Equine neonatology Flashcards
What are the adaptions to the extra-uterine life in the respiratory system?
*post 300 days = surfactant
*Fluid filled lungs –> air filled lungs
*Lung expansion
What are the adaptions to the extra-uterine life in the cardiopulmonary system?
*High HR
*foramen ovale
*Ductus arteriosus
how do foals do thermoregulation?
*Brown adipose tissue
*Energy from colostrum
What occurs with the GI tract after birth?
*Meconium passage - 3-6hrs
*Specialised epithelial cells that uptake colostrum - MDAs
*Normal gut flora = 2-3months
What are the changes seen to the urogenital system?
*Urachus, umbilical arteries + vein become ligaments
*Increase GFR + urine production
What should be observed with behaviour?
*1hr = foal standing
*2hr = foal nursing
*3hr = Mare passed placenta
*4hr = foal passed meconium
When should menace response develop?
*2 weeks
What is the resp rate of foals for the first hour?
*80breaths per minute
What is a foals heart rate?
*40-80bpm for first few minutes
*70-100 by day 1
What should be assessed with GI tract +abdomen?
*Palpate for hernias
*MEconium - dark brown pellets all passed within 24hrs
What should be assessed in the urogenital system?
*Evaluate external genitalia
*Umbilicus = dry v moist
-urine production within 6-10hrs
What should be assessed with the MSK system?
*Malformations / injuries
*Laxity
*Joint distension
*Lameness
How much milk should foals drink daily?
*20-28% BW @ 45-55kg BW = 10 litres
How much milk should foals drink daily?
*20-28% BW @ 45-55kg BW = 10 litres
if a mare is running milk before term what does this indicate?
placentitis
What should be seen day before foaling?
Teat waxing
What is premature / dysmature?
- Premature: born <320 days
- Dysmature: born >320 days but with signs of prematurity
What are signs of prematurity / dysmaturity in foals?
- Low birth weight
- Short, silky hair coat
- Floppy ears
- Domed head
- Joint laxity = weakness, prolonged time to stand
- incomplete ossification of tarsal and carpal bones
- Severe cases = multiple organ dysfunction
How is colostrum absorbed?
*Specialist enterocytes absorb by pinocytosis
What is failure of passive transfer?
*Inadequate transfer of IgG - <4g/L
What are predisposing factors to FPT?
*Loss of colostrum via premature lactation = twinning, placentitis
*Inadequate colostrum production = illness
*Failure to ingest enough colostrum = weak foal / rejection of foal
*Failure to absorb colostrum = premature foals / foal illness
When would you diagnose FPT?
*18-24hrs after birth
*Specific gravity + IgG test kit
How would you treat FPT?
- > 12-24hr = NEED PLASMA - mare, commercial, geldings
- <12hr = COLOSTRUM - mare, banks, commercial
What are consequences of FPT?
- Immediate = septicaemia
- Later = rotavirus infection, respiratory disease
What is sepsis difficult to distinguish from in foals?
peri natal asphyxiation syndrome -PAS
How can you diagnose sepsis?
*Clinical signs
*Blood culture
*Sepsis score
What are signs of sepsis?
- Foal goes off-suck and is lethargic
- Increased respiratory rate and effort
- Acute severe lameness
- Discharge or swelling of umbilicus
- Fever is not consistent
- Congested, dark mucous membranes or severe cases petechial haemorrhages
- Hypopyon
- Diarrhoea (often only once fluid Tx started)
- Meningitis
How is sepsis treated?
- Control infection - antimicrobials - culture (E. coli)
- Haemodynamic support - fluids
- Respiratory support - body position + O2
- Anti-inflammatory therapy - NSAIDs
- Supportive therapy - nutrition, heat
What are common respiratory diseases of foals?
- Neonatal septicaemia (bacterial pneumonia)
- Viral pneumonia
- Rhodococcus equi pneumonia
- Respiratory distress syndrome
- Meconium aspiration
- Aspiration pneumonia
- Haemothorax and pneumothorax
- Fracture ribs
- Central respiratory depression
How would you diagnose respiratory disease?
*Auscultation
*Imaging - endoscopy
What is SCID?
Severe combined immunodeficiency = failure to produce B + T lymphocytes
-Arabian horses
What is foal immunodeficiency syndrome?
*FIS = causes fatal anaemia + compromised immune system
autosomal recessive
What is Perinatal asphyxia syndrome?
- Ischaemia, oedema + reperfusion injury to foals brain, kidneys + intestines
-due to in utero hypoxia - May not be apparent until foal is 12-24hrs
What are mild, moderate + severe signs of PAS?
- Mild = poor suck reflex
- Moderate = aimless wandering, abnormal phonation + blind
- Severe = seizures, coma
What are urinary abnormalities?
- Patent urachus
- Ruptured bladder
What is the cause of ruptured bladder?
*Excessive pressure during parturition on distended bladder
*Can be congenital
What are clinical signs of ruptured bladders?
*Dysuria / Stranguria
How is a patent urachus diagnosed? Tx?
*Ultrasound
* Conservative Tx = umbilical dips, antibiotics if infection
* Surgery = remove umbilical structures
What are differential diagnosis for colic signs?
- Meconium impaction
- Ruptured bladder/uroperitoneum
- Overfeeding/lactose intolerance
- Distension associated with diarrhoea
- Gastric ulcers
- SI/LI obstruction
- Congenital abnormalities
How is meconium impaction diagnosed / treated?
- Dx = palpation, radiography, assess IgG levels
- Tx = fleet enema / retention enema
Laxatives
What can cause gastric ulcers in foals?
*NSAIDs
*Gastric acid
*Hypoxia
*Decreased GI blood flow
How are gastric ulcers diagnosed? Tx?
*Gastroscopy
* Tx = omeprazole / sucralfate
What are differential diagnosis for diarrhoea?
*Foal heat diarrhoea
*Clostridial diarrhoea
*Viral diarrhoea - rotavirus (Corona,adeno, parvo)
*Others = crypto / giardia, rhodococcus equi
What is foal heat diarrhoea?
*5-12days of age, change of bacterial flora (time of mare’s 1st oestrus)
*CS = mild, self-limiting diarrhoea
What is clostridial diarrhoea?
*Severe + frequently fatal
*Cl. difficile / perfringens - severe gas distension + colic
How is a clostridial diarrhoea diagnosed + treated?
*Dx = culture, ELISA
*Tx = metronidazole, penicillin
How does rota virus diarrhoea occur?
*Invade epithelial lining in intestinal villi = blunting tips of villi
* maldigestion due to loss of intestinal enzymes + malabsorption due to loss of surface area = diarrhoea
How would you diagnose + treat rotavirus diarrhoea?
*Dx = ELISA, PCR of faeces
*Tx = vaccinate pregnant mares
What is neonatal isoerythrolysis? + Clinical signs?
*Maternal MDA’s destruct newborn red cells
* CS = * usually develop between 12-48h post partum
* Lethargy, depression, reduced suck, increased recumbency
* Tachycardia and tachypnoea
* Icteric mm
* Pigmenturia
* In severe cases collapse and death
How is neonatal isoerythrolysis diagnosed + treated?
*Dx = clinical signs, history, lab tests - detect Ab on red cells
*Tx = supportive therapy + nutrition, Blood transfusion
- Avoid incompatible pregnancies in future
