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Discussion on Late term broodmare with anemia
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New Member:
ilene
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Posted on Sunday, Mar 9, 2014 - 6:09 pm:
I have an AQHA mare in her 9th month of pregnancy. This mare was diagnosed with EPM five years ago and went through all conventional veterinary treatments and was also given Transfer Factor. The mare recovered beautifully and shows no physical symptoms relating to EPM.
My problem with her is that she was having periodic incidents of elevated temp, heart rate and respiration. She also has an uncharacteristically long hair coat and does not have a good appetite.
My vet did some blood work that showed she was anemic and he suggested we try UlcerGuard, which she is now on. The other thing that we discovered was that my pasture had tall fescue that my mare had been eating.
My question is, do you think the tall fescue could be part of her problem and if so what can be done to help? Generally, what can I do to get her blood levels up so she and her foal do not have complications due to her anemia?
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Member:
juliem
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Posted on Sunday, Mar 9, 2014 - 10:22 pm:
I would get her off that pasture TONIGHT! I don't know if the fescue is part of her blood issues, but her chances of a normal foaling, and lactating may well be affected by the fescue. Very risky for broodmare and foal.
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New Member:
ilene
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Posted on Monday, Mar 10, 2014 - 3:44 pm:
Thank you for your response juliem. Actually, my mare has been off the pasture for over a month now. I am in the process of eradicating the fescue from my pasture as I do not want any of my horses eating it.
I have discussed with my veterinarian issues that may effect the foal due to the fescue exposure. We have made arrangements for my vet to give the foal a plasma transfusion after it is born.
I am very frustrated with the fact that this fescue must have been in hay I purchased several years ago and has been reseeding itself in my pastures. It should not be allowed to be included in hay then offered to horse owners to purchase!
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Monday, Mar 10, 2014 - 6:38 pm:
That's a good point, Ilene. It's not problem that I'm aware of here in the west, but was always a concern for my family back east. The Plasma is a good move. Good luck.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Mar 15, 2014 - 9:59 am:
Hello Ilene,
First relax about the fescue. Removing the mare as late as 30 days before birth will allow the mares endocrine system to recover and avoid the effects of fescue toxicity on foaling. Concerning the other problems you describe it is difficult to say if fescue is the cause, maybe particularly with the temperature, but these effects of fescue would be very subtle. If you are seeing remarkable changes it is probably something else. For more on this see HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Reproductive Diseases » Birthing Problems » Fescue Toxicity and Lactation Failure
Concerning the anemia, the way to attack is to find the cause and correct it. For more on this see HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Cardiovascular, Blood, and Immune System » The Diagnosis of Anemia.
DrO
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