vet to miss the fetus by palpation, because that happened to my mare. I bought her at the end of October 2009. Had the vet preg. check by palpation in November 2009 and said she wasn't pregnant. 

By spring she was getting a big belly even though I was riding her all the time. Had the vet palpate her at the end of April and that time he felt a foal! Bouncing baby boy was born in July 2010.  

So that would make the fetus about 3 months along when the vet missed it the first time. Is that correct? :?

PS. Would the fact that my mare was an older broodmare have anything to do with him missing it the first time? Like her uterous was more dropped down from having a bunch of foals? Or did he just simply miss it?


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

trailhorserider said:


> It is definitely possible for the vet to miss the fetus by palpation, because that happened to my mare.


I think saying it is possible and saying it just happens at some phases are two different things.

Vets are human, yes they can miss things.


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Here is one picture that I had of hero n my phone


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

She is the one standing eating in that picture. Here is another one


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

She is for sure very round. It might be she just eats too much. For sure call the vet and see.

Do not know where you live but in my part of the world it is fall, time for fall shots. You can call for shots and have the US added on.


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

When I got her she was so skinny, her ribs were showing....but the belly was there. She has filled out on her ribs but the belly is getting bigger. Below is a picture of the first day I got her: She is much healthier now!


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## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

To be honest, she looks more pregnant in the earlier picture than she does in the later ones, guessing she had a pretty bad worm load when you got her?

I don't think she looks pregnant in the later pictures, but it depends on where she's at in her pregnancy. How far along would she be? You said your dad got her in april, and you got her from him later. Assuming you didn't breed her yourselves, that would make her at least in her 8th month if not later. Some horses show sooner, some later, but I'd expect her to be showing more than that at this point. I'd still go for the U/S or a second palpitation to confirm, but from the looks of her I wouldn't be inclined to think she is preggo.


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

I wormed her on October 2nd so she is going to be due for another worming come the beginning of December. Dad got her in April with the "possibility she could be a few months". I just don't know. She looks bigger to me now. But I don't know if that is just because she has filled out more in her ribs.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

If you got her in April and had her checked in Oct that is 6 month and you wouldn't miss a 6 month old preg palpating or ultra sound maybe 6 weeks but not at 6 months


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Is anyone familiar with the Wee-Foal pregnancy test? I've heard about it and thought about purchasing one to see if it is positive or not. If so, then I can spend the money on a U/S but if she isn't, then I won't have to call the vet out because other than that, she is healthy and UTD on everything.


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## Rumonek (Nov 3, 2010)

tealamutt said:


> Nope, wrong! You can always palpate the foal. I have palpated our arabian herd (about 60+ girls) all through their pregnancies and I have never not been able to feel the fetus.


It is VERY possible for someone to miss a foal through rectal palpation- its happened many, many times. If someone is not extremely experienced, the possibility is large at certain points of the pregnancy that the foal just will not be within their "reach".

OP- go with an ultrasound. I do not like rectal palpations in the first place- only extremely experienced and qualified individuals should perform them, and even then the risk of injury to your mare is more than what I would want to take with my own.


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## Rumonek (Nov 3, 2010)

Kcombs7 said:


> Is anyone familiar with the Wee-Foal pregnancy test? I've heard about it and thought about purchasing one to see if it is positive or not. If so, then I can spend the money on a U/S but if she isn't, then I won't have to call the vet out because other than that, she is healthy and UTD on everything.


I have used a weefoal test with success.


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Thanks! I think that may be my first step before scheduling a vet to do an ultrasound.


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

So does anyone know what the average size of a pregnant mares belly should be? We measured her around today. Put the measure on the last rib of her left side and went all the way around and the total was 96 inches. Any thoughts?


