Normal Foaling and Foal Flashcards
how long is gestation in a mare?
11 months
320-365 days
what happens 4-6 weeks before birth?
mammary development
increasing estrogen, decreasing progesterone
when does foalert- a transmitter sutured to vulvar lips- not work?
when foal is not presented correctly in parturition and does not trigger alarm
how can you prepare the mare for parturition?
clean udder and hindlegs where foal may suckle
wrap tail
place in clean stall of in small clean paddock
undo caslick if one has been placed
what infectious causes make mare pregnancies high risk?
placentitis: bacterial or fungal
equine herpes virus
what are some non-infectious reproductive causes of a high risk pregnancy?
twinning
congenital abnormalities
uterine torsion
fescue endophyte toxicosis
dystocia
premature placental separation
neonatal asphyxia
what can you use transabdominal ultrasound to check for in pregnant mares?
live foal
twins
excess allantoic fluid
placentitis
what is the objective of managing a high-risk dam?
optimize pregnancy length and prevent foal infection
what is stage I of labor like?
mare restless, may appear colicky
30 mins to 4 hours
uterine contractions help position foal
what are most dystocias due to?
malposition of foal
when should the placenta be passed?
within 3 hours
how much should the placenta weigh?
11% of foal’s body weight
how long should it take for thee foal to put itself into sternal?
3-5 minutes
when should a foal be nursing?
45-90 minutes
how much colostrum does a foal require?
1-2 liters of good quality colostrum
how long can colostrum from mares be stored frozen?
1-2 years
how does sunlight affect colostrum?
reduced colostrum with reduced sunlight
what happens with foal GI systems at 2-3 months?
continued growth of small intestine but largest difference in cecum and large colon
what is the gastric pH of newborn foals?
3.2-3.7
when is liver glycogen depleted in a newborn foal?
within 2 hours of birth
what is coprophagia?
eating poop
normal for foals
what is a foal’s birth weight?
10-11% of dam
when do foals reach 95% of their adult height?
by 18 months of age
what are the prepartum causes of low birth weight?
prematurity
twinning
intrauterine growth retardation secondary to placental dysfunction
when does colostrum show up?
2-14 days before parturition
what are some signs of impending birth?
waxing of teats
sacrosciatic tone relaxed
vulva relaxes
all last few weeks
when should you begin testing mammary secretions to predict parturition?
10-14 days before foaling date
when do most mares foal?
between 9pm and 9am
what are some signs of placentitis?
precocious lactation
vulval discharge
what are some non-reproductive causes of a high risk pregnancy?
any severe maternal illness
colic
endotoxemia
pleuritis
abdominal tunic ruptures
should you do a vaginal exam on a pregnant mare?
no- might introduce bacteria
what should you look at for the fetus with ultrasound?
cloudy amniotic fluid
increased fluid
presence of two hearts
approximate size
appropriate activity
placental detachment
what is stage II of labor?
water breaks and foal passes into birth cana;
must be delivered within 20-30 minutes
where are nocardia infections seen on the placenta?
near horns and ventral body
when should a foal attempt to stand?
10-30 minutes
where should you palpate on a foal?
ribs
mouth
eyes
umbilicus
inside of ears
joints for swelling
what is in colostrum?
high IgG, less IgA and IgM
nutrition: high protein, lower lactose and lipid
mild laxative effect
when is peak absorption of colostrum?
within 6-8 hours of birth
how can you assess quality of colostrum?
colostrometer: >1.060
brix refractometer: 20-30%
what level of IgG is aimed for in colostrum?
> 800 mg/dL
what is complete failure of passive immunity?
<400 mg/dL
what is partial failure of passive immunity?
400-800 mg/dL
when should you give colostrum vs hyperimmune plasma transfusion to a foal with partial failure of passive immunity?
colostrum if available and <12 hours of age
what should you do if a foal does not nurse within 2 hours?
tube feed colostrum as soon as possible
what are the risk factors for failure of passive immunity?
month of foaling: reduced sunlight
age of dam: older
adverse events around parturition
breeds: standardbreds
poor quality due to leakage prepartum
when should you perform IgG testing?
normal foal: 18-24 hours
high risk foal: 12-24 hours
what happens in the first month of life with the gastrointestinal system?
increased small intestinal length and diameter, increased villous surface area
when do maltase and lactase activity equal each other?
3-4 months of age
how much should foals drink per day?
25-30% of body weight per day
how many kcals do foals require a day?
120-150 kcal/kg/day
what is daily average weight gain of foals?
1.6 kg/day
how tall are foals at birth?
60% of adult height at withers
what are postpartum causes of low birth weight?
agalactia in mare
foal rejection by mare
foal not nursing
catabolism secondary to disease
malabsorption of food
