15June 2009 CUMBRIA FARMER CumbriaHorse
Brought to you in association with Paragon Veterinary Group
Vet's CasebookVet's Casebook
Problems rare, but can be serious
Liz Jackson, of Paragon Group, discusses foaling and how owners can help
How common are foaling
problems and is there anything
I can do to prevent them?
Foaling problems are rare, with
only 4-6 per cent of mares expe-
riencing problems. This is low com-
pared with cattle where up to 25
per cent of cows have difficulties.
Powerful uterine contractions
and straining mean foaling nor-
mally takes place incredibly
quickly with the foal being
expelled in 15-30 minutes. If the
foal is incorrectly positioned or
becomes stuck, these continued
contractions quickly put the life of
the foal in danger and can go on to
damage and exhaust the mare and
also put her life in danger.
Any foaling that does not
progress rapidly is an urgent vet-
erinary emergency. It is important
that you keep the telephone num-
ber of your vet close at hand when
your mare is due to foal.
The mare should be maintained
in good body condition and not
allowed to become overweight as
this is associated with difficulties
at birth.
Provide a clean, safe, quiet envi-
ronment for her to foal in. A large
box bedded with straw is ideal or,
if the weather is fine, a well
drained pasture.
Prepare your foaling kit in
advance. It should contain the vet's
phone number, a tail bandage for
the mare, a clean bucket, towel,
some antiseptic soap and an appro-
priate naval spray for the foal.
How do I know when my mare
is going to foal?
The udder begins to enlarge two
to four weeks before foaling. This
is known as `bagging-up'. The
teats enlarge four to six days
before foaling. In the final 48
hours there is usually visible
relaxation of the vulva and the
appearance of colostrum at the
tips of the teats and down the
insides of the back legs � known
as `waxing up'.
In the early stages of labour the
mare becomes restless and shows
mild signs of colic. Mares often
give birth at night or during the
early hours, so they need regular
checks when the signs indicate
foaling is imminent. The use of
foaling alarms or CCTV camera
systems should be considered.
When my mare starts to foal
what should I do to help?
Foaling is split into three stages:
Onset of labour � uterine
(womb) contractions begin and
the mare may appear restless and
almost colicy with mild sweating
and frequent passing of dung.
This can last for an hour and
the mare should not be disturbed
during this time. Stage one ends
when the `waters break' which is
easily seen from the mares vulva.
Birth of the foal � usually
lasts 15-30 minutes. The mare will
usually lie down and have abdom-
inal contractions. The foal should
appear front feet first, hooves fac-
ing down, one slightly in front of
the other, followed by nose, head,
neck and shoulders.
After delivery, it is not uncom-
mon for the mare to rest lying
down, with the hind limbs of the
foal still in the birth canal and
with the umbilical cord intact. Do
not to disturb the mare as there is
important blood transfer from
mare to foal during this time.
The placenta is expelled � this
normally occurs within one hour
of foaling. If the placenta has not
been fully expelled within six
hours, seek veterinary attention.
The placenta should be kept for
examination to ensure it is intact
and no part remains within the
mare. Retention can result in
toxic shock syndrome and lamini-
tis within a short period of time.
Throughout the foaling process,
quiet observation without disturb-
ing the mare is of paramount
importance. However, if the foal-
ing is not proceeding rapidly as
described, prompt veterinary
attention is crucial.
What else should I check in the
mare and foal?
The foal should stand within
one to two hours and be vigor-
ously suckling the mare within
three hours of birth. The mare's
first milk (`colostrum') contains
antibodies vital to the foal's
immune system. The ability to
absorb the antibodies declines
rapidly after birth.
The foal should pass its first
droppings (`meconium') in the
first day of life. This is often
accompanied by straining and
tail-swishing. The appearance of
pale, pasty `milk-dung' indicates
all meconium has been passed.
Unproductive straining from the
foal and/or colic signs indicate a
meconium impaction and veteri-
nary attention should be sought.
OWNER SPOTS SIGNS OF TROUBLE
DAVID and Katherine Wilkinson
from Flakebridge, Appleby, have
been breeding fell ponies for
almost 25 years and have bred
several winners in the show ring.
Each year, they have about
four mares to foal, so they have
plenty of experience of both
normal and problem foalings.
On May 7, David woke early
and went to check Brackenbank
Rosie. He knew she was close to
foaling, but there had been no
sign of her waxing up the
previous evening.
When he arrived at the field,
he saw she was straining to foal,
but something was wrong � only
the feet were visible with no
sign of the nose of the foal.
He put his hand inside and
could feel the head further back
and twisted to the side. He tried
to straighten it up, but quickly
realised it was not going to be
an easy job so immediately
called the vet for assistance.
Rosie kept trying to lie down
and push the foal out, but David
and Katherine knew her
powerful contractions would kill
the foal and could cause damage
to her. They kept her walking
around and discouraged her
from lying down and straining
until the vet arrived.
Rosie's strong contractions
made examination and correction
of the head position difficult, so
she was given a sedative and
epidural. A rope was placed on
the foal's head and it was pulled
up into the birth canal. Once the
head was corrected with some
assistance pulling on the legs, the
foal was born.
Rosie was given painkillers
and antibiotics and the placenta
was gently removed and her
uterus washed out. A few hours
later the foal was up on its feet
and suckling from Rosie.
Both Rosie and her foal have
continued to progress well.
Doing well: Brackenbank
Rosie with her as yet
unnamed colt foal
STUART WALKER

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