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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.
Influence of age and breed of equid on plasma copper and zinc concentrations. Plasma ceruloplasmin activities and plasma Cu and Zn concentrations were determined in 215 clinically normal equids of various ages and breeds. Newborn foals, regardless of breed, were hypocupremic, compared with adolescent and mature horses. The mean plasma Cu concentration of newborn Standardbred-Thoroughbred (STD-TB) foals was 2.9 mumol/L, which was about one-sixth of plasma Cu concentrations of mature horses. Newborn draft-cross foals had higher (4.6 mumol/L) plasma Cu concentrations than did newborn STD-TB foals, but plasma Cu content was only one-fifth of the dams' concentrations. Draft-...
Phalangeal and navicular bone hypoplasia and hoof malformation in the hind limbs of a foal. Anatomical anomalies in the hind feet of a seven month old Appaloosa foal were identified and investigated through the use of gross anatomical dissection, radiography and angiography. Abnormalities were restricted to the distal aspect of both hind legs, the right hind leg being more severely affected. Anatomically the right foot resembled that of an equine fetus of approximately 120 days gestational age. Disruption of vascular perfusion to hoof structures was evident in both hind legs and was related to areas of abnormal bone conformation as well as to areas of abnormal ossification and calcif...
Seasonal changes in the red blood cell indices in Arabian brood mares and their foals. In 34 pure-bred Arabian horses, divided into four groups (Gr. I, 10 pregnant mares; Gr. II, seven barren mares; Gr. III, 10 foals born in 1981; Gr. IV, seven foals born in 1982), seasonal changes in haemoglobin level, haematocrit value, sedimentation rate, red blood cell number and diameter, percentage of erythroblasts and reticulocytes, and index F were studied. Seasonal cyclicity was found in all groups in the haemoglobin level, haematocrit value and RBC diameter. It was also found in the sedimentation rate (PCV) and in index F, but not for the youngest foals (Gr. IV). For the RBC number the...
Relationship between nutrient intake, growth and body composition of the nursing foal. The milk and nutrient intakes of 21 nursing foals of heavy breeds (adult weight: 800 kg) were determined at 1, 4 and 8 weeks of age. Lactose intake increased (P is less than 0.01) from 1 300 g/day at 1 week of age to 1 800 g/d at 8 weeks; fat decreased (P is less than 0.01) from 400 g/d to 300 g/d and protein did not vary (600 g/d). Energy and nitrogen intakes did not depend on the source of energy in the mother's diet. Milk, energy and nitrogen intakes were well related (r = 0.74 to 0.81) with foal growth between 1 and 4 weeks, but not between 4 and 8 weeks. The composition of weight gain sho...
Use of dopamine hydrochloride during general anesthesia in the treatment of advanced atrioventricular heart block in four foals. Heart block is a relatively common arrhythmia in the adult horse. It may be a normal physiologic phenomenon or it may have pathologic implication. Four foals in which advanced heart block developed during anesthesia were unresponsive to atropine sulfate and supportive treatment alone. Resolution of the heart blocks was achieved after the addition of dopamine hydrochloride to the therapeutic regimen.
Preliminary studies on the measurement of conjunctival oxygen tension in the foal. The capability of a transconjunctival oxygen monitoring system to provide an accurate and reliable means of observing arterial oxygenation trends was evaluated in 12 horse and pony foals between 5 and 20 days of age. Ten of the foals were anesthetized with isoflurane in oxygen and nitrous oxide, and 2 foals were conscious. Inspired oxygen concentration was manipulated by differing proportions of oxygen and nitrous oxide in the fresh gas supplied to the breathing circuit. With arterial oxygen tension values ranging from less than 20 to greater than 400 mm of Hg, all foals had significant positi...
Passive transfer failure in horses: incidence and causative factors on a breeding farm. A prospective study was performed to determine the incidence and associated maternal and managemental factors of failure of passive transfer (FPT) in foals on a breeding farm. The zinc sulfate turbidity test (ZSTT) and latex agglutination test (LAT) were compared for accuracy in estimating serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G of foals, as determined by single radial immunodiffusion (SRID). Complete past and present foaling histories of 136 Standardbred mares were obtained. All foalings were witnessed by farm attendants, and colostral samples were collected from mares within 2 hours after parturition. Fo...
Atrial septal defect of the persistent ostium primum type with hypoplastic right ventricle in a Welsh pony foal. Valvular competency of the foramen ovale (patent foramen ovale) is regarded as a common finding in the neonatal foal and usually occurs in isolation. True atrial septal defects appear to be uncommon and are usually associated with other congenital cardiac lesions. The present report describes a case of atrial septal defect type 1 (persistent ostium primum) complicated by hypoplastic right ventricle, and tricuspid dysplasia, in a Welsh Mountain pony foal, and discusses the embryogenesis of the abnormality. A critical review of the literature suggests that atrial septal defects may occur more fr...
