The “blip” of abortions seen in August, September, and October in Kentucky has continued on through December. With only about 50 total abortions reported, this problem might not even catch the attention of many people in a normal year, as breeders expect to lose about 5% of fetuses prior to foaling. But following the occurrences of mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) the past two years, any reproductive anomalies are being scrutinized. What makes these abortions unique is that they are only occurring on a few farms (reported to be between six and eight), with two or more abortions occurring in a single group of mares, and other mares not affected at all.

Lenn Harrison, VMD, head of the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center, said pathologic features seen in these mid-term abortions are not “strongly reminiscent of MRLS.” He said in discussions with pathologists in the Diagnostic Center and with specialists outside Kentucky, no one is willing to associate the current abortions with MRLS based on pathologic findings.

In looking back at six years’ of abortion reports at the Diagnostic Center, there is no statistical difference in the number of abortions this year from the average, said Bill Bernard, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, president of the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners and an internal medicine specialist at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.

Some good has come from all the reproductive problems of the past two years, noted several researchers and practitioners—there have been increases in the willingness to share information and the desire to be proactive at all levels of the industry. In years past, many farms with abortions would not bother to report anything or even take the fetus to the laboratory, simply chalking the loss up to the normal 5%. Today, there is a tremendous effort made to take fetuses to the Diagnostic Center for study