Prognostic Indicators for Survival and Athletic Outcome in Critically Ill Neonatal Foals.

The research article discusses how the understanding and treatment of critically ill newborn horses has improved over time, resulting in higher rates of survival and better outcomes for these foals.

Equine Neonatal Intensive Care

• The article indicates that equine neonatal intensive care units have significantly broadened knowledge and understanding of the normal and abnormal physiology of newborn horses. This has translated into improved treatments for critically ill equine neonates – young horses in the first few days of life.
• With the application of this knowledge, survival rates for these ill foals have risen significantly since the 1980s. The article points out that survival rates increased from a bit over half to 80 percent or more at most facilities.

Challenges and Successes

• Despite these improvements, severely septic foals (those infected with disease-causing bacteria) and extremely premature foals (those born significantly before their expected birth date) still present large treatment challenges. These categories of equines pose difficulty due to the severity of their condition and the level of specialized care they require.
• However, the report indicates that foals with less severe sepsis (an inflammatory response by the body to fight off severe infection) and foals facing adversities during birth (such as complications from dystocia – difficult labor, or placentitis – inflammation of the placenta) survive at higher rates than before. This increase in survival rates leads to these foals living long enough to leave the hospital and meet the owners’ performance expectations.

This detailed examination of the treatment and outcomes for critically ill newborn horses highlights the advancements in veterinary care while also outlining the challenges still ahead.