b'Caring for ORPHAN FoalsIf a nurse mare or surrogate dam is not available, youll need to bucket- or bottle-PAM MACKENZIE ISTOCK.COMfeed the foal milk replacer, which comes in paste or powdered form.paste form. Owners mix the powder withnurse mare is your best-case scenario.has raised on milk replacer, to which she water (following manufacturers direc- Googling nurse mare will bring upadded probiotics for gut flora. She placed tions) and feed it in a bottle or pan; theysome options, including networks forthe filly with an older mare as a compan-can deliver the paste to the foals mouth. individuals who are searching for orion and teacher.Colostrum replacement products raiseoffering nurse mares. There are alsoThe mare didnt have any milk, but the concentration of IgG in the foalscommercial providersfarms that breedthe baby would drink the milk replacer bloodstream, says Buechner-Maxwell.mares for the express purpose of provid- until her belly was full, then shed go over However, it is not clear that providinging nurse mares and then find fosterand suckle on that mare for a couple of IgG alone provides full protection, asparents for their now-orphaned foals. minutes, then lie down and go to sleep, mares colostrum contains many otherAnother alternative for obtaining asays Walden.beneficial elements (including some of thenurse mare is to work with your veteri-mares immune cells) besides IgG.narian to chemically induce lactationBottle or Bucket?Another alternative is providing equineand/or motherly behavior in a surrogateEven among vets, opinions vary as to plasma, she adds. If the foal is less thandam by administering hormones to awhich is better for feedinga bottle or a 6 to 12 hours old and is clinically normal,mare that hasnt foaled. Know that itbucket. The key is to make sure the foal the plasma can be delivered orally. If thedoes, however, take about 10 to 12 daysdoesnt associate the human with his foal is older than 12 hours and/or hasfor the hormone therapy to take effect. feed.already received several feedings of milkBuechner-Maxwell says foals generallyWalden used a bucket. Getting the or milk replacer or is ill, then the bestsuckle twice an hour, drinking 25% offilly on the bucket wasnt as hard as I way to deliver the plasma is through thetheir body weight daily by 1 to 2 weeksthought, she says. It took three or four intravenous route, which should be doneof age. So a 50-kg (110-lb) foal will drinkdays, feeding her every three hours. I by a veterinarian.12 liters or more of milk a day, she says.found that if the filly was on the hungry Regardless of the source, always checkThats a lot. In our clinic weve got aside, shed put her head wherever she blood concentrations of IgG after givingtechnician on duty to feed the sick foalsneeded to to drink.the foal a commercial product, she adds. every two hours, but thats hard for mostAfter the filly was drinking well out Foals that dont receive colostrum with- people so I suggest a milk replacer. of the bucket, Walden started mixing in the first day after foaling are highlyLast years orphan is the first Waldenenough to last four hours. Then she susceptible to infections from organismsstretched it to every six hours. I eventu-that cause diarrhea (aka scours) andally had to make a little creep feeder (de-other bacterial and viral infections thatFor more information about signed to accommodate a foals muzzle can even progress to sepsis, a potentiallyfeeding and managing orphanand prevent a larger horse from accessing deadly body-wide state of inflammation.foals, see: feed) because the mare decided she liked Its important to check IgG early on be- the milk replacer, too! she says.cause once an animal starts to get sick, Managing Foal Rejection, Walden recommends asking other especially an equine neonate, its really aTheHorse.com/35292 breeders for milk replacer brand recom-downward spiral, Karner says.How to Feed Orphan Foals, mendations. Where one was good for 12 Diarrhea in foals can be life-threaten- TheHorse.com/31320 hours but didnt smell as naturally milk-ing, so call your veterinarian if it occurs.How to Build an Automatic Milking Devicelike, another smelled like fresh, whole for Orphan Foals, TheHorse.com/35293 milk but didnt last as long once mixed Momma vs. Milk ReplacerOrphan Foal Behavior, due to its higher fat content. Still another Obviously, the closer to nature you canTheHorse.com/35579 brand caused the filly to scour. Walden get, the better for the foal, so finding asettled on mixing her two preferred 34TheHorse.comTHE HORSE March 2018'