mindofavet

Start your engines. For the foal, a successful transition to extrauterine life may be complicated by events both before and during parturition.   Some of these can be predicted, or at least you are on notice (see I don’t think it’s right… ). Once delivered, the neonate must rapidly develop altered cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal function; stand; suckle; achieve coordinated limb movements, and then prepare for a myriad of infectious challenges.   Although born immune deficient through a lack of pre-suckle antibodies, the foal can successfully mount a response to many infectious challenges once sufficient colostrum has been ingested and immunoglobulins absorbed.   Should this fail, common signs include depression, generalized weakness, weak or absent suckle reflex, fever or hypothermia, signs of infection, and abnormal neurological function. Not really that specific for any one condition as we could ascribe these events to almost every sick foal regardles...

  The newborn foal is born without antibodies to enable it to fight disease.   Unlike other animals, the placenta is structured in such a way that antibodies from the mare’s blood cannot be transferred to the fetus.   While able to mount an immune response, it will be easily overwhelmed as there are no ready-made bullets in the gun to fire back.   Mother Nature’s answer: colostrum. It’s all down to getting sufficient good quality colostrum onboard as soon as possible. What is so magical about colostrum?   In addition to having higher concentrations than mare’s milk of proteins, fats and sugars, it contains immunoglobulins (Ig) derived from the mare aimed at pathogens the newborn foal is likely to encounter in the first period of extrauterine life. Insufficient or failure of passive transfer (FPT) of maternal immunoglobulins, primarily IgG, to the neonatal foal predisposes the foal to potentially life-threatening illnesses.   Sufficient protection agai...