In our continuing excerpt chronicling 24 hours during Foaling Season from the Eclipse Press book Equine ER by Leslie Guttman, we check in with two patients whose conditions are being closely watched by their veterinarians: A mare about to deliver with a history of problematic pregnancies and a foal in the intensive care unit trying to recover from a difficult delivery. 

At 4 a.m. the Foal Watch mare started to have her baby. To everyone’s relief, it was quick and easy, like cracking an egg. Dr. Albert SolŽ Guitart, an intern, delivered the baby, with help from interns Julie Wolfe and Sarah Gray. Wolfe checked in on Dr. Waldridge’s big filly in ICU next door right after the birth, around 5 a.m. She was colicking. It was mild, but Wolfe was a little worried. Wolfe muzzled her so she wouldn’t nurse anymore. Keeping anything more out of her stomach would allow her system to rest and give it the time it needed to try to start successfully working on its own again.

A foal recovers in the intestive care unit during foaling season