Sepsis. Sepsis is defined as the presence of bacteria or bacterial toxins in the bloodstream, and it is the most common cause of death in newborn foals.
Reported causes of sudden death include respiratory failure, severe exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), and spinal cord injury. Aortic rupture or rupture of another large artery—usually easily identifiable on postmortem examination—can also lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD).
The three most common problems of the newborn foal are failure of passive transfer of maternal immunity, neonatal sepsis (generalized bacterial infection) and prolonged birth asphyxia. They result in a number of serious, and often life-threatening, conditions.
Most of these sick foals now survive—about 80 percent.” Difficult births, called dystocias, are not common but are true emergencies when they do occur, says Wilkins. About 10 percent of all births are dystocias, although the incidence rate is higher among Thorough-bred mares.
If the foal has died, she may stop having contractions and need to be “jump started” with a dose of oxytocin Call your veterinarian in this circumstance. Remember, the foal should get up within an hour… If he or she does not stand within an hour then you should call your veterinarian for advice or assistance.
For the foal that is weak, feeding frequently is key. “Give them a dose of vitamin B-12 and a bottle every hour. If you neglect them they're not going to make it.
In general, however, a foal born at or before 320 days of gestation is considered premature. In general, the closer the birth is to 342 or more days, the better the chance is that the foal will live. Foals born after 300 or fewer days of pregnancy have a lower chance of survival, possibly as low as 10%.
While foals under three months of age may sleep for 12 hours a day, older horses only sleep for about three hours during a 24-hour period.
Start handling a foal once everything settles down.
Acclimating a foal to human touch is important and can make your life much easier when the foal is bigger. Make sure early touch is a positive experience—don't force it! The environment should be quiet, calm, and near the mare.
OLWS is a genetic mutation that affects horses with white markings and can lead to death in foals. Foals with two copies of this gene are born white with blue eyes and have intestines that don't fully develop. There is no treatment for OLWS.
Fragile foal syndrome type 1 (FFS), formerly warmblood fragile foal syndrome (WFFS), is an inherited defect of connective tissue characterized by hyperextensible, abnormally thin, fragile skin and mucous membranes that are subject to open lesions.
Salmonella can upset the gut in horses and foals. Common signs include fever, diarrhea and lethargy in horses. Humans and horses can get salmonella from eating contaminated feces. Wash your hands, separate ill horses and don't share equipment between horses to prevent the spread of salmonella if your horse is infected.
How do horses get Salmonella? Horses may acquire the bacteria from other horses or other animals. Transmission is by the fecal-oral route, which means manure from one animal (not necessarily a horse) was ingested by another – this usually happens when the manure contaminates a feed or water source.
The causes of foal pneumonia include viral infections (such as equine herpesvirus infection, discussed earlier in this chapter), bacterial infections (such as Rhodococcus equi infection), parasitic migration, and environmental stresses (such as weather fluctuations, dusty conditions, or overcrowding).
Clinical signs of equine rotavirus infection can include diarrhea, lethargy, anorexia, reluctance to nurse, and distended abdomens. Infected foals may shed the virus in their feces for up to 10 days, and asymptomatic horses are capable of shedding the virus for up to 8 months.
If you do try to assist, only gently cradle their chest and rear and provide a "loose cage" for the foal to stand within. You should not aggressively intervene or attempt to forcibly hold the foal up to the udder.
A research study of mares and foals on pasture reported that the youngest age a foal was observed to drink water was three weeks old, with some foals never observed to drink water until weaning. With that said, you should always allow the mare and foal to have free access to fresh water.
Once the neonate eliminates the meconium, he should create three to five piles of pasty—“toothpaste consistency,” she says—stool per day. As for renal (kidney) function, foals should urinate for the first time within the first nine to 10 hours, she says.
Postpartum mares will have a “foal heat” 7 to 14 days following foaling, and a second cycle approximately 30 days later. Breeding on foal heat is still somewhat of a controversial practice. Mares are usually bred on foal heat as long as three criteria are met.
It may make numerous attempts to stand. It is important that the floor of the stable is well padded or well covered with bedding as injuries to the skin of the hocks can easily occur during this stage. Most normal foals will stand within 40 minutes to 1 hour of being born.
The recommendations are as follows: First worming at 10–12 weeks with a benzimidazole, the most commonly used wormer being fenbendazole. Second worming should be carried out 3 months later.
A healthy newborn foal should be able to sit on its chest within a few minutes of birth and stand within 1 hour. An effective suckle reflex should be present within 20-30 minutes and the foal is expected to stand and nurse from the mare within 2 hours.
“If foals are born when it is really hot outside, they may overheat and dehydrate because they don't feel like nursing.
Foals that have vigorously exercised, or have been lying in the hot sun may have rectal temperatures on the warm side. If a foal has a temperature higher than 102.5 degrees, it generally is an indication of an infection or other potentially serious disease process.