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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.
Cholangiohepatitis and pancreatitis secondary to severe gastroduodenal ulceration in a foal. A 2-month-old foal was presented with clinical signs of colic. Gastroduodenal ulceration was suspected. A poor response to medical treatment and signs of gastroduodenal obstruction led to celiotomy and an attempted bypass procedure. The foal was euthanized and postmortem examination revealed gastric ulceration, segmental duodenal stenosis, and severe chronic cholangiohepatitis and pancreatitis.
Fetal development of the segment-specific papillary body in the equine hoof. Fetal development of the unique papillary body and its localized peculiarities in the equine hoof are described based on the study of 51 fetuses, nine newborn foals, and five adult horses. The shape and dimensions of the dermal papillae and lamellae have a formative influence on the structure and physical quality of the corneous hoof capsule with its horn tubules and lamellae. The size and arrangement of these horn structures determine the mechanical quality of hoof horn. Proper horn quality is a prerequisite for the various functions of the hoof capsule, such as protecting the living dermis s...
The course of some bone remodelling plasma metabolites in healthy horses and in horses offered a calcium-deficient diet. An inquiry was carried out to assess the concentrations of plasma metabolites related to bone remodelling in 21 saddle horses of Warmblood breed aged 4-26 years, five draught horses of Ardennes breed aged 4-10 years, and 10 Ardennes foals aged 9-11 months. They were fed according to normal feeding practice in Belgium. The changes in some bone remodelling plasma metabolite concentrations were studied when an unbalanced diet was offered and later corrected for four Warmblood horses. Bone formation was evaluated by bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), total alkaline phosphatase (TALP) and osteocalci...
Effects of lactation on metabolic and reproductive hormones in Lipizzaner mares. In this study, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), leptin, luteinising hormone (LH) and prolactin were analyzed in mares from late pregnancy throughout lactation (group 1, n=46) and in non-lactating mares (group 2, n=11). Plasma GH concentrations in group 1 mares during gestation and lactation were lower than in mares of group 2 (P<0.05). Highest IGF-1 levels were found in lactating mares in the week of foaling. IGF-1 concentrations decreased continuously thereafter. Plasma leptin concentrations decreased after foaling and, for 4 weeks, were lower in lactating than in...
Equine placental teratoma. The placenta from a 300-day-gestational age, female, Arabian equine fetus was examined. Multifocal to coalescing, 0.5- to 4-cm-diameter, white, smooth nodules covered 50% of the placenta. Microscopic evaluation of the nodules revealed undifferentiated germ cells and a haphazard arrangement of immature, mesenchymal stroma, cartilage, squamous cornifying epithelium, scattered ducts and secretory acini lined by cuboidal to columnar epithelium, and mineralized foci. No umbilicus, arrangement about an axial skeleton, or organized polarity of structures was present. The lesion was diagnosed as a pla...
Comparative disposition kinetics and plasma protein binding of gentamicin sulphate in three juvenile animal species. The pharmacokinetics of gentamicin was studied in lambs, calves and foals, respectively after single intravenous (i.v.) injections of 5 mg kg(-1) body weight. The plasma concentration-time curves of gentamicin sulphate were best fitted to follow a two-compartment open model in calves and foals and a three-compartment open model in lambs. Gentamicin showed high plasma level at 5 min post-injection. Then its concentration decreased gradually until its minimum detectable level at 10 and 12 h post-injection in foals and calves, respectively, was reached. In contrast, the plasma concentrations were...
Identification of foals infected with Parascaris equorum apparently resistant to ivermectin. During September 2002, routine fecal examinations performed on 16 Thoroughbred foals residing on a farm outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada, revealed low to moderate numbers of Parascaris equorum eggs in feces from 9 of the 16. All foals were then treated with ivermectin at a dose of 220 to 280 microg/kg (100 to 127 microg/lb), p.o., and fecal egg counts were repeated 12 days later. Fecal P. equorum egg counts increased between the first and second fecal examination in 7 foals, were unchanged in 1, and decreased in 5. Fecal samples were collected 13 days after treatment from 21 additional foals t...
Evaluation of treatment of colostrum-deprived kittens with equine IgG. To evaluate equine IgG as a treatment for kittens with failure of passive transfer of immunity (FPT). Methods: 13 specific pathogen-free queens and their 77 kittens. Methods: Kittens were randomized at birth into 9 treatment groups. One group contained colostrum-fed (nursing) kittens; the other groups contained colostrum-deprived kittens that were administered supplemental feline or equine IgG PO or SC during the first 12 hours after birth. Blood samples were collected at serial time points from birth to 56 days of age for determination of serum IgG concentrations. The capacity of equine IgG t...