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

Rumonek said:


> It is VERY possible for someone to miss a foal through rectal palpation- its happened many, many times. If someone is not extremely experienced, the possibility is large at certain points of the pregnancy that the foal just will not be within their "reach".
> 
> OP- go with an ultrasound. I do not like rectal palpations in the first place- only extremely experienced and qualified individuals should perform them, and even then the risk of injury to your mare is more than what I would want to take with my own.


I think you have some misinformation here.

First, every licensed veterinarian is qualified to perform rectal palpation. It is standard operating procedure for working up a suspected colic case. It is wise to be cautious with rectal palpation, yes, but foolish to be afraid of it. Every licensed veterinarian working in an equine practice falls under the "extremely experienced and qualified individual title"

Second, you can literally put your hand on every inch of the uterus until the foal is large enough that it pulls it over the pelvic brim, at which point it is so large, there is no way to miss it. So I can see a very inexperienced veterinarian missing a pregnancy at maybe 40 days on palpation but not with trans-rectal ultrasound.

Third, are you talking about transabdominal ultrasound then, re:too risky for rectal palp? Do you realize that you can't see the foal that way until just a few months before birth? So, if someone thinks they have an accidental pasture bred mare, you're advocating waiting until they are near foaling out to diagnose the pregnancy?!


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

Kcombs7 said:


> So does anyone know what the average size of a pregnant mares belly should be? We measured her around today. Put the measure on the last rib of her left side and went all the way around and the total was 96 inches. Any thoughts?


there really is no way to tell. Maybe if you had this mare through several pregnancies and knew how she tended to carry it might mean something, but every mare is different, let alone differences between breeds and stallion size, her nutritional status/body condition going in, etc etc. The only way to know is to get in there and have a look/feel. Although I am interested in hearing more about this Weefoal, haven't used them before and would love to hear about other people's opinions.


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## CheyAut (Nov 26, 2008)

I've used Wee Foal, and other than one test not being conclusive, it's always been right for me. I breed minis, and my vets aren't keen on U/S the little ones


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

Chey- I hadn't thought about a mini. I've palpated mini cows but they are still a lot bigger than your girls! We have a pretty good technique for doing alpacas (cause they are REALLY tiny) that I bet would work on minis too but it is nice to know there is a fairly reliable test out there too!


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## Cobble Hill Jumpers (Nov 16, 2010)

Definetly have your vet come out is the only true way to know!


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## Eastowest (Mar 26, 2009)

_>>>> OP- go with an ultrasound. I do not like rectal palpations in the first place- only extremely experienced and qualified individuals should perform them, and even then the risk of injury to your mare is more than what I would want to take with my own. _

I have had several mares ultrasounded by an experienced repro vet-- and he does it rectally-- in fact he will often palpate first to get "the lay of the land" and make some predictions to follow up on before inserting the US wand to "see"--- how are your vets performing the US on yours, if not rectally?


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

I've heard different things...that a vet can miss the foal during a palpatation and then I hear that a vet cannot miss it. He said no when he checked her on October 2nd but her belly has seemed to grow more since then. I don't want him to think I am crazy to have him out again if he already said she wasn't.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I highly doubt he will think you are crazy. Tell him you are worried again because of her shape. I am sure he will be more than willing to recheck.


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## Kcombs7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Ok thank you! I wouldn't be worried so much if her belly would have stayed the same and her teats didn't look different. lol everyone keeps calling it the "surprise baby" and we are going to come in one morning and there it is. I have found out a little more about her history and it is very possible she was exposed to a stallion between Jan-April.....


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

I agree that you should just have him out again, because there are changes. I do have to say that if you think she is that close to foaling it really would make me question your vet if he did in fact miss the fetus on palpation. They are HUGE at that point and even someone on their first time palpating shouldn't miss them. Basically you get in there and the baby says "HELLO!!!" If in doubt, as him to u/s- at this point (again assuming you think she is within weeks of foaling) there is pretty much no way to miss on a transabdominal. He should be able to sex the baby and everything by then- as the fetus is taking up about 30% of the abdomen.


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