Closed reduction and blind cross-pinning for repair of a proximal tibial fracture in a foal. A 4-day-old foal underwent repair of a proximal metaphyseal fracture of the tibia. After closed reduction, fixation was achieved by use of blind cross-pinning. Thirty-five days after surgery, radiography demonstrated complete healing. The foal was mildly lame 4 months after repair of the fracture. Blind cross-pinning may be considered as a method of repair for certain long bone fractures in small foals.
Treatment of Corynebacterium equi pneumonia of foals: a review. Combined antimicrobial drug treatment was recommended for foals with Corynebacterium equi pneumonia. The preferred combination is orally administered erythromycin estolate (25 mg/kg of body weight, QID) plus rifampin (10 mg/kg, BID). Erythromycin estolate also can be combined for synergistic effect with sodium benzyl penicillin given IV (100,000 IU/kg, QID) or with ampicillin given IV (11 to 15 mg/kg, QID). A third choice is sodium benzyl penicillin IV with gentamicin IM (2.2 mg/kg, TID) or with kanamycin IM (10 mg/kg, QID). Gentamicin should be combined with penicillin G or ampicillin and not...
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi infection in foals. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to diagnose Corynebacterium (Rhodococcus) equi infection in foals. In tests done with different antigen-extraction procedures (sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium deoxycholate, polyoxy-ethylene [9] p-tert-octylphenol, polyoxy-ethylene [9-10] p-tert-octylphenol, sonification, homogenization, and heat treatment at 121 C), Tween 20 was a satisfactory reactive antigen. Using hyperimmune rabbit sera or infected foal sera, we investigated the specificity and the sensitivity of the ELISA with the Tween 20 antigen of the different serotypes or of the is...
Duration of maternally derived antibodies against equine influenza in newborn foals. Serum antibody concentrations against influenza A-equi-1 virus and A-equi-2 virus were measured in a group of 18 foals from birth to 4 months of age. More than 50% of the foals were seronegative to A-equi-1 virus infection by 4 weeks of age, with titers of less than or equal to 1:16. For A-equi-2 virus, more than 50% of the foals were seronegative by 2 weeks of age, with titers of less than or equal to 1:8. Passively derived antibodies against influenza A-equi-1 virus and A-equi-2 virus in foals obtained from recently vaccinated mares and from mares not vaccinated within 6 months before foalin...
Oral lactose tolerance test in foals: technique and normal values. Oral lactose tolerance tests were evaluated in 25 healthy foals (principals) assigned to 4 groups of approximately 1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks of age. Lactose monohydrate (1 g/kg of body weight [in a 20% water solution]) was administered via nasogastric tube after a 4-hour fast. Plasma glucose concentrations were monitored before dosing (0 minutes) and sequentially for 300 minutes. Six control foals were given a volume of water equivalent to the volume of lactose monohydrate administered to principal foals. After oral lactose loading, mean plasma glucose concentrations of all princi...
Strongylus equinus: development and pathological effects in the equine host. The development and pathological effects of Strongylus equinus were studied in 17 pony foals and one horse foal raised in isolation and examined at necropsy from seven days to 40 wk postinfection (PI). Following inoculation of 15000 +/- 6% or 16000 +/- 6% infective larvae by stomach tube foals were monitored for clinical signs and selected blood changes. Larvae penetrated the wall of the ileum, cecum and colon. The molt to the fourth stage occurred mostly in the wall of the ventral colon before 2 wk PI and larvae attained the liver mainly via the peritoneal cavity as early as eight days PI and...
Studies on the immunogenicity of Streptococcus equi vaccines in foals. The ability of either formalin-treated or heat-inactivated whole Streptococcus equi cell vaccines or partially purified M-protein of S. equi to give rise to protective antibody levels was studied in Standardbred foals by serological means. Two commercial preparations, i.e. a beta-propiolactone killed whole S. equi cell bacterin and a cell-free extract of S. equi cells were included in the study. The mean passive hemagglutination antibody titers (10 X log2) in sera of foals given either four doses of formalin-treated whole cell vaccine or an initial dose of formalin-treated followed by three do...
In vitro phagocytosis and killing of Corynebacterium equi by alveolar macrophages of foals. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed 5 times, sequentially, on 3 healthy foals while each foal was 6 to 63 days of age. Phagocytosis and bactericidal assays were performed on recovered alveolar macrophages. Corynebacterium equi and alveolar macrophages at a ratio of 10:1 were incubated for 1 hour in medium containing 1% heat-inactivated rabbit anti-C equi serum. After incubation, greater than 90% of the alveolar macrophages contained at least 1 ingested bacterium and each alveolar macrophage contained 9.4 +/- 1.0 bacteria (mean +/- SE). After alveolar macrophages and C equi were incubated for ...
