What routine checks should be carried out on the newborn foal in the first 24 hours post delivery?

  • When a foal is six months old, it will already have attained a significant proportion of its mature height and weight (estimated to be approximately 80% of its height and half of its mature weight). Therefore early care is ultimately important to its long-term health.

    • When monitoring a newborn foal, what are the normal signs in a healthy foal?

  • The first few hours of the foal’s life are critical.
  • Monitoring the newborn foal’s breathing rate and effort, body temperature, nursing behaviour and manure consistency is vital.
  • Temperature 38.8 degrees Celsius
  • Heart rate 80-100 beats per minute
  • Breathing rate at rest 20-40 breaths/min by 72 hours (70 bpm at birth)
  • Foal should suck (colostrum) within three hours of birth.
  • Foal should be standing within one hour of birth.
  • Nursing frequency average of three-five times per hour.
  • Very often the first sign of a sick foal is lethargy and decreased nursing vigour accompanied by an overly distended udder on the mare.
  • If the foal is too weak to stand and nurse, the veterinary surgeon should be called in.
  • Early veterinary intervention can be life-saving.

    • What are the recommended routine procedures with a newborn foal?

  • For the newborn foal, the routine procedures include:
  • Application of dilute chlorhexidine or iodine to the navel/umbilical stump, twice daily for two-three days or until dry. Tincture of iodine cauterises the stump but it is important to ensure that it does not burn the foal’s skin in the surrounding area.

    • The foal should be observed for pas

    sage of meconium/manure. Meco

    nium (first dung) passage should be

    completed 12-24 hours.

  • Meconium is ‘pasty’ or pelleted in consistency and dark brown or black in colour. It may be in the form of dark brown solid balls or orange coloured soft faeces. Generally balls of meconium are passed first and this is followed by the passing of a ‘pasty’ orange coloured dung.
  • A prophylactic enema is used in some studs shortly after birth to help reduce the risk of meconium retention/impaction.Retention of the meconium is more commonly seen in colts as they have a narrower pelvis which makes the passing of the hard meconium balls more difficult.
  • The foal should ingest at least one-two pints of good quality colostrum during its first six to 12 hours after birth. The colostrum confers immunity to the foal and is also bacteriostatic. Colostrum is also laxative and this helps in the passage of the hard balls of meconium.
  • The newborn foal should be observed for normal passage of urine.
  • A veterinary examination of the foal, the placenta and the mare is routinely carried out on many studs.

    • Placenta

  • The placenta should be examined to make sure that all of it has been passed in its entirety. Unlike cows, if the mare retains even a small amount of the placenta, she is very susceptible to developing a severe metritis (uterine infection). This can then result in a laminitis.
  • A mare should ‘clean’ or pass the placenta within two hours of foaling and the veterinary surgeon should be called to remove them if she has not passed them within six-eight hours.

    • IgG levels:

  • Blood tests on the foal may or may not be required to check IGg or immunity levels.
  • The IGg test is done at least 12-24 hours after birth. If they are done immediately after birth, they will give a false reading as the foal’s immunity levels will not have had adequate time to build up after ingestion of colostrum.

    • What is the importance of IGg levels in the young foal’s blood?

  • The primary antibody in colostrum is IgG which gives the foal its immunity and resistance to diseases. In order to absorb these into its system, the foal must suck or receive colostrum in the first six hours of life.
  • Healthy foals that have nursed and absorbed adequate colostrum should have an IgG concentration in their bloodstream of at least 800 mg/dl.
  • Many insurance companies will not insure a newborn foal unless their immunity is at this level.
  • The veterinary surgeon can measure the foal’s IgG concentration after 12-24 hours.
  • Newborn foals with IgG concentrations less than 400 mg/dl should receive supplemental colostrum and/or plasma transfusion to provide vital antibodies that help reduce the risk of serious bacterial and viral infections during the first few months of life.
  • In summary, serum IgG levels greater than 800 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) represent adequate antibody transfer;
  • Levels ranging from 400 to 800 mg/dl represent partial transfer; and