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T'WAS TWO MONTHS BEFORE FOALING...
And all through the barn, people and horses alike were preparing for the upcoming foaling season. This month, The Horse and Intervet have teamed together to bring you foal care tips for the busy foaling season. From vaccinations to nutrition, and illnesses to deformities, learn what you need to know to have a healthy and successful foaling season. For more articles, search for "Foal Care" on TheHorse.com.
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TOP FOAL HEALTH CONCERNS Wounds and trauma were the most common foal health problems reported by participants in the National Animal Health Monitoring System's Equine 2005 study. Over 9% of foals were reported to have sustained wounds or trauma. Digestive issues other than colic (such as diarrhea) were the second-most-common, with 6.3% of foals affected, while neurologic problems were third-most-common, with 5.7% of foals affected.
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THE CRITICAL FIRST HOURS
The first days of a foal's life can be risky; there are a number of things that can go wrong. Some problems can be dealt with easily (such as constipation), while others are life-threatening (such as a ruptured bladder).
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FREE FOAL CARE RECORDS MANAGEMENT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Intervet Foal CareSM Program record-keeping system offers horse owners easy and convenient way to track foal health
Ever wished you had one convenient place to store all the critical health records for your foals? Keeping track of vaccinations and deworming is easier than ever thanks to the Intervet Foal Care Program record-keeping system.
By visiting www.FoalCare.com, you can create an account and save information online or download and print the free forms, including a foal immunization record and schedule, deworming record and schedule, and growth and farrier record.
Horse owners also can use the free, online health care calendar to track breeding, vaccination and deworming timelines. Just enter the breeding date - or desired foaling date - and the health care scheduling calendar will do the rest. Create an account and store all the scheduling information for free.
Remember, there is no better resource than your veterinarian for managing your foal's health.
Visit www.FoalCare.com today to learn more and start your own personalized record-keeping system.
www.FoalCare.com
Intervet Foal Care Program is a service mark of Intervet Inc. or an affiliate.
© 2007 Intervet Inc. All rights reserved.
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VACCINATIONS FOR YOUNGSTERS 
Protecting tender immune systems against disease is the surest way to ensure the young horse doesn't fall victim to either temporarily uncomfortable or life-ending infections.
Even though foals receive some immunity by drinking colostrum within the first 12-24 hours of life, lack of exposure and the naiveté of the immune system sooner or later leave them susceptible to various disease-causing agents. Fortunately, many of these deficits can be addressed through vaccination.
The question is, against which diseases should you vaccinate the foal and at what age do you start?
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PNEUMONIA'S FATAL GRIP
Pneumonia is, simply put, inflammation of the lungs. It can be mild or life-threatening (and quickly fatal) depending on its cause and the age of the foal. Pneumonia can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Many foals are susceptible to developing pneumonia because of a lack of adequate maternal antibodies contained in colostrum. Very ill foals often will show few signs, so it is up to owners to know when a young foal "isn't right" and call the veterinarian immediately. Continue reading...
More information on pneumonia and R. equi:
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EXCERPT FROM THE BREEDER'S GUIDE TO MARE, FOAL, & STALLION CARE: ORPHANS AND TWINS
People new to the breeding and raising of horses probably have never experienced the challenge of raising an orphan foal or feeding a foal whose mother is producing little or no milk. The solutions to both problems can be time consuming and somewhat of an ordeal. A foal can become an orphan after losing its mother to sickness such as colic or uterine hemorrhage. Also, the mother might reject her foal. Other problems can occur that result in the mare's inability to produce adequate milk for the foal, such as mastitis, metritis (infection of the uterus), and other serious illnesses. If the mare eats certain kinds of fescue in late pregnancy, her milk production can be blocked if the grass harbors a fungus called Acremonium coenophialum. Although her foal is not technically an orphan, another source of milk must be found immediately.
Purchase this book at ExclusivelyEquine.com today! | |
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MAKING A NEW MOM FOR A REJECTED FILLY In Spring 2007, the excitement and joy of a newly-arrived foal turned into the heartbreak and struggle of watching the helpless little filly get rejected by her mom. But the story doesn't end there--in fact, that's only the beginning. Have you ever heard of inducing lactation in a mare that doesn't have a foal? The idea seemed sort of crazy to me. Have you ever bottle-raised a baby on milk-replacement formula? Do you know about nurse mares and nannies, and the bond between a mare and her foal?
Follow along as The Horse Herd member Scot Gillies takes you through Jo's Magic's transformation from a rejected filly to a strong weanling.
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FEEDING WEANLINGS
Feeding young horses is a serious business. If we underfeed, we risk problems stemming from malnutrition. If we overfeed, there is the risk of developmental orthopedic disease that can affect bones and joints. Somewhere in between the two extremes there is a correct balance that results in orderly growth and development as the horse reaches its genetic potential and remains healthy while doing so. Continue reading...
More information on foal nutrition:
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FOAL ILLNESS CONCERNS
Beware of Botulism!: Botulism is a silent, deadly killer with several forms. While it is not a common disease across the United States, it can crop up anywhere. Botulism occurs when toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum get into the body of an animal or human. There they cause weakness because they block the connection between nerves and muscles. Paralysis often occurs.
Unfortunately, horses are perhaps the most sensitive of domesticated animals to botulism.
Continue reading...
Other foal illness concerns:
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WEBINAR: UNDERSTANDING WEST NILE VIRUS ON-DEMAND
Do you know enough about West Nile virus to protect your horses? To learn the latest, watch the on-demand webinar, "Understanding West Nile Virus," sponsored by Intervet. The webinar includes streamed video, audio, and a slide presentation, along with common questions and answers. Join Debra C. Sellon DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor of Equine Medicine at Washington State University, and Maureen Long, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, an assistant professor of Large Animal Medicine at the University of Florida, as they share their experiences with you to help you take better care of your horses. | |
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GROWING PROBLEMS: LAMENESS AND DEFORMITIES
Horse breeders have long known that problems can develop in the bones of young horses as they grow. The term developmental orthopedic disease (DOD) was coined in 1986 to encompass all orthopedic problems seen in the growing foal and has become a generally accepted term. In this article, we will discuss some of the common developmental ailments of young horses, including osteochondrosis, bone cysts, and physitis. We will explain what these conditions are, what is thought to cause them, and what to do about them. Continue reading...
Learn more about potential lamenesses and deformities:
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THE HORSE -- HORSE HEALTH NEWS DELIVERED TO YOUR MAILBOX
Subscribe or renew your subscription online to The Horse magazine and save up to 70% off the newsstand price! This all-breed, all-discipline publication provides breaking health news and practical information in an easy-to-use format, and it is monitored by a panel of experts from the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Get the latest in-depth, veterinarian-approved horse health care information delivered to your door and an all-access pass to over 10,800 archived articles on TheHorse.com.
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Compiled by Megan Arszman
Copyright © 2007 Blood-Horse
Publications. All Rights Reserved.
PO Box 919003, Lexington, KY 40591-9003
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