Signs of a Septic Foal

There’s nothing more heart-wrenching than watching a newborn foal fight for his life.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

There’s nothing more exciting than watching a newborn foal scampering around a pasture with his dam. Conversely, there’s nothing more heart-wrenching than watching a newborn foal fight for his life after being diagnosed with septicemia: the potentially deadly presence of bacteria or bacterial toxins in the bloodstream. According to Mary Rose Paradis, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, an associate professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, in North Grafton, Mass., diagnosing and treating a septic foal can be a challenge. She spoke about the different manifestations and treatment options at the 2011 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 20-24 in Las Vegas, Nev.

A broad spectrum of clinical signs characterize septicemia, Paradis said. Early in the illness a foal might be lethargic, nurse less, exhibit increased heart and respiratory rates, and possibly have a fever. As the infection progresses, he might become depressed and exhibit shock, prolonged capillary refill time, low blood pressure, and a thready pulse (a light pulse that is barely perceptible).

Paradis explained that as the infected blood travels throughout the body, it can–and likely will–manifest in several locations

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
307 votes · 307 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!