I just got a 5 yr old mare that is susposed to be due to foal in about 3 weeks. They said she hasnt ever had any shots/vacc. and she hasnt been wormed since last year!! She has diahrrea and Im not sure if its from worms or all the fresh grass she is getting here. Should I worm her now??? Would it be safe?? What would you do for her??? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This site is very active and there are plenty of knowledgable people there that can help you with your mare/foal:...not that there aren't here, but it just popped into my head and i thought i'd share
http://latigo.marestare.com/forum/

I would say call the vet out. The diarrhea is very likely from the fresh grass(mine had a bit at first too) but it's better safe than sorry. I wouldn't worm her until the vet checks her out, just in case.There are also shots that she will need since shes pregnant. Do you know if you have fescue grass in your pasture? When pregnant mares eat fescue it makes the placenta very tough, tough enough to need scissors to get thru it. Have you ever had a mare foal before? If not, I would recommend putting an experienced friend(or the vet) on notice, it happens very quickly and if something goes wrong YOU have to act quickly.

Sorry so long but this is what information I pass out to clients. Definately speak with your vet. But this is what we recommend to our clients.

Well, There are some things you can do and they may or may not be helpful since you don't know her exact due date.

You could also purchase a Predic-A-foal kit this test the mares milk to give you an idea of how close she is to delivery, works on 80% of mares. I have had good luck with it.

Ideally this is what should have happend.

Prior to breeding she should have had her spring vaccines (6 way, WN, & and any others for your area). Deworm also.

Otherwise you need to wait till she is at least 45 days confirmed pregnant to do vaccines, and deworming.

At months 3(optional), 5, 7 and 9 months she should have been vaccinated with pneumabort-K vaccine (pregnant rhino shots) These prevent late term abortion.

At month 8 her feed should have been increased by 1/2 so she could start putting on the extra weight needed to fill the milk production requirements. If she is not in good condition and a little fat prior to foaling she can drop weight fast and it is almost impossible to put the weight on after foaling. The best you can do is try to maintain her weight and make sure she doesn't lose anymore.

At month 10 she should get her spring vaccines 6 way (EEE,WEE,VEE,FLU,Rhino,Tet) and west nile. She should also be dewormed at this time, and her feet done.

Now since you got her late and most of this was not done you could go ahead and vaccinate her deworm her. It normally takes about 4 weeks to build the antibodies needed to pass to the foal, but it would be worth a shot and maybe she will foal late.

At foaling time you will need to double her feed to meet the nutritional requirements. A good mare and foal supplement would be helpful. Start her on it slowly. You could even use Equine Senior ( I know she is only 5 years but Sr is high in fat and highly digestable and that is what she will need to keep up the milk production) She should also be on free choice hay/ or great pasture.

There are a few things that you need to gather for when the foal arrives.
1. You will need a small tupper wear container with lid to put some Chlorahexidine or Nolvasan solution (same thing it is a blue colored disinfectant) you can get it from your vet, then once the foal is born you mix water with it to make it a sky blue color. This is what you will dip the foals umbilical cord in twice a day for the first couple of days.
2. You will need a garbage bag (and a bucket with a lid if possible). When the mare passes the placenta you will want to pick it up and put it in the garbage bag ( I have the bag lining the bucket and fill it with water then tie the bag and put the lid on, this keeps the smell down and keeps the placenta in better condition for the vet).
3. Have a nice halter that fits the mare nicely. As this is probably her first foal she may be a little protective and leaving the halter on her can make it easier to get ahold of her, you could leave a short lead rope attached if needed.
4. If the mare will let you you should wash her udder you should do this to help prevent infection. I use regular Ivory dish soap as it is mild and safe rinse well.

PRIOR TO FOALING: if the mare begins to drip milk call you vet. immediately, catch the milk if possible and put it in the freezer. You don't want the colostrum dripping all over the ground.

FOALING:

As your mare begins active parturition, (meaning her water breaks) the foal should be born within 20 minutes. The foal should present one foot slightly in front of the other and nose with be about at the fetlock joints of the foal. Set your watch and if it appears to be taking longer call and speak with your vet immediately.

Your NEW FOAL:

-the mare should expel the placenta anywhere from immediately to 10 hours post foaling. anything over 6 hours contact vet. NEVER PULL ON PLACENTA you could tear it and leave a piece behind causing a severe even fatal infection.
-the foal should stand within 1-2 hours and nurse within 2 hours.
-After the foal stands you will need to dip the umbilical cord in the Nolvasan solution. It should be mixed 4 parts nolvasan to 1 part water ( sky blue in color)
-18 hours post foaling it is best to have a "Post Foal Exam" performed, this will also test the IgG levels to ensure that the foal has recieved adequate amouonts of colostrum, So schedule this appointment as so as the foal is born. If the IgG is low the foal will need plasma.
-The foal's first vaccines should start at 6 months of age if the foal was born to a vaccinated mare. West nile and then boosted 30 days later. 4 way (EEE,WEE,VEE, Tetanus) with a booster every 2 months until 1 year. If the foal like yours is born to an unvaccinated mare than you will start the vaccines sooner. At 3-4 months then boostering until 1 year.
-THe foal should be dewormed monthly starting a 4 weeks (according to weight with pyrantal pamoate) through 1 year.

THESE VACCINE AND DEWORMING SCHEDULE MAY BE DIFFERENT FOR YOUR AREA SO SPEAK WITH YOUR VET.

Here is an example of a feeding schedule using Purina'a Omolene 300 with either alfalfa or bermuda grass hay for a 1000lb mare.

Start month 8: 6 lbs of omolene 300 daily and 10-12 lbs of hay broke into 2 feedings.

Post foaling: Feed 12 lbs of omolene 300 and 10-12 lbs of hay broke into 2-3 feedings per day.

This is an example of how the feed increases and is not the only way to feed your mare.

Like I said I use Equine Senior on my mares and then hay. She gets her senior am and pm along with a good flake of alfalfa, and then has free choice bermuda grass hay all day.

Hope this helps and if you have anyother questions feel free to send me a private message.

Good Luck

You really can learn a LOT on marestare.com. I spend a lot of time there myself. A good option would be to register and then post in the "womb without a view" and ask lots of questions. Everyone is really nice and very helpful. Since there are a lot of breeders there, you will get answers from folks with years of experience.

Hope this helps calm your frayed nerves!