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Topic:Foals
"Foals" encompasses a stage in the lifecycle of equines with distinct physiological and developmental characteristics. Foals are young horses, typically under one year of age, undergoing rapid growth and development. They require specific nutritional, health, and management practices to support their transition to adulthood. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the growth, development, health challenges, and management practices associated with foals and horses, providing insights into their care and welfare across different life stages.
Prevalence (treatment days) and severity of illness in hypogammaglobulinemic and normogammaglobulinemic foals. Serum samples for determination of IgG concentration were obtained between postpartum hours 18 and 48 from 132 Standardbred foals. Results of the IgG assay were not known to farm personnel. None of the foals was given plasma IV for treatment of hypogammaglobulinemia. Foal health records were examined retrospectively to determine prevalence of infectious-type illness (foal treatment days [FTD]), prevalence of life-threatening infectious illness (foal treatment days-serious condition [FTD-SC]), and number of diseases (NOD) per foal. Values for FTD, FTD-SC, and NOD per foal were compiled for the ...
[A case of diprosopus in a foal]. A case of diprosopus in a foal is described. This is only the second report of such a deformity in the equine species. Hereditary pathology and pathogenesis are discussed.
Atrial septal defect and atrial fibrillation in a foal. Clinical examination of a four-and-a-half-month old foal revealed evidence of progressive heart failure associated with an atrial septal defect and atrial fibrillation. Atrial septal defects are rarely reported in foals and the foal's growth, development and demeanour were normal until a sudden onset of lethargic behaviour. The value of B-mode echocardiography in identifying the congenital lesion is indicated.
Lung contains an inhibitor for nicotinatemononucleotide pyrophosphorylase (carboxylating) of NAD biosynthesis. Rat, cow and foal lung extracts contained an inhibitor for the liver NAD biosynthetic-pathway enzyme, nicotinatemononucleotide pyrophosphorylase (carboxylating) [EC 2.4.2.19]. The inhibitor was not dialyzable, was labile at 100 degrees C, was retained by a 30,000 dalton pore size Amicon membrane and, when partially purified by precipitation at 40-100% ammonium sulfate, inhibited the enzyme stoichiometrically. Lung reportedly does not contain nicotinate-mononucleotide pyrophosphorylase or make NAD de novo. However, the inhibitor would mask detection of the enzyme in lung extracts. We detected a...
Effects of a protein deficient diet and urea supplementation on lactating mares. Six lactating mares were fed either a low protein diet or the same diet with added urea ad libitum over 71 days. The quantity consumed by the mares, milk intakes of their foals, milk composition, plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), mare liveweight changes and foal growth rates were measured. The mares were unable to consume sufficient quantities of either diet to meet their nitrogen requirements and all lost weight. Adding urea to the diet significantly increased PUN in mares and foals, raised urea concentrations in the milk, decreased the mares' feed intake and significantly increased their weight lo...
Renal clearance, urinary excretion of endogenous substances, and urinary diagnostic indices in healthy neonatal foals. Urine (U) and serum (S) were obtained every 2 hours during a 12- or 24-hour period from eight healthy 96-hour-old pony or horse foals. Dams' milk samples were obtained concurrently. Urine volume was measured during this 12- or 24-hour period. The mean amount of urine produced was 148 +/- 20 ml/kg/day. Baseline urinalyses were evaluated on all foals at two days of age, before any manipulation. Urine generally was dilute (less than 1.008) but the specific gravity was as high as 1.027 in one normal foal. Continuous (12 or 24 hour) urinary catheterization resulted in bacteriuria but not white bloo...
Plasma progestagens in the mare, fetus and newborn foal. This study used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to identify and measure plasma progestagens. The method included deuterated internal standards, e.g. [17,21,21,21-2H]-5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione, solid-phase extraction, derivatization (methoxime/t-butyldimethylsilyl) and GC/MS. Full-scan screening identified 3 5-pregnenes, 2 4-pregnenes and 7 5 alpha-pregnanes (no 5 beta-pregnanes). The selected ion mode was used for routine quantitation from calibration curves; response was linear (r greater than 0.98) from 2 to 2000 ng equivalents/ml (0.5 ng/ml method sensitivity) and intra- and ...
