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  Discussion on Did my foal die of Placenta Previa?
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Posted on Tuesday, Apr 23, 2002 - 11:36 am:

Hi, It has been a very long day, and I am still looking for answers. My mare was due in about 20 days, but she foaled out early this morning and I found her foal dead in the field. It sounds like it might have been placenta previa, but I am unsure. The placenta was in the field very near the baby, and was bright red. I have seen other expelled placentas and this one was definately much different. The mare is doing fine, and wasn't even near the baby when I found it. She was bagging up a little last week, but even today her udders are not that big (they certainly don't look able to feed a foal, and were never waxy). I won't breed her again, as this is a little too much heartbreak, but I was just looking to see if there was something I could have done differently to have saved this baby.

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 24, 2002 - 6:46 am:

I am so sorry to hear about your baby Andrea. Late term abortions occur in about 5% of all pregnancies and can be difficult to diagnose. If there were no prior signs of problems, I am not sure what you could have done.

The best next step is to have a thorough exam done on the mare and foal to try and determine a cause, once the cause is established we can contemplate a possible prevention, for this specific incidence.

However this is a very reactive way of behaving and therefore does not prevent other problems. You should also review the total care of pregnant mares and see if you deviated from this program and if so correct those if you decide to proceed with another breeding. You may feel different about not breeding the next time you see a foal frolicking in a pasture. To let the fear of death rule your actions is to have no life at all, since it is a promise we must all keep one day.
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Apr 27, 2002 - 8:24 pm:

Thanks DrO. I was looking forward to this baby, but have the mare as a pleasure mount, and don't have any money invested in her as a broodmare, so it doesn't seem worth it to risk another pregnancy. I have bred another mare this spring, and hope to have a foal next summer. Andrea
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