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  Discussion on Cleaning mares teats
Author Message
Member:
horse4u

Posted on Sunday, Feb 22, 2009 - 8:12 pm:

My mare used to enjoy it when I would clean her teats. Since the end of last summer she swishes her tail and lifts her hoof to warn me. I ignored her once and got kicked. I have been spraying them with water, and I did manage to get a wet rag under there and they are covered with yucky stuff. Could something be bothering her to make her act like this? I also have noticed that she gets annoyed when I am brushing her on the sides where stallions usually "tease" them. She is 12 and I have never had any problems before. She has never been pregnant.
Member:
mitch316

Posted on Sunday, Feb 22, 2009 - 8:43 pm:

Vicki, it sounds like there is some inflammation going on there somewhere. Can you get close enough to see whether the "yucky stuff" is coming from outside the teat (on the skin) or from the inside? I have seen some inflammation problems, but these were mostly from nursing or pregnant mares. Some mares on a lush pasture can actually produce what the old timers called "grass milk" (not sure of the technical term), but I have never seen any problems with it. I would look for chaffing or any other skin irritations. If she lays down in hay, she could have gotten a seed or debris trapped in a fold of skin, but that is just a shot in the dark...it really needs a close examination. Any chance you checked her temp? I believe she would have to have real milk to consider "milk fever", which is just slang for inflamed or infected milk. I will do some research and see what I come up with if Dr. O doesn't post with a suggestion.
Member:
mrose

Posted on Sunday, Feb 22, 2009 - 9:42 pm:

Are you cleaning between her teats? s the "yucky stuff" black or another color? Sometimes they will collect a lot of smegma (the black gunky stuff) in the tight crease between their teats and if there is quite a bit it will often make them sore. If this is the case, I use a sheath cleaner in the area. An light oil or KY jelly will work good too. You leave it on for a few minutes to soften stuff, then wash it off. It will wash off with a spray of water pretty good; better with a soft rag.

If the "yucky stuff" is yellow or another color, or if it's leaking from the teats themselves, then she probably has a problem. Are the teats, or one of them, hard? Swollen looking? Is the bag or area in front of the bad swollen? This would be good information for Dr.O to have.

Needless to say, when you're looking at her, stand by her hip where she can't kick at you. Believe it or not, I've actually seen people stand right behind the horse, lift the tail and bend down so the bag is at eye level!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Feb 23, 2009 - 7:33 am:

Vicki,
Both the build up and the behavior fall within the normal for horses but the "change" suggests something may be happening. However horse's can change their behavior over time for many reasons other than medical problems.

If you cannot get a good examination on the horse, particularly with respect to the area you think is bothering the horse, you may need to get professional help. If you would like to attempt to retrain the horse to behave better see Training & Conditioning Horses » Behavior and Training » Modifying a Horses Behavior: Conditioned Responses.
DrO
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