Analysis of anamnestic immune responses in adult horses and priming in neonates induced by a DNA vaccine expressing the vapA gene of Rhodococcus equi. Rhodococcus equi remains one of the most important pathogens of early life in horses, yet conventional vaccines to prevent rhodococcal pneumonia have not been successful. DNA vaccination offers an alternative to conventional vaccines with specific advantages for immunization of neonates. We developed a DNA vaccine expressing the vapA gene (pVR1055vapA) that induced an anamnestic response characterized by virulence associated protein A (VapA)-specific IgG antibodies in sera and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as well as VapA-specific proliferation of pulmonary lymphocytes when tested in adu...
[Gutteral pouch tympany in German warmblood foals: influence of sex, inbreeding and blood proportions of founding breeds as well as estimation of heritability]. The objective of the present study was to analyse the importance of the influences of sex, inbreeding coefficient, proportion of genes of the original breeds and the additive genetic contribution to the occurrence of guttural pouch tympany in foals belonging to German Warmblood breeds. Foals affected by guttural pouch tympany were ascertained in the Clinic of Horses, School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. This data set comprised 22 German Warmblood foals with guttural pouch tympany, which were patients of the Clinic for Horses between 1994 and 2001. Information on the pedigrees and all availa...
Clostridium difficile: prevalence in horses and environment, and antimicrobial susceptibility. Clostridium difficile has been associated with acute colitis in mature horses. Objective: To survey C. difficile colonisation of the alimentary tract with age, occurrence of diarrhoea and history of antibiotic therapy; and to study the occurrence and survival of C. difficile in the environment and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated strains. Methods: A total of 777 horses of different breeds, age and sex were studied. Further, 598 soil samples and 434 indoor surface samples were examined. Antimicrobial susceptibility of 52 strains was investigated by Etest for 10 antibiotics. Results: In ...
A survey of equine abortion, stillbirth and neonatal death in the UK from 1988 to 1997. A detailed review of laboratory records for equine abortion is fundamental in establishing current disease trends and suggesting problems important for further research. Objective: To review the causes of abortion and neonatal death in equine diagnostic submissions to the Animal Health Trust over a 10 year period. Methods: The diagnoses in 1252 equine fetuses and neonatal foals were reviewed and analysed into categories. Results: Problems associated with the umbilical cord, comprising umbilical cord torsion and the long cord/cervical pole ischaemia disorder, were the most common diagnoses (38....
Use of a dynamic compression plate and a cable cerclage system for repair of a fracture of the radius in a horse. A pregnant 9-year-old Peruvian Paso mare was evaluated because of a fracture involving the left radius. On examination, grade IV/V lameness of the left forelimb was observed; radiography of the limb revealed a longitudinal oblique displaced fracture that extended from the caudal cortex of the radial mid-diaphysis into the humeroradial joint. To minimize the development of degenerative joint disease in the humeroradial joint, repair with internal fixation was recommended. A dynamic compression plate was applied to the cranial aspect of the radius; three 2-mm stainless steel cable cerclages were...
A survey of reproductive success in South African Thoroughbred horse breeding from 1975 to 1999. The data and an analysis of the statistical summaries from the 'Return of Mares' of the General Stud Book of The Jockey Club of Southern Africa from 1975-1999 are presented. The total number of mares covered per season ranged from 7393 (1992) to 5180 (1995). The total living produce in the period surveyed was 95 317 foals. The categories of data examined include: the total number of mares covered per season; the total numbers and percentage of their living produce; the total numbers and percentage dead produce, 'slips' and foals born dead, barren and 'no return' mares; and the total number of ...
Echo-Doppler findings of a carotid-jugular fistula in a foal. A seven-month-old male Standardbred was referred with a 4-month history of left jugular groove distension. On physical examination severely dilated left maxillary, linguofacial and jugular veins were appreciable. Blood gas analysis results indicated higher degree of oxygenation in the left jugular vein. Bi-directional flow signals, with normal systolic and early diastolic flow, and late diastolic retrograde flow, were noted on pulsed-wave Doppler interrogation and color flow mapping of the left jugular blood flow. A systolic-diastolic signal with spectral broadening was detected when positioni...
Aid to the antemortem diagnosis of Fell pony foal syndrome by the analysis of B lymphocytes. Fell pony foals are affected by a congenital fatal immunodeficiency that commonly leads to anaemia and lymphopenia. Previous work has shown that the foals' circulating subpopulations of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes are unaffected. In this study it was shown that the mean population of B lymphocytes in 10 affected foals was less than 10 per cent of that in normal foals.
Gastric ulceration in an equine neonate. A 24-hour-old colt presented with clinical signs consistent with gastric ulceration. Treatment was initiated with a histamine type-2 receptor antagonist and clinical signs resolved. Gastroscopy at 16 d confirmed the presence of a gastric ulcer. Although gastric ulceration is common in foals, it is rarely reported in foals this young.
