How does that work? Gracie's conception date was September 12, 2009, so she and I have been having daily (at least) chats whilst awaiting the arrival of her foal, since her milk started coming in at the beginning of August. The udder filled up over time, and I was convinced it had to be a boy, coming late, as time went by.
She's shown ALL the signs of imminent birth at various times; restless, lying down, looking at her flanks, kicking at her belly. dropped muscles at croup, belly bump dropped forward, off her food, off her drink, waxed up teats, even some (little) relaxation of the vulva (or was that my imagination??)
She's enjoyed tummy rubs and me listening to the movements in her flanks, left side mainly so I gathered his back was against the right side.
Anyway, she seems to have perpetuated one giant hoax!! Another 'phantom pregnancy', She did it before, going in foal in the January after EI, but I figured that was probably because her hormones were confused with the number of injections the stud used to organise her service to suit their own timetable, and I don't remember movement in the flanks last time!
This time she came naturally into season, was served naaturally and went straight in foal. And size developed over the last year as expected.
How does that happen?? The body must have terrific "muscle memory" to go through all those stages, preparing for a birth that doesn't eventuate!!
She seems to be convinced nothing's happening now! I let her in with the mob last week and she straightaway went for a bath in the dam, rolled, then had a kick up and a gallop and tried to convince the others to enter the water. No Way!!!
SHe's very well!! She's been standing around, being a pregnant old lady for a good many months ..and now it looks as if she's sick of that image. Over the last three days, she's been regularly having bursts of exercise, careering around the paddock at full gallop; beginning to look quite trim!!!
Was that big belly just the result of a sedentary lifestyle??
Well, I guess she's enjoying retirement already; but she's developed a liking for the quiet chats and comes up, without the others, to have a back/tummy rub. Funny girl!!!
Has she come into heat at all???
ReplyDeletePete, the vet, has just visited and checked her out. He can see the signs of enlarged mammary glands etc, but checked her out and there is definitely no foal. He has been involved with Gracie for the last few years and has preg-tested her and managed her 'readiness' for stud. He says she must have resorbed it at some stage and that the 'endometrial caps' remaining would have sustained the production of hormones and the signs of developing pregnancy. He says she feels very healthy, internally, and has cycled recently. Good follicles present.
ReplyDeleteShe also has a developing goitre, (thyroid gland) which is most probably benign. His prognosis is that both are symptoms of "age". So, she is happily in retirement.
(Interestingly, he said he had just checked another mare at 12 months and one week, and she is still yet to foal.) He also said that this season seems to be confusing for cycling patterns, with unsettled weather patterns and no confirmed developing length of daylight, so many fillies/mares are not yet cycling/ regularly. He checked out Cloud, too, and said she's in the latter category; immature as yet.
How does that go with LFG? Do you get a return on a different mare or only her?
ReplyDeleteThe stud was really looking forward to the ASB-cross. They would take Gracie straight back, but I don't want to try the use of Regumate (or the like). They are happy to take Cloud in her place. She was going to go there anyway.
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