Lesson 9
Foal Diseases and Health Management
Neonatal
Management and common Neonatal Diseases including
Orphan Foal management and care of foal during
the first 6 months of life
I.
Immediate newborn management:
A.
Foaling environment should be clean with good footing. (shavings
or sawdust base covered with clean, dry straw.)
B.
Make sure amnion sac is not covering foals muzzle. (restricts breathing)
C.
Importance of last transfer of blood from mare to foal prior to breaking of the
cord.
D.
The foal should be bright and alert from beginning.
E.
Clear breathing passages.
F.
Allow mare & foal to bond.
G.
Foal should stand within first hour. (usually attempts
to stand within 10 to 15 minutes of foaling.)
H.
Foal should nurse within first 2 hours. (usually
attempts to nurse within first half hour.)
I.
Naval should be dipped in a disinfectant (nolvasan
(chlorhexidine) or betadine (tamed iodine) as soon as possible after the cord breaks.
J.
Using an enema on the foal is advisable. Normally done anytime after the foal
has been up and has nursed several times.
K.
If mare hasn’t been vaccinated for tetanus within the last few months of
pregnancy, the foal should be administered a tetanus antitoxin.
II.
Problems associated with the immediate post foaling period.
A.
Meconium (first manure) impaction.
1.
straining to pass manure or signs of colic may indicate meconium impaction.
2.
Enema (standard or mineral oil fleet enema) is preventative as well as a
treatment for this condition.
B.
Patent urachus – leakage of urine from the umbilical cord when straining to
urinate
1.
Strong Iodine (7%) application to naval every 6 hours until closure. Sometimes
requires veterinary attention or use of stronger drying agent (silver nitrate
application)
C.
Ruptured Urinary Bladder
1.
Appear normal for first 24 hours.
2.
The abdomen begins filling up with urine which causes the belly to enlarge and
the foal to become weak and depressed.
3.
Requires surgical correction.
D.
Neonatal mal-adjustment syndrome or “dummy foal”
1.
These foals may be normal at birth and become “dummy” on the second or third
day after birth. (stop nursing, walk around stall as
if blind.)
2.
Usually associated with systemic infection (septicemia) or possible loss of
blood to brain early in life.
E.
Septicemia
1.
Possible fever, lack of nursing reflex, weak, depressed foals from birth.
2.
Systemic infection contracted within the womb.
III.
Care of the orphan foal.
A.
Orphan foal is any foal whose dam is unable to provide adequate nourishment
through normal nursing.
B.
Immediate care consists of making sure the foal is able to consume colostrums
during the first 12 hours of birth. (If the dam cannot supply this, use of
colostrums from another mare is needed). If colostrums is not available, plasma
rich in IGG antibodies should be given to the foal by stomach tube in first 12
to 24 hours of life, or intravenously shortly thereafter.
C.
Meeting the needs of the growing orphan foal.
1.
Nurse mare
a.
Must accept orphan foal. (urine or manure of mare rubbed on foal)
b.
Must be a good milker.
c.
Initial nursing must be attended.
d.
Goats have been used successfully to raise an orphan foal.
2.
Hand feeding
a.
Milk replacer (quick formula is evaporated can milk and water in equal
proportions). Commercial – Foal Lac
b.
Use of a lamb’s nipple is best.
c.
First week, every hour – second week,
every 2 hours--third week, every 3 hours--
fourth week, every 4 hours.
Thereafter 4 times a day.
d.
Attempt to switch to bucket feeding as soon as possible.
D.
Behavior of orphan foals.
1.
Orphans should be around a gentle horse or pony to allow him/her to become a
“horse”.
2.
The sooner they are exposed to other weanlings the better.
3.
Don’t encourage or tolerate development of bad habits around humans (nipping,
kicking, rearing) Although cute in the young foal, this behavior is dangerous
when coming from a growing horse.)
IV.
The first 6 months
A. Exercise and exposure to the outdoors is
important once the foal is found to be healthy and sound.
B. Early handling – if various forms of
restraint and handling are calmly introduced during the suckling period, the
foal should be very tractable by the time it is weaned.
C. Foal imprinting – the development of the
human-horse bond shortly after birth.
1. Haltering, leading, handling the legs.
D. Nutrition – creep feeding of the foal should
begin as soon as is practical. At least by the third month of life.
1. Protein requirements of creep feed 16-18%
2. Ca:P ratio 1.2 to 2 : 1
3. Lysine (good quality protein) is important
part of quality creep feed.
E. Worming and Vaccinations
1. Worm every 2 months during first year of
life. Rotate strongid with a benzimidazole at 2, 4,
and 6, months. At 8 months start ivermectin.
2. EEE, WEE, WEST Nile, VEE, Influenza,
Rhinopneumonitis and tetanus at 2 months with a booster 3 to 4 weeks
later. At 6 months flu and rhino and
possibly strangles. Other vaccines depending on area of the country. (rabies,
F. Suckling stage diseases
1. Foal heat scours (diarrhea).
a.
Normally is self eliminated when mare goes out of
heat.
b.
2 oz. Pepto bismol can be helpful every 6 hours.
2. Infectious diarrhea.
a.
Can be serious. Foals dehydrate easily. Usually need veterinary attention.
3. Stomach and intestinal ulcers.
a.
Seem to be caused by stress.
b.
Eccessive salivation, grinding teeth, diarrhea.
c.
Mylanta or Maalox helpful.
d.
Anti ulcer medication effective. (prevents secretion of stomach acids)
G. Infectious Pneumonia
1.
Normally requires veterinary care.
2.
Rodococcus pneumonia (bacterial pneumonia – dust
pneumonia) 2-6 months of age, coughing.
Abscesses in the lungs.
H. Umbilical hernia
1.
May close on their own by 6 months, if small.
2.
Requires surgical closure if large or if not gone by 6 months.
I. Navel Ill or Joint Ill.
1.
Bacterial infection usually introduced through the umbilical cord shortly after
birth. (this is why disinfectant application to cord is important)
2.
Spreads to joints and causes severe infections usually causing permanent joint
disability.
3.
Requires extensive veterinary treatment for chance of future usefulness.
J. Crooked limbs
1.
Usually medial deviation of the knees.
2.
May require surgery to correct.
3.
Pereosteal stripping and/or stapling of the distal
radial epiphysis.
K. Contracted tendons
1.
Seem to knuckle over at the fetlock (superficial digital flexor contraction) or
develop a club foot with inability to put heel on the ground (deep digital
flexor contraction).
2.
Surgery to cut offending tendon may be necessary.
L. Weaning
1.
Normally done at 6 months of age. Possible as early as 4 months of age.
2.
Group weanlings together. Allow
visualization of mares (mothers)
3.
Have good, safe fencing between mares and weanlings.
4.
Alternate approach is complete separation from sight and hearing. This is more
stressful to the foal.