b'SAVE THAT FOALTake care how you turn your foal, though, cautions House. Dont pick them up under the abdomen but, rather, put your arms around the front limbs and behind the hind limbs to prevent putting pressure on the internal organs, she says. You can encourage the foal to nurse by bringing him close to the mares udder, but dont force him to drink, our sources say. If a foal isnt nursing, he probably ISTOCK.COMdoesnt have normal reflexes in his pharynx (throat) to allow proper swal-lowing, so these foals are at increasedHealthy foals sleep a lot and frequently, but when theyre awake theyre very active and should react risk of aspirating milk (into the lungs),quickly to stimuli.which can lead to fatal pneumonia, adds Gough. So dont force, and do not try todates and gestation lengthsincludingWhats Wrong?bottle-feed a foal that isnt nursing. past gestation lengths for that particularAll neonatal foals should undergo an mare, as individual mares tend to beon-farm veterinary examination soon after Record-Keeping fairly consistent, because this can help usbirth. This will include a physical exam, Veterinarians can better diagnose anddetermine if the foal is of normal gesta- checking the foals vital signs and behav-treat foals if they have accurate back- tional age at birth, she says.ior, and palpating him. The veterinarian ground information to aid their inves- For example, a mare that usually foalswill draw blood to evaluate white blood tigations, our sources say. Thats whereat 360 days could suddenly foal at 335cell count for signs of infection and run dutiful record-keeping becomes critical. days (which is just under the average ofa chemistry profile to verify whether any It would be great if handlers could ob- 342 days). The foal might seem to bevalues are out of range, pointing to issues serve behavior and even take temperatureborn at a normal gestational age accord- affecting specific organs, says Gough.readings on foals twice a day in the earlying to global standards, but hes actuallyA critical assay your veterinarian will days, House says.quite premature, says Gough. If therun is an IgG test to check your foals im-Take notes on the foals history sincemare has had previous difficult foalings,munity level. Because foals are born with birth, and have those notes available toindicate that in her records, as well. no resistance to disease, its crucial they show a veterinarian, adds Gough. MakeFinally, check the placenta for obviousreceive antibodies from their dams colos-sure youre there to witness the actualdefects and save it for your veterinariantrum, or first milk, says House. Foals that birth and mark down any complicationsto examine. Placental thickness duringdont consume enough colostrum or haveyou see, she says. Keep a timeline of allgestation can help alert us to potentialingested colostrum that has low anti-the foals milestonesstanding, nursing,placental problems that can make thebody levels suffer from failure of passive passing meconium, urinating. postpartum period higher-risk, Goughtransfer, placing them at a very high risk But dont wait for the foals arrival tosays. After foaling, also write down a de- of disease because they lack immunity begin taking notes, Gough says. Keepscription of the fetal membranestime of(see sidebar). good records of the mares gestationpassing, signs of thickening or abnormali- Your veterinarian should also screen period, as well. Write down inseminationties, and whether they were intact. for a variety of issues that can escalate quickly, including pneumonia from inhal-ing Rhodococcus equi bacteria, lung infec-Failure of Passive Transfer tions from accidentally aspirating milk, sepsis (a generalized bacterial infection), Unlike many other mammals, horses are born without antibodies. In other speciesdummy foal syndrome (in which they antibodies transfer from the mother through the placenta to the fetus. Equids, however,dont seem to adapt to life outside the must receive all their early antibodies through colostrumthe first milk. Foals that dont getuterus, says Gough, with slowed physical antibody-rich colostrum suffer from failure of passive transfer and are at high risk of devel- and mental activity), scrotal and umbili-oping infections from environmental pathogens (disease-causing organisms), says Amandacal hernias, bite abnormalities, ocular House, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of the University of Florida. problems, fractured ribs, lax or contracted Passive transfer of immunity alone is not a disease, she says. However, it predis- tendons, crooked legs, congenital defects, poses neonates to infection if not immediately identified and corrected (through plasmaand other problems.administration). Serum immunoglobulins (antibodies) in foals can be tested between 12If a foal has clinical signs suggesting and 24 hours of age (ideally within eight to 14 hours) and should be 800 mg/dl or higher.lung conditions or joint infections, chest Less than 200 mg/dl indicates complete failure of passive immunity, and 200-800 mg/dl isand joint radiographs (X rays) can pro-considered partial failure. Historically, foals require a minimum of 2 liters of colostrum in thevide useful insight for diagnosis, House first eight hours of life. Christa Lest-Lasserre, MA says. Joint taps and blood cultures can help identify the agents causing issues 14February 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comSaveThatFoal V2.indd 14 1/3/20 11:38 AM'