Colostrum: Nothing Better Than Mother’s Milk

There might be ongoing debate as to the value of a woman’s colostrum versus commercial colostrum products, but for a foal, nothing is better than a mare’s milk. Colostrum is specialized milk secreted during the first 24 hours following birth and

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There might be ongoing debate as to the value of a woman’s colostrum versus commercial colostrum products, but for a foal, nothing is better than a mare’s milk. Colostrum is specialized milk secreted during the first 24 hours following birth and is characterized by a high content of protein and antibodies. These antibodies are a foal’s first line of defense against potential infection. However, if a foal is unable to nurse, or the mare does not produce an adequate concentration of colostrum, the foal’s health might be at risk. Giving a foal supplemental colostrum, or a commercial colostrum substitute, might be necessary to save the foal’s life.

There is nothing better for the foal during the first 24 hours of its life than its mother’s colostrum, claims Michelle LeBlanc, DVM, of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Commercial products will increase the foal’s IgG (immunoglobulin or antibodies) to an adequate level if you give enough. However, if you give the foal the same amount of antibody using the mare’s colostrum, the foal will absorb more antibodies and be less susceptible to infection.

Unlike a human fetus, an equine fetus does not receive protective antibodies through maternal transfer during gestation. Thus, a foal leaves the protection of its mother’s womb without the necessary antibodies to ward off neonatal diseases. A foal receives its life-sustaining antibodies by ingesting its mother’s colostrum.

When a foal does not ingest a sufficient concentration of antibodies to protect it from bacterial infection, it is said to suffer from failure of passive transfer. Failure of passive transfer can stem from a foal’s inability, or unwillingness, to nurse. The mare might also contribute to failure of passive transfer if she rejects the foal, is injured or ill, or prematurely drips milk. Premature dripping of milk, or streaming, dilutes colostrum, thus the foal does not get the optimum concentration of protein and antibodies for fighting infection

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