Equine Parturition Flashcards
How can we predict parturition?
Date of conception.
Estimate foetal age.
Relaxation of pelvic ligament.
Examine mammary glands.
Mammary secretions.
Foaling alarms - recumbency or sweat.
- Milk electrolyte changes before parturition.
- How can we test for milk electrolyte changes?
- Increase calcium, increase potassium, decrease sodium, more acidic (decrease pH).
- Calcium >200ppm then 84% of foaling w/in 48hrs. - Commercial kites.
- Predict-a-foal for Ca and Mg.
- FoalWatch.
- Water hardness tests?
- Duration of stage 1 labour?
- What does stage 1 labour involve?
- What should be done during this time?
- 1-4hrs.
- Onset of uterine contractions.
Mild colic signs.
Foal enters the pelvis.
Cervix opening. - Prepare for foaling:
- Bandage tail and wash perineum.
- Episiotomy to reverse Caslicks if not done yet.
- Duration of stage 2 labour?
- What does stage 2 labour involve?
- 5-25mins.
- Abdominal contractions.
- explosive, powerful.
Chorioallantoic membranes rupture.
- at cervical star.
Amnion exteriorised.
Foal delivered.
- Presentation.
- Position.
- Posture.
- Ideals for these?
- Direction of foal.
- Relative spines.
- Limbs.
- Anterior presentation.
- Dorsal position.
- Limbs extended.
- Anterior presentation.
Immediately post partum.
Minimal human interference ideally for foal-mare bonding.
Bring foal to mare’s head if birth assisted.
Righting reflexes present w/in 5 mins.
- foal attempting to stand.
- standing by 1hr.
- suckling by 2hrs.
- placenta passed by 3hrs.
- Duration of stage 3 labour.
- What happens in stage 3 labour?
- What if stage 3 labour >3hrs.
- 3hrs.
- Expulsion of foetal membranes.
- allantochorion.
- lochia.
Mild uterine pain. - Foetal membranes considered retained.
Post partum.
Uterine involution rapid.
Vulval discharge 3-4d.
Turnout helps express lochia.
Foal heat 5-9d - breed on foal heat?
- Circumstances for inducing parturition.
- How to induce.
- IN HOSPITAL.
- Rupture pre-pubic tendon.
- Hydrops uteri.
- Overdue and small foal.
- Uncomfortable and open cervix. - Low dose oxytocin.
- 10 i.u. every 20mins.
- OR daily oxytocin when imminent.
PG cervix.
More risk to foal than to mare.
Premature placental separation.
“red-bag delivery”.
Predisposed by induced labour.
This is an emergency and foal needs to be delivered ASAP.
Foal supplemental O2.
High risk perinatal asphyxia syndrome - “dummy foal”.
- Maternal causes of dystocia?
- Foetal causes of dystocia?
- Uterine torsion.
Pelvic fracture. - Size.
Malpresentation.
Deformities:
- hydrocephalus.
- limbs.
Dystocia - taking the call.
Advise Os keep mare walking and put on tail bandage.
Drive directly and immediately OR get mare to hospital ASAP.
- Foal at risk of perinatal asphyxia syndrome and/or hypoxia.
Most of the time, a live foal will be there when you arrive.
- 1-4% incidence dystocia in thoroughbreds.
- 10% incidence in drafts.
When is it considered equine dystocia?
No amnion or foal at vulva w/in 5mins of allantochorion rupturing (water breaking).
No strong contractions w/in 10mins of allantochorion rupturing (water breaking).
VAGINAL EXAM INDICATED IMMEDIATELY!
- Dystocia options.
- Choice of option determined by…
- Vaginal assisted delivery.
Controlled vaginal delivery.
C section. - Cost
Live foal/dead foal.
Owner.
Vet.
- Vaginal assisted delivery suitable for?
- Experience w/ what helps immensely?
- Rules for when to refer.
- Principles.
- Method?
- Quick fix on stud / yard.
Suitable for:
- red bag delivery.
- some abnormal presentations.
- economic challenges??? - Experience w/ lambing / calving helps immensely.
- Consider how long to try for.
Keep making progress, stopping and reassessing.
REFER if no progress in 5 mins OR if not out in 30mins. - +/- sedate mare.
Maintain hygiene.
LUBRICATION!
Clenbuterol.
Consider epidural. - ID fore/hindlimbs.
Rope limbs - to pull on.
Rope head - to guide position, NOT pull.
Pull DOWNWARDS.
Pull in synchrony w/ uterine contractions.
Need foal catchers if standing.
Controlled vaginal delivery.
Deliver foal per vaginum.
Mare is anaesthetised.
Elevate HLs.
Allows repositioning w/o contractions impairing progress.
Indications for episiotomy.
If Caslicks’ previously performed:
- reverse (incise) ~2w before birth.
– when udder develops.
– Daily Vaseline.
- if appalling conformation:
– few large sutures easy to remove.