Post-partum ovarian activity in Finnhorse mares with special reference to seasonal effects. In a previous study, times from parturition to the first ovulation were followed in 55 Finnhorse mares on the basis of milk progesterone determinations. Ninety-six per cent of mares had ovulated by day 20 post-partum. If intervals of more than 19 days are excluded from the data, the time from parturition to 1st ovulation was 117 days. However, in cases of foaling before and after the beginning of June the times were 13.0 days and 8.8 days, respectively (p less than 0.001). Long intervals (over 16 days) occurred mainly before 1st May (in 6 out of 7 cases). In a 2nd study, 25 post-partum Finnhor...
Protection against naturally acquired Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals by administration of hyperimmune plasma. A 2-year field study was performed to determine the capability of increasing Rhodococcus equi specific antibody in foals via plasma transfusion or mare vaccination, to determine the kinetics of R. equi (ELISA) antibody decay and to assess the protective effects of these procedures in foals on a farm endemic for R. equi. Plasma donors were vaccinated with a killed R. equi bacterin and produced high levels of anti-R. equi antibodies, which were harvested by plasmapheresis. In Experiment 1, 68 foals were given 1 litre of hyperimmune plasma intravenously (i.v.) between 1-60 days of age. Foal plasm...
Studies of bone marrow and leucocyte counts in peripheral blood in fetal and newborn foals. Clinical and pathological records of 124 foals were studied. The foals were assigned to six groups; normal, premature, dysmature, bacterially infected, neonatal maladjustment syndrome and Equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infected. Also, 6 pony fetuses were sampled via catheters in the umbilical vein and artery between 280 and 310 days gestation. Bone marrow aspiration was performed on a further 14 foals. Premature foals had significantly lower neutrophil counts than normal foals up to 5 h. Foals with bacterial infections had significantly lower neutrophil counts up to age 12 h. EHV-1 infected ...
Non-invasive assessment of the incidences of pregnancy and pregnancy loss in the feral horses of Sable Island. Field observations of 400 totally unmanaged feral horses on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, were complemented by oestrogen determinations in faecal samples from 154 identified females over a 4-year period (454 mare-years). Of mares that were sampled throughout the year and subsequently produced foals, 92.1% exhibited elevated faecal oestrogens between 15 October and 30 March. The results confirm that faecal oestrogens are a useful indicator of pregnancy after approximately 120 days gestation. Distribution of foaling resembled that seen in other feral populations, with 95% of births occurring from A...
In vitro fertilization in the horse. A retrospective study. Since the first successful collection of oocytes by non-surgical puncture, there have been numerous attempts to fertilize them but few segmented embryos have resulted. The latest attempts at follicular puncture (Palmer et al., 1987) provided 159 oocytes. Oocytes found broken (18%) were probably already broken, or at least fragile, before puncture. The 41 oocytes were fertilized only with semen treated with Ionophore A23187. Following ionophore treatment of semen, 16 ova segmented (of 113 inseminated oocytes) indicating fertilization, and another 7 showed signs of fertilization but not segmenta...
Metabolic changes in thoroughbred and pony foals during the first 24 h post partum. Metabolic rates, rectal temperatures and respiratory quotients (RQ) were determined during the first 24 h post partum in Thoroughbred and pony foals and in relation to environmental temperature. Both breeds had high metabolic rates (greater than 200 W/m2) during the first hour post partum when they were wet and shivering; by 4 to 24 h values were fairly steady at about 153 and 105 W/m2 for Thoroughbred and pony foals, respectively. At birth, rectal temperature was lower in Thoroughbred foals than in pony foals; values increased during the first hour, and then decreased. At 24 h of age, both br...
Relationship between circulating tri-iodothyronine and cortisol in the perinatal period in the foal. Pre- and post partum changes in plasma T3 have been examined in relation to plasma cortisol in 23 newborn foals (12 full term, 6 premature and 5 'twilight'), and in 5 fetuses catheterized in late gestation. Blood samples were collected daily from the fetuses and from the neonates at 30-min intervals for 2 h after birth; the plasma was assayed for T3 and cortisol by standard radioimmunoassay methods. In the full-term foals, plasma cortisol and T3 concentrations were high at birth (67.4 +/- 6.1 and 4.3 +/- 0.3 ng/ml respectively) and rose to a maximum during the following 2-h period to 141.0 +/-...
