CARE OF THE NEWBORN FOAL 

Pregnancy in the mare lasts much longer than that of other domestic species.  With a gestation of over 11 months, horse breeders learn to be patient.  In contrast to the prolonged pregnancy, the delivery and early hours afterwards are full of dramatic events that proceed rapidly.  Within hours, the foal transforms from total dependency on the placenta and womb to being able to run on its own four legs!  With such an investment of time and resources, we want to do all that is possible to help ensure that the mare and foal are healthy.  This article will focus on the care of the newborn foal during the critical neonatal period.

The first hours

The major roles for the foaling attendant during the delivery and first few hours afterwards is to provide a safe, quiet environment and to be an observer, like being a little mouse in the corner watching the events unfold.  When things are proceeding normally, they generally will do so better without interference from people.  But, if events are not progressing normally, appropriate response by the attendant is necessary.  Some problems demand very rapid intervention, such as malpositioning of the foal during delivery.  Other problems need a more gradual, tempered response. For example, deciding when to assist the foal in nursing.  For most mares and newborn foals, they will do better without any assistance.  People in the stall directing the foal can interfere with mare-foal bonding and create confusing signals for the foal, making it take longer to actually figure out how to nurse.  On the other hand, the foal does not have many energy reserves and if he or she fails to nurse soon enough, they can become weak and deteriorate. 

Let’s go through chronologically the events to watch for, when and how to intervene, and what routine interventions to perform:

·         After the mare makes the final contraction that pushes the hips of the foal out, she usually takes a well-deserved rest.  The foal’s back legs are usually still in the birth canal, which probably encourages the mare to stay down and still.  This is important because blood is still flowing from the placenta through the umbilical cord and into the foal.  Avoid disturbing the mare or foal at this point because startling the mare may cause her to jump up prematurely and break the cord before the blood is done pumping.  If the placenta is covering the foal’s face and nostrils, then by all means quietly enter the stall and remove the placenta from the nostrils so the foal can breathe.  Breathing is the first new function the newborn must perform.  Normally the foal will right itself onto its chest and pick up its head.  Initially there is a prominent abdominal component to breathing as the lungs fill with air for the first time.

·         When the mare stands, the cord will break and this is a good time to dip it the first time.  Dilute chlorhexidene is one of the better navel dips.  Dip the navel twice a day for three days.

·         If it is cold out (less than 40º), towel dry the foal if it can be done safely.  If it is not that cold, dip the navel and quietly leave the stall and assume your role as an observer.  This is a critical time for mare-foal bonding.

·         Rarely the cord will bleed excessively.  If so, clamp it with a hemostat from your first aid kit or tie it off with umbilical tape or clean fish line until the vet gets there.

·         Mares can have severe cramps as they go through stage 3 of delivery, which is the delivery of the placenta.  Try to protect the foal (and yourself!) if she goes down, thrashing with the pain.  Obviously you’ll need to call the vet if she is in too much pain.

·         If the placenta is not out in three hours, call the veterinarian.

·         Save the placenta for later examination.  Place it in a clean, plastic bucket and keep it in a cool environment.

·         The foal should be on its feet within an hour.   After an hour, it is time to help the foal out.  Be careful as some mares can be extremely protective and aggressive.  If it is not up in 2 hours, call the veterinarian.

·         Nursing is next on the agenda.  Some precocious foals are up and nursing within 30 minutes.  Generally, if they haven’t latched on by two hours, its time to try and help out.  One person can hold the mare while another person tries to gently move the foal into position and guide it to the nipple.  By three hours, if the foal is not up there is something quite wrong.  It is important that the foal gets fed, not only for the energy and fluids it provides, but also to provide vital colostrum that is crucial in protecting the foal from infection.  The best plan in this event is to call the vet.  If the foal is failing at something as basic as nursing, it is wise to have a veterinary evaluation at this point – there could be serious problems that require prompt response.  Also, the mare may require light sedation in order to collect a good quantity of colostrum.  Tube feeding is preferred over bottle feeding for a few reasons.   It is a quick, safe, efficient method of delivering a large amount of colostrum.  Bottle feeding a foal that is unable to nurse on its own always raises the concern of aspiration pneumonia.  An additional problem for some foals is that they will bond to the bottle and you rather than the mare.

·         After a couple of good rounds of nursing, the next new task for the foal is to pass its meconium.  Meconium is the first stool that a neonate produces but it is not true feces.  Instead it is a collection of very firm mucus and cellular debris that formed during gestation.  In the horse, the meconium is in well formed, black, hard balls.  Foals can have difficulty in passing the meconium.  It is not entirely passed in a single bowel movement but often takes a half a dozen or more to get it all clear.  Meconium impaction is the most common cause of colic in the neonatal foal.  A good practice to help prevent this problem is the routine administration of an enema.  Don’t give the enema until after the foal has nursed a few times (it takes energy to produce the effort required to perform the bowel movement).  In fact, it may be even more beneficial if you wait until the foal has had one or two good bowel movements on its own.  Symptoms of retained meconium begin with frequent and unproductive attempts to defecate.  Tail flagging and swishing are signs of irritation.  Eventually, colic signs, such as pawing and rolling develop. 

·         In the first few hours, the foal does little more than eat (nurse), sleep and pass meconium.  By six hours or so after delivery, hopefully the attendant will start to see a few of the classic signs that the newborn is doing very well.  For example, foals become increasingly curious about their surroundings.  Eventually the urge kicks in to try the new legs out to run and play on.  Play behavior is a very good sign.

Mare and foal examination

We can see from this discussion that a lot happens in the first few hours of life.  If these important events are not occurring, then a veterinarian should be consulted before the situation deteriorates.  Routine post delivery examinations, however, are best performed after the foal is 12 to 18 hours old to avoid interference with these early developments.  The best things for a normal newborn foal besides its mother are sunshine, green grass, and fresh air.  The wellness examination helps ensure all systems are go and that there aren’t any problems that would interfere with this prescription.  Some of the things included in the exam are:

·         Thorough exam of the placenta for completeness and signs of disease.

·         Check heart and lungs.

·         Check eyes for abnormal eyelids, congenital cataracts, etc.

·         Check for umbilical or inguinal hernias.

·         Thorough exam of legs for angular deformities, tendon laxity, contracted tendons, etc.

·         Digital rectal exam to check for retained meconium.

·         Blood sample to check for adequate colostrum absorption.

If everything checks out, the mare and foal will get the green light to go out to pasture and have some fun.