Q. My new mare had trouble foaling her colt three years ago and ended up tearing, requiring stitches. Now she is constantly "sucking air" (into her vulva), and it sounds awful. Is there anything that can be done to rectify this or minimize the air intake?

Jacqueline, Surrey, B.C., Canada

A. The situation you describe with your mare is a fairly common one. During the foaling process a number of important structures can be injured, usually resulting in tearing of the structure from being overstretched or from being caught up in an improperly positioned limb of the foal.

Sometimes these torn structures can be sutured at the time of foaling, but more often they are left alone and sutured some time later, when all swelling and edema has resolved