FINAL EXAM: Diseases of the Foal Flashcards
Neonatal Septicemia nickname
Septic foal
Neonatal Septicemia cause
Bacteria or bacterial toxins in the blood (oftentimes E coli)
How is Neonatal septicemia introduced to the blood?
- Ingestion before gut closure
- Umbilical cord
- Laceration
- In utero: especially if mare has placentitis
- lungs
Risk factors for Neonatal septicemia
- *failure of passive transfer (FPT)
- small, weak, premature foal
- born in dirty environment
- unvaccinated mare (mare with placentitis)
Signs of neonatal septicemia
- fever
- pneumonia
- lethargic
- diarrhea
- decrease nursing activity
- swollen joints (septic arthritis): “joint ill” “naval ill”
- swollen inflamed umbilicus
Treatment of neonatal septicemia
- systemic antibiotics and fluids
- flush joints with antibiotics
- NSAIDs
Prognosis of neonatal septicemia
- severity and recognition important
- 30-70% mortality
- Largest cause of death
Non-infectious diarrhea
- no pathogen involved
- “foal heat diarrhea”: about time mares have post-partum estrus
- if severe, foal can become dehydrated
Infectious diarrhea
Bacteria: -salmonella -clostridia -rhodococcus equi Viral: Rotavirus (contagious)
Treatment for infectious diarrhea
- fluids
- antibiotics
- enteric drugs (GI protection, bind toxins/organisms)
Prognosis on diarrhea
Good
- depends on reason (infectious or non)
- depends when caught
- could be sign of septicemia
- NSAIDs can upset GI tract more
Gastric ulcers cause
- usually occur secondary to other disease, treatment, or other event
- NSAIDs increase risk
Signs of gastric ulcers
- decrease nursing
- lethargy
- colicy
- teeth grinding
- increase water intake
Treatment of gastric ulcers
anti-ulcer meds (gastro guard)
Neonatal Isoerythrolysis (NI)
- immune medicated anemia
- relatively rare (
Neonatal Isoerythrolysis prevention
-test mare pre-foaling
-test colostrum
if positive:
give foal other colostrum
muzzle foal and leave with mare, feed separately, milk mare out
Rhodococcus Equi
-Primarily respiratory disease
(lung lesions with pneumonia/lung lesions with no apparent disease)
-can cause diarrhea
-can infect growth plates/joints
Diagnosis of Rodococcus equi
Ultrasound lungs
Treatment of Rhodococcus Equi
Lesions with pneumonia: antibiotics
Lesions with no apparent clinical disease: up to farm
