Once the water breaks or you see membranes, the foal should be delivered in 20-30 minutes. If the foal is not delivered within 30 minutes or the mare is not making progress over 10-15 minutes, call your veterinarian or contact the UF Large Animal Hospital at (352) 392-2229. Please call as the first few hours and days of a foal’s life are the most critical.
Post-Foaling Checklist
If the foal is born and not moving, call your veterinarian immediately
The foal should be sternal within 1-5 minutes
The foal should be standing within 1-2 hours
The foal should be nursing within 2-3 hours
The colostrum or “first milk” is critical for the foal to receive to provide antibodies
Foals need about 2 liters in the first 24 hours which also helps with gut closure
If the foal does not get enough colostrum, it can become “septic” when bacteria enters the bloodstream
The foal should pass meconium at 4-6 hours
An enema may be given in the first few hours of life to assist with meconium passage
Do not give repetitive enemas
The foal should urinate within 9-10 hours
Check the foal’s IgG level in the first 8-24 hours after birth
Umbilical care
Dip naval 2-3 times during the first day of life
Dip naval in Betadine solution (light “tea” color, 2%) or Nolvasan solution (use 0.5% solution or 1 part Nolvasan to 3 parts water)
Check umbilical stalk for discharge daily
Watch for excessive bleeding, infection, or patent urachus (bladder defect)
Post-Partum Mare Checklist
Make sure the placenta has passed within 3 hours of birthing
Save all parts of the placenta to look for abnormalities and remember to keep it away from animals
Check the udder for milk
Check the vulva for trauma
Look for bruising, tears and discharge
Monitor appetite, temperature and manure output
The 1-2-3 Rule
One hour to stand
The foal should be sternal within 1-5 minutes
Two hours to nurse
Three hours to pass the placenta
If the mare does not pass the placenta within 3 hours, this is a medical emergency!
Newborn Foal Normals
Temperature 99-102o F
Heart rate 80-120
Respiratory rate 20-40
Pink gums
Nursing 4-6 times per hour
Fecal output 2-5 piles per day, pasty
Correct Foal Restraint
Do not pick the foal up by the belly – this can rupture the bladder
Foal Nutrition
Foals should consume 21-25% of their body weight in milk daily (2.5 gallons per day for a 100 lb foal)
Feeding foals
Ideally foals should nurse from the mare
In foals that cannot nurse the mare or are orphans:
Bucket feeding reduces the chance of aspiration from a bottle
Do not overheat milk
Do not force feed a foal
A feeding tube may be placed by your veterinarians for specific diseases
Clinical Signs that Require Emergency Veterinary Care
Meconium impactions
Weak, cold
IgG is low
Fever
Any discharge from the nose
Diarrhea
Colic
Strange behavior
Not nursing
Yellow, blue or gray gums
Sunken eyes or entropion
Contracted tendons
Relaxed tendons
Severe deformities
Swollen joints
Lame foal
More Foal Veterinary Care Information
Preparing for Foaling – Read about the tools to have on-hand and the warning signs prior to foaling.
Information provided by Dr. Amanda House, Veterinarian of UF Large Animal Internal Medicine, Clinical Assistant Professor at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Equine Extension Specialist, and Course Director of the Practice-Based Equine Clerkship Program.
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