Is sedation used in foal restraint?
Where a foal is not accustomed to human contact and a procedure that is likely to take more than a few minutes has to be carried out, the treating veterinary surgeon may decide to use sedation, for example applying corrective “stick on” shoes.Mild sedation can prevent a foal from becoming stressed or injured. It will help to avoid the likely struggle and stress that the foal encounters from the restraint, as well as the long-term effects of a negative early human contact episode. Sedation can in some circumstances make the foal’s first experiences with people much easier and it will be more willing to accept a human’s touch in the future. How should the handling process of a very young foal be commenced?
When the foal is born, it is important to get the foal to become familiar with the handler and get it accustomed to human contact. This process is called imprinting, (to be discussed in a later article). In the early hours of a foal’s life, as with other species, the newborn bonds with its mother, i.e. usually the first animal with which it has contact after birth. The handler can familiarise himself or herself with the foal in ways such as rubbing and touching the foal from its ears to its tail, in order to help the foal accept human contact. The effects of this early training will last into the later years of its life. What are the common reasons and occasions where foals have to be restrained?
A foal needs to be restrained for a variety of reasons during its young life, before it has learned to stand quietly on a lead. For example for veterinary examinations and treatments such as anti-tetanus injection on its first day of life, vaccinations, antibiotic injections, musculoskeletal examinations, or to have its hooves trimmed by a farrier. Foals also need to be restrained while they are being taught how to become accustomed to being led. If the foal is required to remain as still as possible, e.g. for an injection, the standard method of restraint, as already outlined in part one on this subject, should be used: Basically it is in placing one arm around the foal’s chest and gently elevating the tail with the other hand. Which is the best location to use for intra-muscular injection of a foal?
When giving an intra-muscular injection, it is usually recommended to be given into the foal’s buttocks.The tail is held straight up, to restrain the foal and to prevent it from kicking.In foals, an intra-muscular injection should never be given in the neck. The reason for this is that if the foal develops a reaction to the injection and the neck becomes sore and swollen, the foal cannot or is less inclined to bend or flex the neck to nurse or feed.At what stage should the microchip identification be inserted in young foals?
As per European regulatory equine identification requirements, foals must be microchipped, identified and registered before a certain date or age.In thoroughbreds this date is before July 31st in the year of the foal’s birth and there is a surcharge applied to later identification applications.In non-thoroughbreds, foals must be microchipped and identified before six months of age or December 31st of the year of birth, whichever date is the later. Some people have reservations about carrying out microchipping of foals at too early an age. There are two reasons:1. These reservations are based on the belief that many young foals do not have adequate muscle mass in the neck area to sustain the trauma of the relatively robust purpose-designed microchip inserter and so could risk developing a reaction in the neck area.
2. And as already mentioned, if a foal develops a reaction in the neck area, it will avoid raising its head to suck the mare as this will tend to cause it discomfort.
When should a head collar be fitted on a foal?
A head collar can be placed on any age foal, even the newborn. It is important to ensure that it is well-fitting, which means that one finger can be placed easily between the head collar and the foal’s head at any place. Head collars that are too loose are just as much a danger as those that are too tight.Loose collars can become hung up on paddock posts, stray nails, or even stable door hardware. Even more frightening, the foal’s small hooves can become tangled in a loose head collar. For example, a foal may attempt to scratch its face when becoming accustomed to wearing a head collar, or, if a foal has lice this could also occur. A head collar should be adjusted weekly on rapidly growing foals. If this is not routinely done, it can become too tight and lead to pressure sores. Leather or nylon head collars can be used; however, if the foal’s head collar is to be left on in the paddock or the stable then a leather halter is preferable.If the foal becomes “hung” on something and pulls back, the leather halter will usually break. However, the nylon halter is very strong and does not break easily so the foal can injure itself in the ensuing struggle. Many studs begin placing head collars on foals soon after birth. The sooner the foal becomes accustomed to wearing a head collar, the earlier training to lead and to stand can begin.