Page 104 - June 2022

EQUINE HEALTH
FOALING FIRST AID KIT
by Heather Smith Thomas
It pays to be prepared. Before your mares are due to foal, do a quick check of what you might need to have on hand. Some
of the things you used last year may need
to be replenished or replaced, especially if certain medications have expired. A foaling kit containing routine and emergency supplies should be ready and in a handy place.
Kristina Lu, VMD, DACT, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, has a basic list she gives clients if they are new to the foaling process. “We tailor the foaling kit to the client and to the client’s skills and
location. Some things a person needs to have on hand may vary, depending on whether the veterinarian could be there in 10 to 15 minutes. If the client is an hour or more away, this might change what needs to be in that kit,” she says.
“The kit might also change or include
more things, based on clients’ skills and
whether they’ve foaled out a lot of mares, are comfortable with giving medications, and I
feel comfortable with their skills. I also tailor
it to the mares that will be foaling. If there is a particularly high-risk mare, the foaling kit might
be quite a bit different than if the owner is just foaling out the average veteran broodmare.”
Her basic list would include what everyone should have on hand, and then
she encourages people to talk with their veterinarian to determine what more should be added. “Drugs will require a veterinarian’s prescription and a valid veterinarian-patient- client relationship,” says Lu. What might be included in the kit can vary from region
to region, as well as how far the client
lives from a veterinarian. If a person
is several hours away, the veterinarian
“If there is a particularly high-risk mare, the foaling kit might be quite a bit different than if the owner is just foaling out the average veteran broodmare.” – Dr. Kristina Lu
102 SPEEDHORSE June 2022