Equine Dystocia Advancements

Never is timing more important than during a dystocia; managing a difficult birth is truly a matter of life or death. But better understanding of dystocias and the urgency for veterinary intervention means more mares and foals are surviving than ever before.
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Never is timing more important than during a dystocia; managing a difficult birth is truly a matter of life or death. But better understanding of dystocias and the urgency for veterinary intervention means more mares and foals are surviving than ever before.

"Dystocia is any abnormal foaling," says Karen Wolfsdorf, DVM, Dipl. ACT, of the McGee Fertility Center at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky. "Normal foals come out in a specific presentation, position, and posture. Anything that varies from this is called a dystocia. It may be simple, it may be complicated, but it is always a medical emergency."

Stages of Delivery

A normal delivery progresses in three stages. When labor starts, the foal is upside down in the womb, and he has to turn 180Ëš and his legs and head must move into position to slide through the birth canal. So, the purpose of the first stage, which lasts between 30 minutes and six hours, is to position the foal. During this process the mare starts to go off feed. She gets restless and begins pawing, and she paces the stall or the paddock. The contractions have begun. Most times the mare will lie down and roll to help the foal move into position to be born. The signs of the first stage can vary from discomfort that might resemble colic (usually in younger mares) to mild, even undetectable behavioral changes (often in older mares)

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