How to Monitor an Equine Fetal Heartbeat With a Stethoscope

Veterinarians recognize normal gestation lengths in mares as being between 330 and 340 days, or around 11 months. During that time, numerous factors can lead to the distress of the equine fetus and can determine if the foal lives or dies in the uterus. Hypoxia, a lack of oxygen to the fetus that can be fatal, typically results in the decreasing of the fetal heartbeat, says veterinarian Jon Palmer, director of Neonatal/Perinatal Programs at the University of Pennsylvania. Horse owners and breeders need to learn how to listen to fetal heart rates in their pregnant mares to avert any potential problems and save the lives of their foals.

Things You'll Need

  • Watch with a second hand
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Instructions

    • 1

      Permit your veterinarian to perform a transabdominal ultrasound test during your mare's final trimester of pregnancy -- usually considered the last 3-1/2 to 4 months of gestation. This test allows you to pinpoint the closest approximation to the fetal heartbeat and tells you where to place your stethoscope on the mare's abdomen.

    • 2

      Place the ear tips of your stethoscope into your ears, seating them in the deepest part of the outer ear canal leading to your eardrum. You may need to twist the ear tips away from your body to accomplish a tight fit.

    • 3

      Rest the diaphragm -- the bell at the end of your stethoscope -- on your mare's belly at the spot where you noted the heartbeat on the ultrasound. Adjust the positioning until you hear the heartbeat.

    • 4

      Count the number of heartbeats for 15 seconds using the second-hand timer on your watch. Multiply that number by four to get the total number of heartbeats per minute.