How Do You Treat Placentitis In Horses?

Treatment of placentitis is aimed at reducing the infections and inflammatory responses, while supporting the mare with care. Combining both antibiotics and medications to reduce inflammation, and administering progesterone until the birth of the foal can help overcome this condition.

How do you treat placentitis in mare?

They can be treated with appropriate antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs and progestagens to help maintain the pregnancy however, the foal is usually born premature, under-developed, and often septic. Some mare suffering from placentitis show no external signs and simply deliver a premature or dead foal.

How do horses get placentitis?

A major cause of placentitis is due to bacterial or fungal infection that enters via the vagina and breaches the cervical barrier, a process known as ascending placentitis. Aspiration of air and faeces into the vagina can occur in mares with poor conformation or injury to the cervix or vulvar opening .

How do I know if my mare has placentitis?

Clinical signs of placentitis include vaginal discharge and premature lactation. Mares with ascending infections might show one or both of these signs, whereas mares with hematogenous and mucoid infections usually only show premature lactation.

How is placentitis diagnosed?

Transrectal and transabdominal ultrasound scans are used to diagnose placentitis. Practitioners can look for thickened placental tissue, separation of the placenta, and changes to the fluids within the uterus. Ultrasound examination can also be used to evaluate fetal activity level and heart rate.

What drug can be given to bring mares into heat?

The most common method used to bring transitional mares into estrus is a progestin, altrenogest, marketed as Regu-Mate or Altresyn. Squires said many managers and veterinarian put mares under artificial light for 60 days before administering altrenogest for 10 to 14 days. At that point, the mare should come into heat.

Can you pull the placenta out of a mare?

While you await your veterinarian, ensure the hanging placenta is carefully tied to prevent your mare from stepping on it while she nurses her newborn foal. You should never attempt to remove the placental membranes. Pulling the placenta can cause severe harm, including toxic metritis, haemorrhage and even death.

How does placentitis affect a foal?

– Chronic placentitis leads to placental insufficiency, which may result in intrauterine fetal growth retardation and delivery of nonviable or weak foals. – Foals born alive from mares with placentitis may be septic and may demand intensive veterinary critical care.

What is the most common cause of abortion in mares?

In the literature, bacterial infections are the most frequently described cause of abortion. Other important causes are infections with equine herpesvirus (EHV)-1 or -4, twin pregnancy and umbilical cord anomalies.

Which causes mycotic placentitis?

Mycotic abortion
Infection by mold organisms that grow in the fetal membranes (mycotic placentitis) is a common cause of abortion in individual animals. Mycotic placentitis is usually a sporadic cause of abortion affecting a small percentage of cattle in a herd.

How long overdue Can a mare go?

Mares commonly have gestation lengths longer than the average of 335-340 days, and this is a common concern to horse owners. Usually, there is no cause for worry. Gestation can be as long as 375 days and the record gestation length is over 400 days.

What does it look like when a mare bags up?

As the anticipated date of foaling nears, the mare will begin to “bag up,” meaning she will begin producing milk and her udder will swell. Waxy plugs will begin to form on her teats and some mares will even begin to drip some milk.

How early do mares bag up?

Mares will generally start to ‘bag up’ two weeks prior to foaling, but be warned that this is not fool proof as some mares, especially maidens, may bag up much closer to foaling. Mares may produce a wax like se cretion on their teats up to three days prior to foaling.

What do you put on foal’s umbilical cord?

Navel treatment should be initiated within 30 minutes of the cord breaking. It is ideal to use a 0.5% solution of chlorhexidine (Nolvasan) instead of betadine/iodine. Dilute 1 part 2% chlorhexidine solution with 3 parts sterile water. The solution can be picked up at GLEWC a few weeks prior to foaling.

What do you do with red bag delivery?

Owners or foaling personnel must quickly recognize the red bag condition and intervene immediately. The placental membrane should immediately be opened Page 2 2 with a sharp instrument such as a knife or scissors. This will result in a release of allantoic fluid and a transient delay in uterine contractions.

What is Nocardioform Placentitis?

Nocardioform placentitis (NP) is defined as a focal mucoid placental inflammation in which the bacterial infection is limited to the chorionic surface of the ventral placenta without infection of the fetus [1, 2].

Is there an alternative to Regumate?

Altren. FDA-approved Altren (altrenogest) provides safe, effective suppression of estrus in mares. This product is 95% effective after 3 days of treatment. The only FDA-approved generic alternative to Regu-Mate made in the USA.

How do you treat an extreme heat in a horse?

Provide shade, airflow (use fans) and free access to clean water during hot weather. Avoid riding your horse when the combined air temperature (F) and relative humidity is over 150, especially if the horse is not acclimated to the heat. To cool an overheated horse, sponge it with cool water.

What does magnesium do for mares?

Magnesium helps nerve cells transmit signals to each other and to muscles by regulating ion balance across cell membranes. It is thought to have a calming effect on horses, helping to ease muscle tremors and nervousness.

What happens if a mare retains the placenta?

In mares, the fetal portion of the placenta, or fetal membranes, are normally expelled within 3 hours after birth. Although some mares may retain the fetal membranes longer without suffering ill effects, many mares with retained membranes become toxic and may even die.

How do you treat a mare with retained placenta?

Oxytocin, antibiotics, and uterine lavage are considered the most essential treatments with oxytocin being the most commonly reported initial treatment (14). Oxytocin is an uterotonic hormone that encourages uterine contractions leading to the expulsion of RFM.