Activities of key enzymes of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism in middle gluteal muscle from trained and untrained horses. The effect of physical training on the in vitro activities of key enzymes that provide quantitative information on the maximum capacities of anaerobic and aerobic metabolism has been investigated in the gluteal muscle of the horse. Training had no effect on the activities of 6-phosphofructokinase or creatine kinase, suggesting that there was no effect on the capacity of anaerobic metabolism in this muscle. However, the activities of hexokinase and citrate synthase were increased, indicating that training increased the capacity of aerobic metabolism. For comparative purposes, muscle fibre compo...
Changes in patterns of luteinizing hormone secretion before and after the first ovulation in the postpartum mare. To determine whether luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion during the first estrous cycle postpartum is characterized by pulsatile release, circulating LH concentrations were measured in 8 postpartum mares, 4 of which had been treated with 150 mg progesterone and 10 mg estradiol daily for 20 days after foaling to delay ovulation. Blood samples were collected every 15 min for 8 h on 4 occasions: 3 times during the follicular phase (Days 2-4, 5-7, and 8-11 after either foaling or end of steroid treatment), and once during the luteal phase (Days 5-8 after ovulation). Ovulation occurred in 4 mares 13...
Isolation of equine coital exanthema virus (equine herpesvirus 3) from the nostril of a foal. The virus causing equine coital exanthema (equine herpesvirus 3) was isolated from a lesion on the nostril of a 2-month-old foal. One week after the mare had returned from a stallion station, vesicular lesions developed on her vulva. They were diagnosed clinically as coital exanthema, and 5 days later a lesion developed on the nostril of her foal. This case is an example of horse-to-horse transmission of coital exanthema virus without coitus. A laboratory diagnosis is necessary to differentiate viruses that cause vesicular lesions about the oral and nasal cavities of horses.
Inherited nuclear cataracts in the Morgan horse. Congenital cataracts affecting the fetal and embryonal lens nucleus were found in 12 Morgan horses. Ten of the 12 affected animals were sired by the same stallion and the condition also affected his female half sibling. Although females were almost three times more likely to be affected than males (9 vs 3), the difference was not significant. The ratio of 11 normal to 10 affected offspring by the affected stallion is compatible with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance.
Periosteal transection of the proximal phalanx in foals with angular limb deformities of the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal area. Bilateral angular limb deformities of the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal regions in 2 foals are discussed. Periosteal transection was used to correct the deformity in both foals. In one foal, only the right forelimb was treated because the deformity in the left forelimb did not appear to warrant surgery. Subsequently, an angular limb deformity, which could have been prevented, developed in the left forelimb. A third foal developed a deformity in the proximal phalanx after periosteal transection of the distal third metatarsal bone.
A collaborative project in veterinary practice: developing a model of equine prematurity. The development and design of a project in collaborative research which originated from a problem identified in practice, namely prematurity in the newly born foal, is described here. The project established a model of equine prematurity for the purpose of studying the diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment of the condition. It involved practitioners and full time research workers in a number of veterinary and medical institutes.
Use of cancellous bone graft in treatment of navicular bone osteomyelitis in a foal. A 3-month-old Quarter Horse filly stepped on a fence staple and developed navicular bone osteomyelitis of the right hindfoot. A 1.5-cm spherical portion of medullary cavity containing purulent material was debrided and flushed with 0.9% NaCl solution. Cancellous bone was collected from a caudal sternebra and placed into the defect. The solar defect had filled with granulation tissue and was epithelialized 6 weeks after surgery. At 6-month follow-up evaluation, the navicular bone defect had healed and the foal was sound on the limb. Cancellous bone grafting may have merit for the treatment of n...
The use of the glutaraldehyde coagulation test for detection of hypogammaglobulinaemia in neonatal foals. The effectiveness of the glutaraldehyde coagulation test (GCT) in detecting failure to acquire colostral immunoglobulin in neonatal foals was investigated. This was achieved by comparing and correlating results from the GCT with those obtained by single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) of equine IgG. The GCT was found to be a practical, inexpensive, semiquantitative test with a high specificity and sensitivity at critical IgG levels.
Arterial thrombosis as the cause of lameness in a foal. A 3-day-old foal was examined because of forelimb lameness. Brachial artery occlusion was diagnosed. The foal was euthanatized. Necropsy revealed brachial artery thrombosis and an atrial septal defect.
Periosteal transection and stripping for treatment of angular limb deformities in foals: clinical observations. Correction was attempted in 27 foals (41 limbs) with angular deformities at the carpal region (35 limbs), metatarsophalangeal region (5 limbs) and distal end of the tibia (1 limb) by hemicircumferential transection of the periosteum (HCTP) and periosteal stripping (PS). Successful outcome was determined by straight limbs and soundness, which was achieved in 81.5% of the cases, with 60% of the horses in performance training. Follow-up evaluation for all foals was completed at various times after physiologic closure of the physes. In none of the limbs was the deformity overcorrected. Owners of f...
