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  Discussion on Swelling Caused by pinching twin
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Posted on Wednesday, May 3, 2000 - 1:25 pm:

Okay, I had my mare ultrasounded today at 21 days. She had just had a twin pinced five days earlier and had been on banamin shots for three days and finished Sunday with them. When we ultrasounded her today at 21 days we discovered that the embryo although still there was mishapen and appeared to be caught in some inflammation due to the twin pinching. The ultrasound showed a white line which I was told was thickening of the uterus walls due to inflammation. The embryo is the size of an 18 day one.
The embryo was healthy and normal size before we pinched the twin. We have started her back on banamin shots for five days in hopes of reducing the swelling. What are the chances that by Tuesday the swelling will be down and that the embryo will be healthier and hopefully better shaped. My vet has told me that if everything remains the same we will need to abort the embryo and start again. Have you heard of this happening? Is there anychance that with the banamin and reduced swelling that the embryo will begin to grow again and survive. Other than this problem the pregnancy is very healthy. The uterus is tightening up and beginning to close around the embryo for attachement I guess. Any advice or information would be very much appreciated.

Posted on Thursday, May 4, 2000 - 3:33 am:

Hello Tami,
I am not sure what is going on and your description pretty close to what ought to be happening around day 21 or 22. Attachment happened on day 16 and it is normal for vessicles to begin to lose there hard round shape soon after day 18. Once they lose this shape accurate measurement is more difficult. So I am just not sure you have a problem. In the next few days the embryo should become visible in the middle of the vesicle.

How where the embryos positioned in the uterus, where they close to one another or different horns?
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 4, 2000 - 9:01 am:

Hi Dr O,
When we discovered the twins they were in seperate horns but as my vet tried to pinch the smaller one, it moved over to the other horn but my vet was able to separate the two and able to pinch it away from the remaining embryo. We put her on banamin shots to help hold back the hormones that come after a pregnancy is ended as well as to reduce swelling I guess.
When she was ultrasounded yesterday the embryo was mishapen and it was up against the wall of the uterus on one side.
The concern for my vet was that there is a white line showing up on the ultrasound that appears to be a thickening of the uterus and it was up against the other side of the embryo. She is concerned that when the remaining embryo was free floating in the uterus that it got caught up in this thickening and prevented it from getting vital nutrients. She thinks it is inflammation caused from pinching the other embryo in about the same area the remaining embryo is now.
The rest of the pregnancy is healthy. Her uterus is tightening up and getting ready to close around the embryo and everything looked good except for the suspicious white line and the mishapen embryo.

Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2000 - 5:34 pm:

Just an update on the current situation. We ultrasounded my mare today and we have a healthy embryo with a heartbeat. The size is around 25 to 30 days and my vet seems to think everything should go well from here on out. Also, the vet said everything felt healthy. We will palpate her in September to check and see if she is still in foal.
A quick question though. I know the first 30 days are critical in development of the embryo/fetus but what is the next really critical stage in development?

Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2000 - 3:12 pm:

As far as I am concerned there are no noncritical periods.
DrO
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