Page 962 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

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Figure 19.32 The expelled membranes should be laid out to check that they are complete

If the membranes are retained, the first line of treatment is to give the mare small doses of
oxytocin by injection at regular intervals. Any membranes hanging from the mare are tied up

above her hocks to prevent them from becoming torn and contaminated. Gentle walking
exercise may be helpful. If this fails to work or the mare had an assisted delivery, the uterus
can be infused with sterile saline. This often promotes expulsion of the membranes, together

with any uterine contaminants.

Manual removal may be attempted by your vet who will take great care not to tear the
placenta and leave a piece inside the mare. Excessive pulling on the membranes increases the
risk of uterine prolapse or retained microvilli.

If the mare retains her membranes longer than 6 hours, the vet will usually administer

systemic antibiotics and flunixin meglumine to control bacterial growth and combat
endotoxaemia. If she develops a temperature and becomes obviously ill, the uterus is flushed

and intravenous fluids are administered. Icing the feet constricts the blood vessels and helps
to prevent harmful trigger factors for laminitis reaching the laminae (see page 160). Frog

supports may be applied in some cases because of the risk of laminitis with possible rotation
and/or sinking of the pedal bone.

Summary