If large foal - incise 1 or 11 o’clock.
- Surgical options.
- Fostering.
- C section and embryotomy.
2 Pick a good mum.
TB mares not easy.
Camouflage smell of new foal.
- Vicks on nose.
- Dead foal skin as a coat.
Ensure agreement between O of foal and O of mare - who pays for what.
Dystocia after care.
Foal:
- standing w/in 1hr.
- suckling w/in 2hrs.
Closely monitor mare for:
- DUDE.
- Lactation - Tx Domperidone.
- Pain - Tx NSAIDs.
- Passing placenta w/in 3hrs.
- Laminitis.
- Endotoxic shock.
- Peritonitis.
Post partum problems.
RFM.
Trauma to vulva, vestibule, vagina, cervix, perineum, uterus, rectum, anus.
Uterine rupture / haematoma / prolapse.
Rupture utero-ovarian artery.
Hypocalcaemia.
Metritis.
Mammary gland issues.
- Incidence of RFM.
- What should be done if foetal membranes are hanging out of the mare?
- RFM Tx options.
- 2-10% (50% post c section).
- Fold up and tie.
- not weighted.
- can be assessed afterwards. - Oxytocin drip/bolus.
Manual traction W/ CARE!
- Actions for post removal of the RFM.
- What are the consequences of unidentified/untreated RFM?
- Lavage large volume.
Oxytocin bolus. - Endometritis.
Laminitis.
Shock.
Death.
- First degree perineal laceration.
- Second degree perineal laceration.
- Tx of these.
- Third degree perineal laceration.
- Vulval lips.
- Vulval lips and muscle layers.
- Usually too swollen to suture immediately:
- delay repair until swelling subsided.
- resolve problem before covering.
- MISS FOAL HEAT. - Recto-vaginal fistula.
Cervical trauma.
Rare but serious consequence for future fertility.
Assess using speculum in dioestrus.
Fibrosis leading cervical incompetence.
Full thickness tears sutured 4-8wks.
Warn O of potential poor fertility.
Uterine tear/rupture management.
Manage conservatively if dorsal and small.
Considered surgical emergency if large/ventral - important to recognise costs!
- Uterine haematoma presentation.
- Uterine haematoma Dx.
- Uterine haematoma healing.
- Presentation of ruptured ovario-uterine artery?
- Dx of ruptured ovario-uterine artery?
- Tx of ruptured ovario-uterine artery?
- Presents as post partum colic.
- Rectal palpation and US.
- Usually w/o complication.
- Severe colic.
- On clinical signs and US.
- Abdo paracentesis. - Autotransfusion/blood transfusion.
? Formalin IV
Antifibrinolytics (aminocaproic acid).
Uterine prolapse.
Rare and diagnosed by presentation.
Fatal haemorrhage possible.
Lavage thoroughly.
Feed back in gently and lavage large volume of fluid.
Treat w/ ABX, NSAIDs, calcium, NO oxytocin.
- Hypocalcaemia related to?
- Presentation of hypocalcaemia?
- Tx of hypocalcaemia.
- Predisposes mare to what?
- Stress.
- Hyperaesthesia and dry faeces.
Spontaneous diaphragmatic flutter (Thumps).
Recumbency and tetanic spasms. - Infuse Ca borogluconate.
- Post partum colic.
- Risks associated w/ metritis.
- Metritis Tx.
- Mammary gland problems.
- Poor fertility, laminitis, endotoxaemia.
- Copious lavage.
Topical +/- systemic ABX.
NSAIDs.
Polymixin B. - Agalactia.
Mastitis.
Premature lactation.
- What mares tend to have agalactia
- Mechanisms of agalactia.
- How can agalactia be dx by serum?
- Tx of agalactia.
- Primiparous mares.
- Ingestion ergot alkaloid.
Poor nutrition.
Pain. - Serum prolactin decreases.
- Domperidone, Metaclopramide.
Mastitis.
Can also occur in non-breeding mares.
O may think lame.
Hot, swollen, painful.
May show systemic signs.
Diagnose by presentation and milk cytology / culture (usually streptococcus zooepidemicus).
- Mastitis Tx.
- What should you check in the case of premature lactation?
- What should be done in the case of premature lactation?
- Milk out.
Intramammary preparations (cows).
Hot pack.
NSAIDs.
Systemic ABX - TMPS / Penicillin. - Combined thickness of uterus and placenta for placentitis.
- Collect colostrum and store in fridge to stomach tube foal.
- Critical mare-foal bonding period?
- Risks of foal rejection.
- Why may mare reject foal?
- Management and Tx.
- 1st 6hrs of foal life.
- Failure of passive transfer +/- trauma to foal.
- Maiden mare.
- Mare reared in isolation.
- Arab mare.
- Painful mare (mammary glands?)
- Maiden mare.
- Don’t punish mare.
Give aggressive mare atrenogest.
NSAIDs.
Oxytocin.
Hand milking.
Sedation w/ ACP.
