The High-Risk Pregnancy

This chapter covers common causes of threats to pregnancy, both maternal and fetal. High-risk pregnancies are best managed by a team that includes theriogenologists, internists and, potentially, surgeons, particularly if Caesarian section is part of a potential intervention plan. Any late-pregnant mare that has a rapidly enlarging abdomen and an area of painful edema in the flank region that advances to the ventral abdominal wall could be suffering from rupture of the abdominal musculature, the rectus abdominis muscle, or the prepubic tendon. These can occur together or separately in pregnant mares. Together, these specific defects can be referred to as ventral ruptures and “body wall tears” and automatically categorizes the mare as a high-risk pregnancy. Monitoring of the fetal heart rate is a method of assessing fetal viability and compromise and can be accomplished via transabdominal ultrasound of fetal ECG.