Plasma progestagen concentrations in the normal and dysmature newborn foal. Radioimmunoassay (RIA) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to determine plasma progestagen concentrations in the normal and premature foal. Radioimmunoassay provides a profile of plasma progestagens with respect to time but, due to the non-specific nature of the technique and without prior chromatographic purification, quantitative data based on RIA analysis must be interpreted with caution. In contrast, the greater specificity of GC-MS allows identification of specific plasma progestagens and measuring of multiple analytes in a single analysis. Both techniques demonstra...
Effects of placental pathology on maternal plasma progestagen and mammary secretion calcium concentrations and on neonatal adrenocortical function in the horse. Between 1985 and 1990, 25 Thoroughbred mares were classified as having an abnormal pregnancy on the basis of precocious signs of impending parturition. Throughout the remainder of their pregnancies, plasma progestagen and mammary secretion calcium concentrations were monitored. After parturition, evidence of placental pathology was recorded and their foals were assessed with regard to adrenocortical function and behaviour. Seven pony mares were used to establish a model of placental pathology and, following induced placental separation, were subjected to the same protocol. Control animals cons...
The placenta as a determinant of fetal well-being in normal and abnormal equine pregnancies. One hundred twenty-four horse placentas were evaluated according to gross appearance, weight and surface area. Grossly abnormal placentas were photographed, and histological sections were taken from abnormal appearing areas, and from representative areas (pregnant horn, non-pregnant horn, body and cervical pole) in both normal and abnormal placentas. Information about the resulting foals was obtained and correlations examined. Histological sections were reviewed and related to the resulting foals. Four normal fresh placentas were infused with dyes to ascertain the blood supply to various areas...
Effects of a histamine type-2 receptor antagonist (BMY-25368) on gastric secretion in horses. The effects of a potent new histamine-2 (H2) receptor antagonist, BMY-25368, were studied on gastric acid secretion in 5 foals from which food was withheld. Doses of 0.02, 0.11, 0.22, and 1.10 mg/kg of body weight were administered IM in a randomly assigned treatment sequence. Following BMY-25368 administration, hydrogen ion concentration was decreased and mean pH was higher than baseline values in a dose-response pattern. At the 0.22 and 1.10 mg/kg doses, the high pH was sustained for greater than 4 hours. The BMY-25368 thus may be useful for treating gastric ulcer disease in horses.
Rhodococcus equi: an animal and human pathogen. Recent isolations of Rhodococcus equi from cavitatory pulmonary disease in patients with AIDS have aroused interest among medical microbiologists in this unusual organism. Earlier isolations from humans had also been in immunosuppressed patients following hemolymphatic tumors or renal transplantation. This organism has been recognized for many years as a cause of a serious pyogranulomatous pneumonia of young foals and is occasionally isolated from granulomatous lesions in several other species, in some cases following immunosuppression. The last decade has seen many advances in understanding o...
Diurnal changes in lactic and pyruvic acid levels and pH values in foals during the first 13 weeks of their life and in their lactating mothers. 1. The diurnal changes in the levels of lactic (LA) and pyruvic (PA) acids and values of pH were studied in standard-bred mares and their foals, for 13 weeks of foal life, throughout 2 years. 2. The studies began when a foal was 7 days old and were repeated every 2 weeks until foals reached 13 weeks of age. 3. Blood samples were taken every 4 hr for one day, each second week. 4. In the LA, PA levels and pH values no diurnal rhythm was stated in lactating mares during study periods. 5. In foals the diurnal rhythm in LA and PA occurred in the 3rd month of their life, with the acrophase at night ...
Tissue glycogen and glucose 6-phosphatase levels in fetal and newborn foals. Glycogen and glucose 6-phosphatase levels were measured in a variety of tissues from fetal, newborn and adult pregnant mares. Hepatic and renal glucose 6-phosphatase activities increased with increasing gestational age and rose further in the 24 h after birth to values similar to those observed in maternal tissues. The glycogen content of fetal liver and skeletal muscle also increased in late gestation, whereas that of fetal lung and cardiac muscle decreased toward term. No significant change in renal glycogen content with fetal age was observed. The values of hepatic glycogen and glucose 6-ph...
