Clinical exam of a foal

Question 1

Duration of pregnancy for full term foal in days

Answer 1

Normal mares have a broad range of gestation.

(min. 320)
330-340 is typical
still normal up to 360 days

Born before 320 days: premature
Can even go over 410 days/13+months: over-term.

Gestation length varies up to 50 days!

Question 2

When does a foal count as premature

Answer 2

Born before 330 days gestation: premature.
So, just short of 11 months.

Question 3

When would you induce a mare

Answer 3

mares aren’t generally induced even when over typical gestation times.

overdue from 360 days

can even go over 400 days and still result in a healthy foal!

Question 4

dysmature means what in foals

Answer 4

Born in the right time, but looks premature.

Question 5

Stages of foaling. + duration

Answer 5

Stage I: 30 min – 6 h
Uterine contractions start, cervix opens.

Stage II: 10-30 minutes
Expulsion of fetus.

Stage III: 1-3h
passing of fetal membranes

Question 6

The newborn foal’s liver’s glycogen storage lasts

Answer 6

4-6 hrs

Question 7

How do foals get antibodies, placenta or colostrum

Answer 7

Antibodies do not cross the placenta during pregnancy.

The foal acquires antibodies with colostrum.

The window for globulin absorption is 18-20 hrs after birth.

Question 8

The window for globulin absorption in foals is

Answer 8

18-20 hrs after birth.

Must receive milk at latest 2 hrs after birth, and colostrum ASAP

Question 9

Antibody production in foals starts when?

Answer 9

in the 2nd month.

Question 10

What is the “1-2-3 rule” for foaling?

Answer 10

1. Foal gets up in 1 hr max (usually gets up 20min after birth)
2. Nurses in 2 hrs max
3. Fetal membranes are passed in 3 hrs max

Most of those things normally happen much faster.

Question 11

How do you sort a foal’s umbilical cord?

Answer 11

The umbilical cord will rupture on its own. If not, and if it prevents the foal from getting up, tear it.
Better to tear instead of cutting, the blood vessels retract better this way.

Keep about 10 cm stump.
Ligate the stump with soft string and dip in dilute chlorhexidine.

2 umbilical arteries, 1 umbilical vein

Question 12

How much does a foal weigh at birth?

Answer 12

The foal weighs about 10% of the adult weight.

Mini Shetland: 12-15 kg
Warmblood: ca 50 kg
Draft horse: 60-70 kg

Question 13

What are 3 important locations for palpation in the neonatal foal?

Answer 13

ribs (fractures poss.)
joints (for septic changes! min 3x/day in hospital)
umbilical stump (abscesses, persistent urachus)

Question 14

Foal heart rate Changes during the first 24 hrs of life. Explain how.

Answer 14

Less than 1h of age: ca 60/min
2-12 h: 100-200/min
24 h to 2 weeks: 80-100/ min AT REST
Then decreases gradually

Arrhythmias common during first hrs of life.

Murmurs during first 7 days of life: if foal hemodynamically ok (bright, alert, pink mucous membranes) – ignore. If not or if murmur continues: additional dgn required.

Question 15

Foal respiration rate Changes during the first 24 hrs of life. Explain how.

Answer 15

During 1st hr of life ca 60/min.
Lungs contain fluid which is resorbed quickly.
Soft bubbly crackles.

Up to 24h: rate 20-40/min
Later around 20x min.

Question 16

Foal body temp.

Answer 16

37.5-38.9°C

Generally over 38.0.

Below 38.0C suspect that the foal is not active enough or is hemodynamically compromised.

Question 17

Menace response develops in what timeframe in foals?

Answer 17

in 2-3 weeks after birth.

Question 18

Daily weight gain for a 50 kg foal.

Answer 18

Daily weight gain 0.5-1 kg for 50 kg foal.

Question 19

Good colostral specific gravity

Answer 19

SG >1.060 – should be sufficient

Brix refractometer more commonly used (measures sugar, not protein).

Question 20

When and how do you test for failure of passive transfer?

Answer 20

Foal around 24 h of age: do a SNAP IgG test.

Results:
IgG <400 mg/dl complete failure of passive transfer
IgG 400-800 mg/dl partial FPT
IgG >800 mg/dl normal

Question 21

How can you tell a foal has diarrhea?

Answer 21

When feces is stuck to their anus and the surrounding area.

Foal feces should be pasty but still firm enough that it falls away from the body and should not stick.

Question 22

How is failure of passive transfer treated?

Answer 22

Foal over 18 h of age:
IV equine plasma administration

If foal under 18h old, you can administer colostrum for example, via a bottle or via a nasogastric tube.

You can use frozen colostrum rom another mare if the foal’s mare hasn’t produced enough.

Question 23

Because subchondral bone has very good blood supply in foals, systemic septic processes may cause

Answer 23

synovial sepsis or osteomyelitis

This does not happen in adult horses!

NB: both systemic AND local antibiotics required for these foals!

Question 24

Coprophagia in foals.

Answer 24

is normal behavior

Question 25

Foals are slightly anemic up to ?

Answer 25

1 year of age (microcytic, hypochromic)

However, they do NOT require iron supplementation. Is a species characteristic!

Question 26

Limit for premature foal survival.

Answer 26

Premature: born before the minimal 315th (320th day).

Above 300 days have a reasonable prognosis.

As a rule, 4 weeks is survival limit (lungs (lack of surfactant) and legs immature).

Question 27

Twins in horses.

Answer 27

Usually both dysmature and nonviable.

Question 28

At risk foals are defined as:

Answer 28

Anything abnormal in mare’s pregnancy or foaling history
Anything abnormal in foaling
Has not received colostrum or unsure if got it
Anything abnormal in foal’s behaviour or clinical parameters during the first 24 hrs of life
Even if it passed without treatment
Late to rise, late to nurse, meconium retention, etc
Otherwise healthy, but premature/ dysmature

Question 29

What do you do to an “at risk foal”?

Answer 29

Monitor more closely + take hematology and biochemistry!

Hematology, inflammatory markers
Albumin and globulin
Snap IgG
Liver and kidney values (at least crea, urea, GGT, bilirubin)
Electrolytes (Na, Cl, K)

Question 30

Symptoms which require immediate intervention in a Newborn foal

Answer 30

Doesn’t get up
No suckle reflex or doesn’t find the teat
Very weak and non-responsive