Building Immunity
Les Sellnow
May 1, 2009
The foal’s immune system is almost a blank slate at birth; researchers are figuring out how to best protect horses as they grow.
The foal’s immune system is almost a blank slate at birth; researchers are figuring out how to best protect horses as they grow.
Vets discuss the varied causes of foal mortality, current recommendations for preventing disease, and breaking research information on foal vaccination and immunity.
Veterinarians with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., have put out a call for colostrum donations as their supply has dwindled in the midst of foaling season.
The first days of a foal’s life can be risky; there are a number of things that can go wrong. Some problems can be dealt with easily (such as constipation), while others are life-threatening (such as a ruptured bladder).
In this article, Bonni
The equine industry has new technology adapted from the livestock industry to do a “stall-side” test of whether foals received an adequate amount of protective antibodies in colostrum (IgG test). This is commonly known as failure of passive
Could you explain more about the CITE test used for testing foal antibodies?
There might be ongoing debate as to the value of a woman’s colostrum versus commercial colostrum products, but for a foal, nothing is better than a mare’s milk. Colostrum is specialized milk secreted during the first 24 hours following birth and
This article will describe procedures that should be done before foaling, the events that take place just prior to foaling, what events take place during a normal foaling–along with the normal post-foaling events–and will describe some of
Infectious disease is a major cause of death in neonatal foals. The foal is born immunocompetent, meaning it probably is able to initiate an immune response to organisms to which it is exposed. However, a newborn foal lacks
Next on the concern list immediately after foaling is the mare. Did she come through the short, but almost violent birthing process unscathed? Or are we facing some post-foaling problems that could compromise her health, her ability to conceive again
The foal is born with a functional immune system (if all is normal), but has a general absence of immunoglobulins to aid in the defense against infection. The foal acquires his initial immunoglobulin protection from the mare’s first milk, which
Final preparations will need to be made so that the newborn foal gets the best chance at life.
(Author’s note: Sera, Inc., who markets oral and IV equine IgG products approved by the USDA, sponsored a roundtable discussion on Biological Solutions for Biological Problems in Lexington, Ky. Participating in the roundtable were: Michelle
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