A foal’s suckle-swallow reflex is vital to life, allowing him to access the colostrum, and later milk, he needs to thrive. But sometimes this reflex doesn’t function properly for a variety of reasons. These foals, called dysphagic, require immediate and specialized care to ensure they begin life without a nutritional deficit.

At the 2012 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. 1-5 in Anaheim, Calif., Virginia Buechner-Maxwell, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, in Blacksburg, Va., described ways to provide nutritional support for dysphagic foals