Page 166 - Speedhorse, February 2019

“A red bag emergency may not be as frequent as some of the other major problems, but it can be a serious and fatal issue.”
by Heather Smith Thomas
Most equine births are accomplished with no problems. The mare goes into active labor, breaks her water, lies down and almost
immediately, the foal’s front feet appear, followed by his nose and head. With a few forceful contractions, the mare delivers the foal and the second stage of labor is complete. Occasionally, however, there are problems that hinder the progression, resulting in a life-threatening emergency.
One example, though rare, is placenta previa, which is when part of the placenta comes ahead of the foal. The placenta is detaching too soon, and coming through the birth canal with the foal still within the non-ruptured placenta and chorioallontis containing the allantoic fluid, instead of following the foal. This situation is often called a “red bag” delivery, because what you see first is the red, velvety-looking placenta instead of the whitish-clear amnion sac encasing the foal. The placenta is covering the foal’s head and has not ruptured to allow the foal to come through.
Eric Schroeder DVM, MS, DACVECC, DACVIM, Assistant Professor-Equine Clinical Track, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Ohio State University, says
there can be several rea-
sons why this happens.
“Fescue toxicity, which
is caused by the mare
consuming endophyte-
infected fescue pasture
or hay during the last
trimester of pregnancy,
can be one cause,
though many mares
can be on fescue and
never experience this
problem,” he says.
Most equine births are accomplished with no problems. When the mare’s water breaks and she lies down, you will almost immediately see the foal’s front feet appear, followed by its nose and head.
this situation, the placenta detached naturally and is simply coming ahead of the foal,” Schoeder explains.
“Detachment is a normal bodily process during labor, but generally happens after the birth. If there is a systemic problem with the foal or the foaling procedure, the placenta may detatch before the foal is delivered.
This premature placental separation, often called a “red bag delivery” is not common. “It only accounts for approximately 5 to 10% of all causes of abortion, stillbirth or perinatal death. When this condition does occur, it is an extreme emergency because the placenta is the foal’s life support while in utero. It provides oxygen and nutrients and if it detaches before he is fully born, the foal runs out of oxygen.”
The mare’s oxygen supply is the foal’s oxygen supply. “The foal is always in a relatively oxygen-poor environment while he is in the uterus. Once stage two labor starts, the foal is in a low oxygen state and the clock is ticking. We generally say that the foal must be born and on the ground within 30 minutes or less with an average of 5 to 20 minutes from the time the mare starts active labor.”
Many mare watchers have said they took time out to have a cup of coffee and when they got back the foal was already on the ground and trying to get up.
Placentia Previa or ‘Red Bag’ Foaling
Eric Schroeder, DVM, MS, DACVECC, DACVIM, Assistant Professor- Equine Clinical Track
of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Services at Ohio State.
Heather Smith Thomas
“One of the more
important causes can
be bacterial or viral
infections affecting the
placenta, which is called
placentitis, but often we
simply don’t know the
cause and we may not ever figure it out. Something has triggered all of the placenta to release at once too quickly. One cause could be extended labor with a dystocia for a couple hours and the foal is dead. In
162 SPEEDHORSE, February 2019
EQUINE HEALTH