Puerperium - Mare
Also see General Puerperium
The puerperium is shorter than in the cow, with rapid involution and good conception rates at the first postpartum oestrus.
Involution
- Lochial discharge is slight in most mares and usually ceases 24-48 hours after foaling.
- Uterine horns shrink rapidly, reaching pre-gravid size by day 32 postpartum.
- Cervix remains slightly dilated until after the first oestrus.
- Involution delayed by retained foetal membranes.
Restoration of the Endometrium
- Endometrium capable of sustaining a pregnancy (fully restored) by 13-25 days postpartum.
- Small amounts of villous debris attached to maternal crypts are removed by autolysis.
- Maternal cryps disappear due to:
- Lysis
- Shrinkage of endometrial epithelial cells
- Condensation of contents of epithelial cells
- Collapse of the crypt lumen
Return to Ovarian Cyclicity
- Rapid
- Foal heat occurs 5-12 days postpartum.
- Follicular activity after day 2 postpartum.
Bacterial Elimination
- Bacterial contamination of the uterus from the environment is frequent, occuring by the same method as in the cow.
- Organisms usually eliminated during foal heat or disappear at second postpartum oestrus.