Page 108 - June 2022

EQUINE HEALTH
After The Foal Is Born
“With any newborn foal, make sure the amnion sac is cleared from the nose so the
foal can begin breathing. The first thing your soft towel should be used on would be the foal’s head. It also helps to rub the foal, being careful over the rib area in case there are any
rib fractures. You want to stimulate the foal by rubbing and massage to help get him breathing. You can also stimulate him by sticking a finger in his ear,” says Lu.
“Check his mucous membrane color. It should be pink and healthy-looking and not pale or blue or gray. Those are indications that you need to get some air/oxygen into that foal immediately. This may mean an oxygen mask or mouth-to-nose resuscitation and a call to your veterinarian,” she says.
“Make sure the foal gets his head up (not lying flat). He should have his head up, looking around and vocalizing, and interacting with his environment. His respiratory rate and heart rate should soon become regular. A foal’s heart rate can sometimes be hard to count because it is very fast at first, but it should become regular,” she explains.
“The basic rule of thumb is that the foal should be standing in about one hour and trying to nurse by the time he is two hours old. Make sure that he IS nursing by that time and attached to the teat (and observed swallowing),
and not just nuzzling at the udder.” The mare should pass her placenta within 3 hours.
“If these things haven’t happened, the farm manager should call me. We need to have a conversation about what the foal is doing.
I may be able to coach over the phone or
know whether I need to come immediately or sometime later that day. These things can’t wait until the next day. Foals are so fragile that later may be too late. If the mares or foals don’t hit those benchmarks on time, I want to know about it,” says Lu.
Sometimes the mare will have painful contractions after foaling and show signs of colic. “Some of my clients have seen many foalings and are very experienced, so we commonly prescribe a dose of BanamineTM,
if needed, for that mare. Some breeders just automatically give the mare BanamineTM if
she starts showing colic, but I like to know if they are doing it. If one dose doesn’t control the pain, or if the client hasn’t seen a lot of foalings, or if the mare becomes uncomfortable again (especially if it’s less than four to six hours after administration of the first dose), these are all reasons to call the veterinarian. It may be something more serious than after- pains as the uterus contracts. After I have a conversation with a client, I know whether I feel comfortable prescribing BanamineTM or
bute for the client to administer. It’s all about veterinary-client relationship,” says Lu.
It’s also very important to make sure that the placenta is included in the foal exam when the veterinarian comes to check the foal that first day. “We like to evaluate the foal about four to six hours after foaling, or at least the same day, if possible, to make sure it has adequate IgG level. We are checking to make sure there isn’t failure of passive transfer (antibodies from mare to foal via colostrum),” she says. It’s important to make sure the foal has adequate antibody levels.
Examination of the placenta will give clues about the foaling. “We might see a lesion on the placenta that gives us a heads up. The foal might look great for the first hours after birth, but the placental lesion tells us we need to come back and look at the foal later. If
the foal experienced some degree of hypoxia (shortage of oxygen) or is compromised during delivery, the foal’s condition may deteriorate within the next 24 to 72 hours. Many people are encouraged by how good the foal looks at first and think there are no problems, but there might be subtle clues if we get a chance to look at the placenta. This might tell us we need to monitor the foal closely and start treating it. Treated early, a lot of problems can be made less severe,” she explains.
With all newborn foals, use a soft towel to make sure the amnion sac A foal should be standing in about one hour and trying to nurse by the time he is cleared from the nose so the foal can begin breathing. is two hours old.
106 SPEEDHORSE June 2022
Courtesy Heather Smith Thomas Getty Images