Page 387 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse
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Causes
Infection of a foal’s joints is most likely to occur if the foal has received inadequate or poor
VetBooks.ir quality colostrum resulting in insufficient immunity to protect it against infection. This is
known as failure of passive transfer of immunity (FPT). Foals born prematurely are
particularly at risk as are those born to mares with placental problems.
The infection may originate at the umbilicus (navel) or it may be the result of spread of
the infection in the blood from elsewhere, e.g. if the foal has pneumonia, enteritis (gut
inflammation) or any other cause of septicaemia (blood poisoning). There are many different
bacteria that can cause joint ill in foals. Dirty environmental conditions increase the risk of
umbilical infection. Any physical trauma to a joint increases its susceptibility to infection.
Clinical signs
• Sudden-onset severe lameness in one or more limbs.
• Reluctance to stand (Figure 8.17).
• Warm, distended and painful joint or joints (Figure 8.18).
• Increased temperature.
• Raised pulse and respiratory rates.
• The foal’s lack of desire to suck and an enlarged udder in the mare.
