🐴 Retained Placenta in Mares: Emergency Management & Laminitis Prevention in 2025 🧬🚨

By Dr Duncan Houston BVSc

Foaling is usually a smooth process, but one of the most critical post-birth emergencies in horses is a retained placenta. Unlike cattle, where this condition can often resolve on its own, in horses, a retained placenta is a life-threatening emergency. In 2025, early veterinary intervention, uterine flushing, and laminitis prevention remain essential tools to protect your mare’s life. 🧠🐎

🔬 What Is a Retained Placenta?

After delivering a foal, a mare should pass the entire placenta (fetal membranes) within 3 hours. If any part remains attached to the uterus after that, it is considered a retained placenta. 🚩

The most common site of retention is the non-gravid horn of the uterus. Even a small retained portion can cause serious complications. 🧬

📉 Why It’s So Dangerous

Retained placenta can lead to:

• 🦠 Uterine infection (metritis or endometritis)
• 🧪 Septicemia (bacteria entering the bloodstream)
• 🔥 Severe inflammation and toxic shock
• 🦶 Laminitis—a painful and potentially fatal hoof condition

This is why prompt veterinary care is critical. There is no safe “wait and see” approach. 🛑

📋 What to Do If the Placenta Is Retained

✅ Step 1: Call Your Vet Immediately

Do not pull on the placenta. This can cause uterine damage and hemorrhage. Instead:

• 📞 Contact your veterinarian immediately
• 🪢 If the placenta is dragging, tie it in a knot to prevent stepping—but do not cut it off

✅ Step 2: Oxytocin Injections

• 💉 Oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions
• 🕒 Often given every 30–60 minutes until placenta is expelled

✅ Step 3: Uterine Lavage

• 🧼 If oxytocin fails, your vet will flush the uterus with sterile fluids to help expel the tissue
• 🧪 Lavage also helps remove bacteria and reduce infection risk

🦶 Preventing Laminitis

If the placenta is retained longer than 8 hours, the mare becomes at risk for laminitis—a painful and sometimes fatal inflammation of the hoof laminae. ⚠️

🔹 How to Prevent Laminitis:

• 🧊 Continuous icing of all four feet for up to 3 days
• 💊 Use of anti-inflammatories and pain medications
• 🩺 Frequent monitoring of hoof temperature, stance, and digital pulses

Icing the feet consistently is time-consuming but highly effective. 🧠

🧠 Long-Term Monitoring

After successful placenta removal, your vet will:

• 📸 Check the uterus via ultrasound for fluid or retained tissue
• 🧫 Possibly use uterine cultures to rule out infection
• 📋 Recommend rest and follow-up exams

If not fully resolved, complications can affect future fertility. 💔

📆 Preventative Measures

• 📋 Keep track of placenta passage time after foaling
• 📞 Call your vet if more than 3 hours pass without full expulsion
• 👨‍⚕️ Have a post-foaling exam performed on every mare

Early intervention means faster recovery and safer outcomes. 🎯

📲 Ask A Vet for Foaling & Postpartum Support

Need a foaling plan or worried about placenta retention? Visit AskAVet.com or use the Ask A Vet App to get 24/7 help managing postpartum emergencies. 📱🐴

Dr Duncan Houston and the team can guide you through post-foaling evaluations, treatment protocols, and laminitis prevention for high-risk mares. 🧠💬

🏁 Final Thoughts

Retained placenta is a true emergency. In 2025, with prompt veterinary care, uterine flushing, oxytocin, and aggressive laminitis prevention, most mares recover successfully. But time is everything—so know the signs and act fast. ❤️🐎

Need help post-foaling? Visit AskAVet.com to protect your mare and foal 🐴🧬