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mineral oil to all post-partum mares, and particularly those that have had some trouble during foaling.
One of the biggest emergencies in the mare after foaling is bleeding. “This may take hours, or a few days, depending on the extent of the hemorrhage,” says Tibary. Just because a mare seemed fine after foaling doesn’t necessarily mean she’s out of danger.
“This is why it is important to do
the post-partum examination during the first 24 hours. Even if everything seems normal, the examination can help classify the mares as normal, or needing more follow-up examination.” It can alert the owner and veterinarian to something that could be a problem.
“Post-partum protocol involves two things. Going into foaling, we need to have an idea of what would constitute
an emergency during foaling, because most of the post-partum problems will
be linked to that. If breeders have a good protocol about problems with foaling, they will also have a good protocol
on post-partum care. When they get
to the post-partum examination, they should realize that if everything has gone according to schedule this doesn’t mean there will be no problems at all.
“If I were to rank the various post-partum
They still have to do the post-partum check between 12 and 18 hours (24 hours at the latest). They should also try to identify emergencies as quickly as possible,” he says.
“I’ve had some clients who feel that if everything goes well with foaling and the mare seems fine, and sheds her placenta on time, etc., then why should they spend the money to have a post-partum exam? I tell them than no one (except the mare herself) knows whether the foaling was easy or not,” says Tibary.
There are many things you cannot see— perhaps some internal trauma like a torn cervix. “There can be some complications that arise if the mare is in pain and reluctant to defecate or urinate. Then suddenly she has colic,” he says.
Injuries/Problems That May Occur During Foaling
Sometimes during a difficult foaling, or manipulation of the foal in order to assist delivery, one of the foal’s feet may scrape or tear the uterus. “The list of injuries that can occur during foaling is long. These need to be classified as to seriousness. Some of the emergencies are quite rare,” says Tibary.
“If I were to rank the various post-partum problems by frequency, I would say the most common would be retained placenta—either total or partial. This could lead to complications such as toxemia. The second most common problem that is not quite an emergency but needs to be taken care of is rectal-vaginal tearing. These can be different degrees of seriousness. Some are more dangerous than others. After that, in almost equal proportion (and increasing in number when there’s been severe dystocia) are hemorrhaging, uterine prolapse, uterine tears, vaginal/bladder
prolapse (the bladder is pushed out during or immediately after foaling),” he says.
“In mares, bladder prolapse is relatively common after severe dystocia, compared with other species, because the urethral opening in the mare is so large. Sometimes it is so large that you can put your whole hand into the bladder. The minor problems that may become complicated later are bruising of the cervix, etc.”
Mare owners need to realize that some of these problems do happen occasionally. “This is why every mare that foals needs to be looked at afterward, to pick up on those situations. Even if it is not life-endangering, it may still be a problem for the mare’s future fertility,” he says.
Photo provided by Dr. Ahmed Tibary
Possible Emergencies
Uterus after severe hemorrhage ◀ First degree tear
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Photo provided by Dr. Ahmed Tibary
problems by frequency,
I would say the most common would be retained placenta—either total or partial.” - Dr. Ahmed Tibary
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