While WFFS has been identified in the past, cases diagnosed in early 2018 heightened concerns about the disease among Warmblood horse breeders and owners. | Photo: iStock

During the 2019 foal season, the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), in Saskatoon, will cover the cost of conducting necropsies (post-mortem examinations) on aborted fetuses, stillbirths, or euthanized foals suspected of having Warmblood fragile foal syndrome (WFFS).

Canadian horse owners and referring veterinarians can submit cases to Prairie Diagnostic Services, the provincial veterinary laboratory based in the veterinary college. The WCVM Veterinary Medical Centre will cover the fee associated with the necropsy as a means of gathering additional information about the genetic disease.

In 2018, WCVM researchers developed an online survey to help gauge Canadian horse owners’ awareness of WFFS, an inherited genetic disorder that’s known to occur among warmblood and sport horse populations worldwide. While the condition has been identified in the past, recent cases of WFFS in early 2018 heightened concerns about the disease among Warmblood horse breeders and owners