NORMAL AND ABNORMAL FOALS

Imogen Johns

mean is 335 - 342 days

range of ‘normal’ 315- 365 days

"normal" for individual mare

Stage 1 – uterine contractions, positioning of foetus, mare uncomfortable. Stage ends when allantochorionic membrane ruptures and releases the amniotic fluid. Lasts one to several hours

Stage 2 – obvious forceful abdominal straining, foetus is expelled. Not longer than about 30mins

Stage 3 – expulsion of the placenta. Average one hour ( greater than 6 hrs can be a problem)

Ø Can maintain sternal recumbency within 1-2 minutes of birth

Ø Suckle reflex should be present within the first 30 mins

Ø Stand within one hour

Ø Should be nursing the mare within 2 hours - a foal is considered abnormal if it takes more than two hours to stand and 3-4 hours to nurse

Ø HR - 40-80 beats per minute (bpm) initially then 120 -150 bpm in the next several hours, then stabilizes at 80 - 100 within the first week of life

Ø RR - 60-80 / min initially, then 30 / min within the first hour

Ø Temp : 37.2 - 38.9 deg

Ø Urination occurs an average of 6-10 hours after foaling ( colts earlier than fillies ), but can be quite variable

Ø Meconium is the first faeces passed by the foal . It is an accumulation of swallowed allantoic fluid, gastro-intestinal I secretion and cellular debris. Most foals pass the majority of the meconium within the first 24 hours - they may strain to pass it, but straining shouldn’t be excessive

Ø Normal foals nurse frequently ( approximately 7 times an hour ), and keep the mare’s udder stripped

Ø They urinate small amounts of almost colourless urine frequently, and pass faeces without a great deal of straining or discomfort

Ø Foals sleep a lot - they sleep lying down, not standing up like adults. Sleeping patterns may be erratic, but the foal should be alert once woken, and aware of its surroundings

Ø A normal foal will get up to nurse if woken

Ø Close observation of newborn foals for at least the first 2 weeks of life is vital to ensure any problems are caught early

Ø Early recognition of abnormalities is critical as foals can quickly go from normal to moribund within hours

Ø Foals can be extremely deceptive in the early stages of illness

Ø Subtle changes in behaviour eg loss of affinity for the mare, longer periods sleeping and less vigorous nursing may be the only warning signs before a foal " crashes "

Ø Merely seeing the foal at the udder is not sufficient to ensure the foal is nursing adequately need at look at the udder

Ø Normal foals will keep the udder drained at all times. A mare which is bagged up or dripping milk has a sick foal

Ø Milk staining of the face is often an early sign of impending illness. These foals go to nurse and play at the teat , stimulating let down, but do not suckle, and instead the milk runs on their face. They appear to be nursing , but close observation will show that they are not

Ø A sleepy, disinterested foal is a sick foal. If the foal is sleeping standing up, sleeping for longer periods of time, and does not nurse when roused, then illness should be suspected

Ø Foals which lose their affinity for the mare , which wander aimlessly or which suckle on everything but the teat may be suffering from Neonatal Maladjustment Syndrome -NMS ( dummy foals )

Ø Yellow gums/ sclera may indicate NI ( neonatal isoerythrolysis ) in which there is an incompatibility between the rbc of the foal and the antibodies in the colostrum of the mare. Causing breakdown of the foal’s red cells, leading to anaemia and jaundice. These foals typically present at one to three days of age, with weakness and lethargy, abnormal gum colour and increased HR and RR

Ø Milk dribbling from the nostrils after feeding may result from

cleft palate : a congenital abnormality in which there is incomplete fusion of the palate dividing the nose and the mouth

Ø NMS " Dummy foals " may dribble milk from the nose if they have defective swallowing function. Dummies may show abnormal behaviour eg aimless wandering, head pressing, seizuring, sucking at anything but the mare

Ø Entropion or turning in of the eyelids. Relatively common, may result in ulceration of the cornea if not corrected . Can be a sign of dehydration

Ø Straining to pass urine or faeces

Ø continued posturing to urinate with a decreased urine output may be the first sign of a ruptured bladder. May also see a distended abdomen as the disease progresses

Ø colic and / or persistent attempts to pass faeces without result may indicate meconium retention

Ø Urine dribbling from the umbilicus : Patent urachus may reflect a bacterial infection and also provides a portal for infection. Sick foals often develop a patent urachus ie they may have closed, but then re-open

Ø The umbilicus should be dry. Any heat, swelling or discharge may indicate an infection

Ø Diarrhoea : scouring foals can rapidly become dehydrated. Despite the fact that the majority of foals develop diarrhoea within the first few months of life, it is still a potentially critical illness

Ø Teeth grinding is often a signs of gastric ulceration. Foals may salivate excessively and show signs of colic, especially rolling on their back

Ø Lameness : any lame foal should be considered to have joint ill until proven otherwise. Quick action is necessary to prevent career threatening joint and bone damage

If a foal is showing any sort of abnormal behaviour, or is showing clinical signs of disease eg lameness, diarrhoea, act sooner rather than later

Like any neonates, they can become very sick very quickly, and if the early subtle signs of disease are missed, it may be very ill by the time anything obvious is seen

So act sooner rather than later - each year we get foals sent to the clinic which were relatively bright when they were put on the truck to come here, but by the time they get to us, they can be moribund

Close observation of foals in the early weeks of life is probably the most important way to detect any signs of disease early