Maria, a pregnant female horse, has been attracting attention with her abnormally large belly. Her owner, Mrs. Smith, observed that Maria’s belly was much bigger than usual compared to her previous pregnancies.
At first, Mrs. Smith thought Maria might be carrying twins, but when getting an ultrasound, the veterinarian only detected one fetus. So why was Maria’s belly so big?
Upon closer observation, the doctor realized this could be a rare case of fetal pathology. Testing confirmed it – this is a rare case of cystic hygroma in a horse fetus.
Cystic hygroma is an abnormal condition where the fetus develops a benign tumor in the amniotic sac. This causes the mother horse’s belly to become distended and unusually large. Fortunately, this tumor is often harmless to both mother and fetus.
After a difficult pregnancy carrying the oversized belly, Maria gave birth to a normal, healthy foal. The tumor in the amniotic fluid naturally disappeared after the horse was born.
Mrs. Smith and Maria were both very fortunate to make it through this challenging pregnancy. They had a joyful moment when Maria successfully delivered a healthy foal. This is certainly a beautiful story with a happy ending to be told for generations to come.
