Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is an affliction, if left untreated, that can have long-term harmful effects on the young, growing horse as well as the performing or racing horse. OCD actually is a disease subset of osteochondrosis and
I am a new owner of a broodmare who just had her first foal, which now has diarrhea. How serious is it for him?
On several occasions in the past year or two, we’ve discussed in this series the intricacies of feeding young horses for optimum growth. We’ve also walked you through the pertinent points of fueling the high-performance equine athlete, for
Flexural or angular deformities can be very shocking and even disturbing in severe cases, but appropriate veterinary care offers great hope for these foals.
A discussion of epiphysitis is anything but simple, straightforward, or lacking in complexity. To begin with, there is confusion and”P>
A discussion of epiphysitis is anything but simple, straightforward, or lacking in complexi”>
A discussion of epiphysitis is anything but simple,”
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A newborn foal, teetering on spidery legs, has a knock-kneed, awkward charm that can melt hearts.
Congenital cleft palate in horses is an uncommon deformity affecting approximately 0.1-0.2% of the equine population. The condition is a malformation of the soft and sometimes hard palate where the left and right side fail to unite, forming a cleft
A discussion of cryptorchidism in young stallions is fraught with controversy. Everyone agrees on what constitutes cryptorchidism, but that sometimes is as far as agreement goes. We know that the condition involves the retention of one or both
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
Passing the meconium is, to me, the second-biggest hurdle a foal must overcome after birth–the first, obviously, is making the transition from the protected life within the uterus to life outside the uterus (breathing, standing, nursing).
Every foal must be weaned from its dam at some point. However, when and how the weaning process is undertaken may have significant effects on the growing horse.
Foals born to mares which do not receive proper nourishment during gestation could be born weak.
It’s nearing the best time of the year again–foaling season. Although most foals are born in the spring of the year, between February and June, sometimes we see foals in late December or early January. Often these tiny newborns delivered to our
Your three-month-old foal has made it through the birthing process and the vulnerable neonatal period and now seems to be carefree–your little one just has to grow up to fulfill his destiny as a performance
No one looks forward to weaning time. There’s nothing quite as heart-rending as the sound of a panicky foal, galloping up and down the fence line calling desperately for the mother who’s been taken away–unless it’s the sound of his dam calling
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