Elective cesarean section in mares: eight cases (1980-1989). From 1980 to 1989, 8 cesarean sections were performed on an elective basis in 5 mares. Four mares had partially obstructed pelvic canals; 2 of these mares had previously lost foals because of dystocia. Cervical adhesions that might obstruct passage of the fetus through the pelvic canal was suspected in the fifth mare. Cesarean section was performed prior to mares entering the first stage of labor. Readiness for birth was estimated by development of the mare's mammary gland and the presence of colostrum in the udder. A ventral midline celiotomy provided excellent exposure and healed without com...
Hypothyroidism and respiratory insufficiency in a neonatal foal. Hypothyroidism was diagnosed in a neonatal Thoroughbred foal that was weak, hypothermic, and septicemic. Administration of thyroid-releasing hormone elicited attenuated increases in concentrations of free and total triiodothyronine and thyroxine, as compared with a clinically normal, age-matched foal. The foal died of apparent respiratory insufficiency, pre- and postmortem findings compatible with hypothyroidism included hypothermia, large thyroid glands with distended, colloid-filled follicles, and severe, diffuse atelectasis, with thickened alveolar septae and degenerating alveolar squamous ...
Prolongation of anesthesia with xylazine, ketamine, and guaifenesin in horses: 64 cases (1986-1989). On 74 occasions, 54 horses and 6 foals were anesthetized with xylazine and ketamine or xylazine, guaifenesin, and ketamine, with or without butorphanol. On 64 occasions, anesthesia was prolonged for up to 70 minutes (34 +/- 15 min) by administration of 1 to 9 supplemental IV injections of xylazine and ketamine at approximately a third the initial dosage. All horses except 5 were positioned in lateral recumbency, and oxygen was insufflated. In adult horses, the time from induction of anesthesia to the first supplemental xylazine and ketamine injection was 13 +/- 4 minutes and the time between s...
[Morphology of the immature radius and metacarpus in horses and the relationship to bone infection and osteochondrosis]. In chondro-osseous disease in the foal there are three main categories of lesions: (i) synovitis alone (type S), (ii) synovitis accompanied by osteomyelitis originating in the epiphysis of the juxta-articular bone (type E) and (iii) synovitis accompanied by osteomyelitis originating directly adjacent to the physis of the juxta-articular bone (type P). Observations made in studies of the immature radius and metacarpus provide an explanation for the apparent predisposition of some joints for this disease. Relevant clinical and therapeutical aspects are discussed.
[Successful use of deep-frozen stallion sperm after 23 years of storage at -196 degrees C]. A reduction in the motility of the spermatozoa in stallion semen stored in pellet form for 23 years in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees C could not be seen after thawing. The insemination of a mare with this semen resulted in a normal pregnancy. A normally developed, healthy male foal was born after a gestational period of 321 days.
Pharmacokinetics of gentamicin in newborn to 30-day-old foals. Gentamicin sulfate, equivalent to 4 mg of gentamicin base/kg of body weight, was administered IV to 6 Thoroughbred foals on day 1 (12 to 24 hours of age) and at 5, 10, 15, and 30 days after birth. On day 40 after parturition, gentamicin was given to the mares at a dosage similar to that used in foals. Decay of serum gentamicin concentrations was best described by a 2-compartment model. Among foals, the overall elimination rate constant at 30 days of age was significantly (P less than 0.05) greater than at days 1, 10, and 15. There was, however, no difference in the overall elimination rate con...
Management of anesthesia in the foal. Several unique pharmacologic and physiologic factors must be considered when attempting to anesthetize premature or neonatal foals. Juvenile foals are similar to adults in their physiology and metabolism. Anesthetic drug and protocol selection should reflect the differences between these two age groups. Neonates are best anesthetized using an inhalation technique, whereas older foals can be safely anesthetized with either parenteral or inhalation anesthetic agents. Careful monitoring is absolutely essential when anesthetizing foals. The clinician should plan to routinely administer fluids and ...
