# Human preg tests for mares?



## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Seems like I read on here a couple years ago, but can't find it now, that someone used a container to catch some of the mare's urine and tested for pregnancy with a test meant for people. OR am I dreaming? The reason I'm asking is we are considering picking up a mare with a 9 month old foal that the owners cannot care for. The kicker is the mare is 'possibly bred back' as she's been in the pasture with the stallion that bred her for the foal she has now. This is their landlord's horse, which he assured her he thought was a gelding. Before I move the mare again to another home if we decide not to keep her, I need to determine if she's pregnant, so we don't stress her needlessly.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

No, a human pregnancy test is an indictor for increased levels of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and it isn't present in a horse.

ETA: There was a thread recently that indicated that Wee Foal mare pregnancy tests will work. Here's the link: http://www.weefoal.net/


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## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

I was told about a year back that an EPT would work, so I collected urine and tested,test said negative but everybody swore she looked pregnant(she was malnorished when I got her and I was feeding her better she developed a very well rounded belly)....after I gave her to a lady who was going to school her for a young child she had her vet check her out and no she was not pregnant.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Irish Pixie said:


> No, a human pregnancy test is an indictor for increased levels of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and it isn't present in a horse.
> 
> ETA: There was a thread recently that indicated that Wee Foal mare pregnancy tests will work. Here's the link: http://www.weefoal.net/


:thumb:


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== Seems like I read on here a couple years ago, but can't find it now, that someone used a container to catch some of the mare's urine and tested for pregnancy with a test meant for people. OR am I dreaming? === 


Years ago I had a friend who always used a human pregnancy test on her mares and they were always accurate.


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

I know that HCG is whats tested for in human preg tests, and ECG is tested for in Horses. 
I have a mare I am 95% positive is pregnant. I will be ordering a wee foal to check her. The wee foal 120 is very accurate, my mare should be at day 165. I will also at the same time check her with a human preg test. 
I suspect why the continuing debate on why human tests work is when one gets a negative result from the mares urine on the human test, and in which case the test would be accurate...However I dont know of any human tests reading positive, and in fact the mare is pregnant...? 
I have another mare unbred, and is my gelding....All of whom will get the human preg test to.......
Anyone else with mares want to join in and " myth bust "? Either way I will post my findings when I get the wee foal test in....should be in about a week...


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

IF we take the mare and her colt, I may just order the wee foal kit and a human one, too, just for comparison. Problem is, I have no idea how pregnant she might be, just assuming she might have bred right back as she and her foal were still in the pasture with his sire. So, could have been any time during the past 8 months or so. Thanks for you comments and the reminder! If we end up picking them up, I'll update my results from the tests, too.


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

Wee foal makes a 38 also, although I have known several to find that tests results more difficult to determine. 
I did a controlled study for Wee foal on the 38, and got 4 neg, 4 pos out of 8 tests using the same urine sample from a mare at roughly 70 days. Turns out the mare was in fact pregnant, wee foal 120 was positive, mare was confirmed IN foal by US after, foaled later last year


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== I suspect why the continuing debate on why human tests work is when one gets a negative result from the mares urine on the human test, and in which case the test would be accurate...However I dont know of any human tests reading positive, and in fact the mare is pregnant...? ===


The friend I mentioned above with the accurate human pregnancy tests -- the tests all showed the mares were pregnant and each time the mares had foals.

I've heard the same from other folks. I never cared to test mine since my sire didn't have any misses! )


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

wintrrwolf said:


> I was told about a year back that an EPT would work, so I collected urine and tested,test said negative but everybody swore she looked pregnant(she was malnorished when I got her and I was feeding her better she developed a very well rounded belly)....after I gave her to a lady who was going to school her for a young child she had her vet check her out and no she was not pregnant.


Since a human pregnancy test will only test positive in the presence of hCG then the test would be negative on a *mare's* urine, correct? It wouldn't matter if she was pregnant because there would be no hCG present in her urine.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

ShyAnne said:


> I know that HCG is whats tested for in human preg tests, and ECG is tested for in Horses.
> I have a mare I am 95% positive is pregnant. I will be ordering a wee foal to check her. The wee foal 120 is very accurate, my mare should be at day 165. I will also at the same time check her with a human preg test.
> I suspect why the continuing debate on why human tests work is when one gets a negative result from the mares urine on the human test, and in which case the test would be accurate...However I dont know of any human tests reading positive, and in fact the mare is pregnant...?
> I have another mare unbred, and is my gelding....All of whom will get the human preg test to.......
> Anyone else with mares want to join in and " myth bust "? Either way I will post my findings when I get the wee foal test in....should be in about a week...


I commend your effort to support science, Shyanne. :grin:


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Rogo said:


> === I suspect why the continuing debate on why human tests work is when one gets a negative result from the mares urine on the human test, and in which case the test would be accurate...However I dont know of any human tests reading positive, and in fact the mare is pregnant...? ===
> 
> 
> The friend I mentioned above with the accurate human pregnancy tests -- the tests all showed the mares were pregnant and each time the mares had foals.
> ...


There is no way that a human pregnancy test, which tests for hCG (h= human) can possibily indicate pregnancy in a mare that has circulating eCG (e= equine) Different _species_ have different chorionic gonadotropin.


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

Irish Pixie said:


> There is no way that a human pregnancy test, which tests for hCG (h= human) can possibily indicate pregnancy in a mare that has circulating eCG (e= equine) Different _species_ have different chorionic gonadotropin.


I agree. But for the sake of science....I will attempt it LOL!


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## farmgirl6 (May 20, 2011)

The wee foal test seems to have a pretty high level of success atleast at the 120 day, thats what I used. I bought a human pregnancy test first but did not try it, as I read it would not work, guess I will give it a shot since I have it already and mare is confirmed pregnant by both test and palpation, just have to run around trying to get her to pee in a mason jar again, that was fun


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

farmgirl6 said:


> The wee foal test seems to have a pretty high level of success atleast at the 120 day, thats what I used. I bought a human pregnancy test first but did not try it, as I read it would not work, guess I will give it a shot since I have it already and mare is confirmed pregnant by both test and palpation, just have to run around trying to get her to pee in a mason jar again, that was fun



Thats the way I collect too, Hope your neighbors know you as well as mine know me LOL!!


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

farmgirl6 said:


> The wee foal test seems to have a pretty high level of success atleast at the 120 day, thats what I used. I bought a human pregnancy test first but did not try it, as I read it would not work, guess I will give it a shot since I have it already and mare is confirmed pregnant by both test and palpation, just have to run around trying to get her to pee in a mason jar again, that was fun


I'd like to offer a suggestion. 
As one who has collected urine for many race horses, it is much easier if you rig up a container on a stick. You don't want to rush towards a horse when she starts a flow and you avoid a urine hand shower.


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