Mares retaining their afterbirth are at risk of becoming seriously ill. Veterinarian Mark Meijer by chance discovered a treatment to swiftly expel the afterbirth. ‘By using a thin water hose to pour around eight to ten litres into the uterus.’ The March issue of Phryso features an extensive account of this so-called ‘Zeddam method’.
Within 5 minutes complete placenta pushed out
Normally the afterbirth is expelled within three hours after giving birth. If this takes longer best advice is to call in the vet. The vet will administer oxytocin to stimulate contraction of the uterus which helps to push out the afterbirth. Another, although unpleasant, possibility is ‘peeling off’ the placenta, says veterinarian Mark Meijer of DAP Zeddam (Veterinary surgery, ed.), who has found a novel technique to tackle problems with producing the afterbirth. He took a garden hose and poured some water into the uterus of a very tricky mare. ‘There was no way I could get close to the mare. I don´t know why, but then I took the garden hose and inserted it into the umbilical cord. Within five minutes the complete placenta was pushed out in one go.’ Out of the 150 mares he has treated with this method (and has extensively documented) he has achieved a 92% success rate of expelling the afterbirth.
A job for veterinarians
By now the ‘Zeddam technique’ has gone global and Meijer even provides ready-to-use sets with measuring switches and thin catheter tubes. His advice is to get a vet in to do the job. ‘It´s not a terribly difficult process, but making an incision into the umbilical cord can be a little tricky. The umbilical cord contains three blood vessels.’
A comprehensive account of this ‘Zeddam technique’ is featured in the March Phryso.
More information and a clear video are available on the DAP Zeddam website. (in Dutch)
