Mare always in season-any suggestions?

[daftmare]

I had a mare a bit like this spent a whole year in season and I put her in foal and problem ended. I am not saying this is the right thing to do but it did work for my mare. Could your mare not have been sedated for the scan? Scanning is such an easy and relatively cheap way of diagnosing things. Or it could just be that put bluntly shes feeling a bit fruity this year and the geldings cant do the job! Global herbs stuff works fantastically well might be worth speaking to them before trying the regumate route as its pretty potent stuff.

[sayrrra]

I dont know. He never said and I didnt ask. Now I feel like a numpty owner who doesnt know anything. Ive only ever had to have vet out for vaccinations and Ive had horses for 10 years.

[sayrrra]

Right, I am off to phone the vet now, or just go in and see them. I need to speak to them. I have just been sitting here worrying since I left the yard. I have 100 questions that I want to ask that I didnt think to ask at the time.

Vet seemed to be confident that blood test would be good? He said that the scan can often only confirm that the ovary is larger than normal? Is this not correct?


Honest to god I am normally a sane sensible person (i think) but i cant seem to think straight and dont know what to do. I feel like a headless chicken.

[Anne]

You should not feel like a headless chicken Sayrra, he is the vet, he should have done the job properly , its not your job to tell him what to do, it seems he has taken the easy way out. What exactly does he have to send samples off to America for??   A scan would show a granulosa cell tumour , it would also show large cysts, she may be what they term a nymphomaniac  where her hormones are to pot and she does not ovulate , or a hundred and one other reasons.  Many on here have stories of solving the problem by putting them in foal, well it does not always work like that, they were just lucky. She could have problems that covering will not solve.  tell your vet you want her to have a simple intravenous sedative and insist he scans her. maybe he has reasons he does not want to scan, maybe he is insecure in his knowledge of scanning, but seems to me a good place to start before you spend out on regumate etc which may not work anyway.

[Sarah]

Or perhaps you need a referral to a specialist gynaecological equine vet?

[sayrrra]

I went back into speak to him and he said that he will come back out and sedate her and scan her. I said that I would rather speak to one of the repro vets at work and he was fine with that and gave me a name (which i knew anyway!). I changed my mind about the regumate on the way to see him (I still dont want to give her anything that she doesnt need) but I did ask if he thought that I should try a herbal supplement. He said that it wouldnt do any harm and if i wanted to then go ahead. I think I will give it a try once I have phoned a few comapnies to ask what they recommend-global herbs have good reviews though.

The samples need to go to America because thats where they go? I also found it hard to believe that nowhere in this country could test the samples for, presumebly, elevated hormone levels? but if thats what he says how can I prove him wrong?! Again i will ask here.

I know I have read many stories on the internet about people putting horses in foal and it solving the problem but I wouldnt do it. Cant afford a foal, dont need/want a foal and I love my pony and want to find out whats wrong not try and "hide it" by avoiding the issue and putting her in foal.

Thank you for all the replies and advice. I feel better today as yesterday I was just a mess!

[Sarah]

Must admit I'm with you, first I like to have something diagnosed properly if possible before treating and second in not breeding a foal you didn't intend to have just to randomly try to treat the mare.  Life and vet science have moved on!

In your special work circumstances would your vet be happy to take a photo of the scan of her ovaries for you to show the repro vet at work if he comes out to sedate/scan her?  Certainly our vets take photos all the time, I have lots of ones of various very early foetus's from over the years!

I had one with a massive tumour on an ovary years and years ago before scans etc so I know what the behaviour can be like.  She was operated on and sadly we lost her - but don't let this worry you, it was due to the anaesthetic and those have improved hugely in the last 30 years since then, operating is no longer the risk to horses it used to be.

[Anne]

We had a visiting mare here a couple of years ago- probably more like five actually and she behaved very much like a stallion . She was screamy squirty but did other things like smelling pooh and doing the flehmens posture and weeing on top, she also tried to jump other mares, she was also very difficult to catch. Anyway an internal alone found  an ovarian tumour with a scan confirming it. The growth of the tumour suppresses female hormones and actually allows testosterone to take over causing stallion behaviour the remaining ovary is then affected and virtually shrivels.  This mare was spayed through her vagina , and sometimes if this is done early enough it allows the remaining ovary to recover but it did not in this case as it was so advanced. She returned to being ridden  and her behaviour became normal.
It sounds quite possible however that your mare may well have cystic ovaries or lacks sufficient hormone to actually  ovulate so is permanently in the red hot in season stage, these cysts if large can in some cases be painful . Best form of attack really is sedate, scan and find out once and for all .

[Sarah]

Mine was found by an internal - but before the age of scans anyway - and operated on to remove the ovary and tumour.  This was over 30 years ago though and as I said, vet science has moved on somewhat since then!

[sayrrra]

I am sorry for the long long wait for this response! I have been v busy at work so not so much time to spend playing!

I had one of the vets from the vet school out and as I had told him what she was like before he sedated her straight away and then scanned her............normal ovaries! Confirmed by results from blood test as well! lol

i am so pleased that there is nothing "wrong" with her although she clearly wasnt herself. I started to give her frisky mare as I found it was quite highly recommened. This appears to have done the trick-she has been on it now for 3 weeks. she has turned back into a lovely pony and seems much happier in her self. Since just before the vet came the 1st time she didnt come into season until this weekend (which would be correct if she was having normal seasons!) and she was back to her normal seasons-hardly notice at all, I noticed cause I was looking v intently for signs!

Repro vet from vet school said its probably because she is turned out with geldings all the time-a friends mare is moving to ours this weekend so they can be turned out together hopefully and then that might help! I will continue to give her the frisky mare as it seemed to work. Hope this continues and that she doesnt have anymore problems, I could tell that she wasnt happy and now she is back to loving to be with you i am so glad to have my pony back!

Thank you to you all for your advice, it was much appreciated.

[Sarah]

Glad to hear it all turned out well.

[Anne]

Very good to hear that Sayrra .