It’s that time of year again – foals! If you are expecting a Foal this year, there are a few things you should keep in mind, and on hand. The most obvious is to be sure you know when your mare is expected to foal. If she was artificially bred, your vet can give you an idea. There is a wide range of normal gestation lengths for mares, but generally we say 330 days. I’ve had normal, healthy foals born from 300 to 367 days, although the ones on the ends of this range should be more carefully evaluated for possible issues. Be sure the mare approaches her due date in good shape and on ideal nutrition to help grow a better foal and produce high quality colostrum and milk. Prior to foaling make sure you have a safe place for her to foal with an appropriate fence – many foals roll under a board or rail fence, and these often need some modifications to guard against this.
When you see the mare showing signs of getting ready (tail head relaxation, rapid udder development, waxing of teats, restlessness…), make sure you wash her udder, wrap her tail, and clean the stall if she will foal inside. Once you have a foal, be diligent about keeping the stall clean and dry, and keeping the mare’s udder clean from birth drainage. A day or two after, wash any birth fluids from her tail and back legs in mild soap and rinse completely. This is a good time to inspect her for any trauma as well.
The most important thing to do for the foal is to treat the navel three times a day for the first three days. This prevents bacteria from the environment from migrating up the opening and causing illness.
The best treatments are diluted betadine solution (it should be the color of iced tea), or diluted chlorhexidine (1 part chlorhex to 9 parts water). Either immerse the cord stump in this liquid, or spray it. If you immerse, change out the liquid each day. If the mare has been appropriately vaccinated, there is no reason to vaccinate the foal; there are actually important reasons not to vaccinate a newborn.
You should have a foal kit ready with everything you might need: clean dry towels, scissors, 12 inches of clean cord or a new shoelace in case the umbilicus is bleeding excessively, a dose of banamine in case the mare is crampy, navel treatment as discussed above, an enema or two – many foals are constipated, and your vet’s phone numbers, just in case! I always want to hear from my clients when they have a new foal born so we can talk about everything and make sure all sounds normal with the mare and the foal, and schedule the post-foaling examinations.
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