Knowing how a normal foal should behave and when to call the veterinarian can go a long way toward avoiding a trip to an equine neonatal intensive care unit.

Pamela Wilkins, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, is head of equine medicine and surgery at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana. She said, “if a foal is not standing and nursing by three hours of age, owners should call their veterinarian.”

Neonates have minimal stores of glucose, and going without nursing for more than a few hours can cause hypoglycemia and lead to a downward spiral of events.

Owners should also be on the lookout for meconium, or the foal’s first feces, which appears dark brown and sticky. Urine will not be produced until 8-18 hours after foaling, so owners should not be concerned if the neonate doesn’t urinate soon after birth