Foals can be affected by diseases and conditions in the same way to adults; however, the critical difference is the speed at which conditions progress. Foals deteriorate rapidly from looking a bit low, to going “off suck” and collapse within hours. It is crucial foals are monitored regularly, especially within the first few days of life.
The Newborn FoalWe recommend that you have your mare and foal examined after foaling. The timing of this examination will vary depending on a number of factors. Be aware that within the first 6 hours of life it is critical that:
If any of the these events is in doubt, or your foal appears weak, disorientated or abnormal in any other way, please ring us as a matter of urgency. We may be able to give you advice over the telephone, but it is always better to alert us early of a potential problem.
Foals will usually try to stand within 15-45 minutes, be standing successfully within one hour and be nursing at 2-3 hours after birth. It is true that some foals are slow to stand and suck; but their energy reserves deplete very quickly, so a visit to give them colostrum for that vital energy and immunity is always sensible if there is a delay. Foals will nurse often and sleep in between. Foals need 1-2L of colostrum within the first 6 hours, They feed little and often, taking in ~250mls per hour, over several small feeds. The foal stomach is small, so if the foal is not nursing, they need to be fed 1-2 hourly.
The first sign of a weak foal is often one that is going “off suck”. This can be difficult to recognise as foals will often look like they are sucking without actually taking any milk. Checking the mare’s udder is useful: it should never be firm to the touch if your foal is nursing appropriately. A foal that has little or no ability to suckle will not be able to bottle feed. Attempting to bottle feed is likely to cause aspiration of milk and subsequent pneumonia, rapidly worsening the problems. This is why we will usually pass a stomach tube to give colostrum and milk.Keeping the foal in a clean environment is important to reduce infection risk by the faeco-oral route. Please make sure you use ample fresh bedding and skip out as often as you can. Straw makes an ideal bedding material.
Infections tend to either affect the gastrointestinal system, often causing diarrhoea (scours); the respiratory system, but foals rarely cough; or the limbs, causing 1 or more swollen joints and lameness. Septicaemia happens very quickly in the foal and is life-threatening. If you are concerned your foal may have an infection, please contact us.
WormingIf you have a good worming programme and your mare was wormed regularly throughout foaling, it is unlikely that you will need to start worming your foal before 4-5 months of age. Tapeworms are not a problem in very young foals, so the first time tapeworming is necessary is after their first grazing season (around October as a weanling). If you are unsure of your mare’s worming history; you are keeping the foal on a yard with many other mares and foals; or your foal is not growing as well as it should be, please contact us and we will advise you on the most appropriate wormer to use and start a bespoke programme to suit your individual needs.
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