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Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Clinical insights: Recent development in equine neonatology ...
Equine veterinary journal2019; 52(1); 7-10; doi: 10.1111/evj.13200

Clinical insights: Recent development in equine neonatology and foal medicine (2017-2019).

Abstract: No abstract available
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Publication Date: 2019-12-11 PubMed ID: 31821613DOI: 10.1111/evj.13200Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study reviews recent developments in neonatal foal and fetal horse, as well as post-birth mare, care over the past three years (2017-2019). It specifically highlights advancements in pharmaceutical treatments, outcomes of hospitalized foals, and the study of orthopedic diseases in foals.

Levetiracetam for Seizures in Foals

  • The review notes that seizures are a common manifestation of neurological diseases in neonatal foals. They can be caused by various factors like sepsis, neonatal encephalopathy, metabolic disturbances, bacterial meningitis, viral encephalitis, medications, liver failure, trauma, congenital anomalies, or idiopathic epilepsy.
  • Treatment has previously been with diazepam or midazolam for emergencies and phenobarbital for long-term control, but these have undesirable side effects such as sedation, respiratory depression, and toxicity.
  • The paper reviews a recent publication about the use of the anti-epileptic drug levetiracetam in healthy neonatal foals. Levetiracetam possibly reduces the rate of vesicle release of synaptic vesicle protein SV2A, which controls neurotransmitter release.
  • The drug’s uses are underscored by its demonstrated safety and minimal side effects in humans, dogs, cats and adult horses. The review mentions that twice-daily administration of 32 mg/kg either orally or intravenously keeps the plasma concentrations within the desired level. However, its efficiency in neonatal foals requires further research.

Antimicrobials and Pregnant Mares

  • The abstract then turns to the understudied pharmacodynamics and toxicity of antimicrobials given to pregnant mares, especially the impact on the fetus.
  • Despite limited knowledge in this area, administering antimicrobials to pregnant mares can be necessary for treating an infection or placentitis, an inflammation of the placenta. Medications like b-Lactam antimicrobials, aminoglycosides, and potentiated sulphonamides that cross the equine placenta are typically used. Antimicrobials like ceftiofur sodium and ceftiofur crystalline free acid can also be used, but they don’t easily cross the equine placenta.
  • The abstract references two papers published in the Equine Veterinary Journal that examined the impact of the antibiotic enrofloxacin on pregnant mares, the fetal fluids and fetuses themselves. Enrofloxacin can metabolize into ciprofloxacin or be excreted unchanged in urine, but both forms are effective against a variety of equine pathogens. However, enrofloxacin has previously been thought to induce joint problems in young, growing animals.
  • One study showed that no articular lesions were noted in the fetuses of pregnant mares administered enrofloxacin at a dosage of either 5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg, intravenously once a day for 11 consecutive days. It crossed the placenta and was detected in allantoic and amniotic fluids as well as in fetal plasma. The investigators found that enrofloxacin might be beneficial against selective infections affecting the fetal membranes.
  • A follow-up study evaluated cartilage and tendon strength of five-week-old foals born from enrofloxacin-treated mares and found no significant damage compared to those not treated with the antibiotic. This suggests that the administration of enrofloxacin to late pregnant mares could be safe.

Factors Associated with Foal Outcome

  • Next, the abstract mentions studies on factors linked with the short-term or long-term outcomes in neonatal foals, however, it doesn’t provide any specific detail in the excerpt.

Cite This Article

APA
Wong DM. (2019). Clinical insights: Recent development in equine neonatology and foal medicine (2017-2019). Equine Vet J, 52(1), 7-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13200

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 52
Issue: 1
Pages: 7-10

Researcher Affiliations

Wong, D M
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Horse Diseases
  • Horses
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Levetiracetam
  • Neonatology

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Hisaeda K, LE NAT, Kadekaru S, Ono T, Hiasa Y, Ohzawa E, Hata A, Kutara K, Sugimoto K, Une Y, Iwata E, Kunieda T, Zhang C, Kitagawa H. Metabolic, pathological, and genetic analyses of foals neonatal foals that died in Noma horses. J Equine Sci 2025 Jun;36(2):55-65.
    doi: 10.1294/jes.36.55pubmed: 40832002google scholar: lookup
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