Broodmare nutrition and dystocia

[Pav]

My mare just lost her foal this past weekend... the vet said the foal was too big and was mis-positioned during labor (dystocia) and could not be delivered. I'm trying to figure out why the foal was so big and why the mare was overdue (2 weeks). I'm thinking that it may have to do, in part, with broodmare nutrition... and in particular, overfeeding (grain) during gestation. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Are there links between overfeeding and foal size? Are there any good guidelines for broodmare feeding programs during gestation, particularly the last trimester? From what I've researched, it looks like it could have been a fescue toxicity issue as well. The mare was out at pasture during the day, but have no idea if this is an issue at the farm she's at. Any thoughts are welcome.

Thx,
Pav

[BridledObsession]

What exactly is dystocia? We came close to losing our mare AND foal due to the foal being "upside down". As in she was coming out feet and head first, but jaw up, not down. The vet basically said "good luck". It was a nightmare. When we finally got her out, she was huge. We were expecting a larger foal though due to the size of the mare and stallion. The mare is big boned and strong though, so we weren't anticipating any issues.

So sorry for your loss..........wish I could offer any info. Our mare grazed during the day and was also fed hay with approximately 2 1/2 scoops of grain am and pm. I'd be interested to see what you find out, as we'd certainly like to avoid this problem in the future.

[Mood Swings]

Pav - I responded to your questions in the "foal watch" topic.

"A final word of caution. It has been mentioned numerous times among horsemen that feeding a pregnant mare too well will make her foal grow too large to deliver. Size of a foal is genetically determined. Very rarely is a foal too large for a mare to deliver. "

Broodmare Nutrition from the link http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18594/2014/2

BridledObsession - Dystocia is the term used to descibe any difficult birth.

[Intrinsic Worth]

It's always interesting to hear that large animal vets will tell you that overfeeding won't cause delivery problems due to overly large foals, but small animal vets will tell you not to overfeed dogs because they don't want the puppies to get too big.

I do believe that it can be genetic. I heard more than one mare owner complain about Siphon throwing huge foals and the mares having one hell of a time delivering them. However, I do believe that lack of exercise and overfeeding mares can cause major problems.

[soundfast]

If other mares on that farm have been having the same problem then fescue might have something to do with it. Fescue with toxic fungus causes a drop in prostaglandin levels and the foal winds up being carried too long. Corn oil will increase prostaglandin levels and if enough is fed soon enough then the mare will deliver the foal when it is ready to be born. How much corn oil to give would depend on how much her prostaglandin levels need to be raised. A foal being 2 weeks late is not uncommon. Mares can have healthy foals that are early or late. Healthy foals have been born to mares that carried an extra month. Some mares or sires might be prone to oversized offspring. It might be best in such cases to breed to a stallion whose foals are always small enough. In cattle their are easy calving bulls for those who worry about having calves too big for their heifers or cows. In horses nobody seems to advertise whether or not a stallion is an easy foaling stallion. Thoroughbreds and draft breeds are more prone to difficult births. The highest prevalence is in draft horses and heredity can play a role. If toxic fungus was the cause then the mare would not have any milk when the foal was born.