24-hour secretion patterns of plasma oestradiol 17beta in pony mares in late gestation. The mare exhibits nocturnal uterine contractions in the last 6 days of gestation. It is hypothesized that estradiol 17beta (O17beta) may be associated with the nightly increase in uterine contractions. The 24-h secretion pattern of plasma O17beta was measured in 3 pony mares in late gestation to identify changes in release as the mare neared parturition. Blood was collected weekly at 08:00 hours beginning on day 240 and every third day from day 330 until delivery. Serial blood samples were collected from each mare every 30-min for 24-h beginning on gestation day 310 and every sixth day thereaf...
Lower respiratory problems of the neonate. The newborn foal can experience problems of the lower respiratory tract that are unique to the neonate. The transition to extrauterine life usually occurs rapidly and in a coordinated manner, but problems associated with the peripartum period, including placentitis, dystocia, infection, and trauma, can result in conditions that compromise gas exchange in the newborn foal. This article reviews the normal transition and presents some of the problems seen in these small patients.
Immunoglobulin G subisotype responses of pneumonic and healthy, exposed foals and adult horses to Rhodococcus equi virulence-associated proteins. Rhodococcus equi causes severe pyogranulomatous pneumonia in foals and in immunocompromised humans. Replication of virulent isolates within macrophages correlates with the presence of a large plasmid which encodes a family of seven virulence-associated proteins (VapA and VapC to VapH), whose functions are unknown. Although cell-mediated immunity is thought to be crucial in eliminating R. equi infection, antibody partially protects foals. The antibody response to both VapA and VapC was similar in six adult horses and six naturally exposed but healthy foals, as well as in eight foals with R. equ...
Comparison of methods for the diagnosis of equine herpesvirus type 1 infection. The objective of the investigations was to study the occurrence of the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection in aborted equine fetuses and in newborn foals and to compare the sensitivity of virus isolation, immunohistochemistry and histology in 101 cases and of fetal serology in 68 cases in the diagnosis of the infection. Out of the 93 aborted equine fetuses and 8 weak foals, 15 (14.9%) (14 fetuses and 1 foal) proved to be EHV-1 infected by immunohistochemical and 13 (12.9%) by virological investigation. Characteristic microscopic changes were seen in several organs in all cases, while i...
[Reliability of the glutaraldehyde test to measure gamma-globulin levels in foals and the use of this test to check colostrum intake of foals]. The glutaraldehyde coagulation test is a semi-quantitative test used to determine the gammaglobulin concentration in serum. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of the different modifications of this test by determining the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and the prevalence of hypogammaglobulinemia in foals. The results of the glutaraldehyde coagulation test were compared with the serum gammaglobulin concentration as a reference value, determined by measuring total serum protein and the serum protein spectrum. It was concluded that the glut...
Preliminary investigation of the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG in horses: fecal recovery following oral administration and safety. This study was designed to evaluate whether Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (LGG), an extensively studied probiotic organism in humans, can colonize the intestines of adult horses and foals. Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG was administered to adult horses at doses of 1 x 10(9) CFU/50kg bodyweight (BW)/day (group 1, 7 horses), 1 x 10(10) colony forming units/ 50kg BW/day (group 2, 7 horses) and 5 x 10(10) colony forming units/50kg BW/day (group 3, 7 horses) for 5 d. Foals received 2 x 10(10) colony forming units/50kg BW/day (group 1, 7 foals) or 1 x 10(11) colony forming units/50kg BW/day (...
Characterization of Clostridium difficile isolates from foals with diarrhea: 28 cases (1993-1997). To determine molecular characteristics of Clostridium difficile isolates from foals with diarrhea and identify clinical abnormalities in affected foals. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 28 foals with C difficile-associated diarrhea. Methods: Toxigenicity, molecular fingerprinting, and antibiotic susceptibility patterns were determined. Information on signalment, clinical findings, results of clinicopathologic testing, whether antimicrobials had been administered prior to development of diarrhea, and outcome was obtained from the medical records. Results: Twenty-three (82%) foals survived...
Evaluation of a commercially available hyperimmune plasma product for prevention of naturally acquired pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi in foals. To determine efficacy of a commercially available hyperimmune plasma product for prevention of naturally acquired pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi in foals. Methods: Randomized clinical trial. Methods: 165 foals. Methods: Foals were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (hyperimmune plasma or nontreated controls). Foals with failure of passive transfer (FPT) of immunity were treated with hyperimmune plasma and evaluated as a third group. Foals that received plasma were given 950 ml between 1 and 10 days of age and between 30 and 50 days of age. A tracheobronchial aspirate was obtained from fo...
Evaluation of white blood cell concentration, plasma fibrinogen concentration, and an agar gel immunodiffusion test for early identification of foals with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia. To evaluate WBC concentration, plasma fibrinogen concentration, and an agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for early identification of Rhodococcus equi-infected foals. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 162 foals from a farm with enzootic R equi infection. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from each foal at 4-week intervals for measurement of WBC and plasma fibrinogen concentrations and at 2-week intervals for detection of anti-R equi antibody by an AGID assay. Diagnostic performance of WBC and fibrinogen concentrations was assessed by use of receiver operating characteristic curve analy...
