Diagnosis, Management, and Diagnostic Investigation of Abortion

Careful management of pregnant mares and preparation for parturition is essential to help prevent cases of equine abortion–losses of pregnancy between 150-300 days of gestation. “The incidence of abortion in mares ranges from 5-15%, and this ha

Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Careful management of pregnant mares and preparation for parturition is essential to help prevent cases of equine abortion–losses of pregnancy between 150-300 days of gestation. “The incidence of abortion in mares ranges from 5-15%, and this has a severe economic impact on the equine industry,” said Karen Wolfsdorf, DVM, Dipl. ACT, a veterinarian with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky., in a presentation at the 2006 Hagyard Bluegrass Equine Symposium held October 18-21 in Lexington. This impact is not only due to foal loss, but the mare is rendered unproductive for that year, and she has a decreased fertility rate for the next year. This means there is a potential two-year loss in the mare’s production for her owners.


According to Wolfsdorf, although noninfectious causes of abortion are diagnosed twice as frequently as infectious, when an abortion occurs, it is very important that the farm implements isolation protocols immediately. She cautioned several times that it is “better to be safe than sorry.”


When an abortion has occurred on a farm, the first thing Wolfsdof is interested in is the mare’s history–how far along was the mare in her pregnancy? What horses has the mare been in contact with? Is the mare sick? Are a fetus and placenta present? Next, Wolfsdorf performs a physical and reproductive examination. She takes the mare’s temperature, pulse, and respiration, checks her mucous membranes, and evaluates her gastrointestinal motility/feces. Wolfsdorf examines the vulva for tears and bruising, and she inspects the expelled placenta and fetus (if present) to make sure they are intact and to note any gross abnormalities. Finally, she performs a rectal palpation and ultrasound if the fetus or placenta are not present or a vaginal/uterine examination to make sure nothing is amiss inside the mare as a result of the abortion and/or the fetus or the part of the placenta are not retained.


The management of the mare and the environment is essential. Wolfsdorf says to separate the affected mare from other mares in the field to decrease the chances of potential exposure to infectious agents. If the mare aborted in a field, and the field is contaminated, rope off that section of the field. Wolfsdorf cautions not to “remove the exposed mares or mix them with others on the farm until tests for equine herpesvirus, leptospirosis, and equine viral arteritis (EVA) are returned as negative. If the mare aborted in a stall, remove everything in the stall, place her in a pasture by herself, and disinfect the stall

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Rachael Turner is the former Photo and Newsletter Editor for The Horse. She is an avid event rider. Rachael’s main focus is dressage and on training young horses with the proper foundation for success. She is also a member of the United States Dressage Federation and the United States Equestrian Federation. Her website is avonleaequestrian.com.””achael Turner is the former Photo and Newsletter Editor for The Hors”

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
439 votes · 439 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!