Neonatal Care

• Neonatal period


  First 7 days of postnatal life
• Immediate adaptation needed to enable respiration

  Respiration should occur within 30 seconds
• Stimulus for breathing

  • Respiratory system (lungs, alveoli etc.)
• Foetal lungs

  Must sufficiently mature for respiration to occur
• Surfactant

  Secreted by pneumocytes (type 2 alveolar epithelial cells)
• If neonate is having difficulty breathing

  1. Remove mucus from mouth and nasal passages

  2. Stimulate thorax by vigorous massage

  3. Blow over nose and mouth (not mouth-to-mouth)

  4. Cold air

  5. Flick frenulum of nose sharply

  6. Pour cold water into ear

  7. Oxygen and face-mask (studs)

  8. Dopram
• If still not breathing, heartbeat needs to be monitored
• No heartbeat = waste of time continuing
• Once breathing is established, check umbilicus

  1. May need to manually tear and break cord (do not cut)

  2. Control excessive bleeding
• Care of neonatal foal

  1. Check neonate for malformations or if destroyed

  2. Check dam

  3. Leave dam and foal alone to bond

  4. Most foals stand within 1hr of birth
• Colostrum

  Passive transfer, essential for neonates' survival
• Foal must have had colostrum within 3-6 hours, preferably several litres
• Levels of IgG in foals' blood


  • Adequate = 400 - 800 mg/dl
  • Partial failure = 200 – 400 mg/dl
  • Complete failure = below 200 mg/dl
• Reasons for insufficient IgG in foals' blood

  • Mare's inability to produce colostrum or low quantities of Ab in colostrum
  • Loss of colostrum prior to parturition through premature lactation
  • Maternal infection
  • Neglect or rejection of the foal by the mare
  • Death of mare
  • Premature birth
  • Inability of foal to ingest colostrum (malabsorption)
• Options if insufficient colostrum

  • Mare's colostrum (best, given orally within 12hrs of birth)
  • Plasma (commercial or collected, varying amounts of IgG)
  • Cow colostrum
• Foals do not require artificial heating unless they are unwell
• Once up and about, drank colostrum and rested (so about 24 hrs after birth) usually start to become very active!
• Perinatal Asphyxia Syndrome (PAS)


  Caused by lack of O2 / brain damage during birth, initially appear normal, abnormal symptoms within 48 hours
• Symptoms of PAS


  • Lethargy, aimless wandering, loss of suck reflex, inability to stand, violent movements, convulsions, apparent blindness
• PAS mainly seen in Thoroughbreds
• Care for PAS


  Usually recover within 10 days, need very careful nursing and supportive vet therapy (nasogastric tube for feeding milk, i/v fluids, intranasal oxygen, may need plasma / antisera, prophylactic antibiotics)
• Meconium


  Faeces present in rectum of newborn animals
• Newborns start passing meconium within 4hrs of birth
• Meconium retention

  Can cause signs of colic
• Relieving meconium retention

  Laxatives or enema
• Sleepy foal disease

  Acute, rapidly fatal septicaemia caused by Actinobacillus equuli, predilection for brain and kidneys
• Symptoms of sleepy foal disease

  • Fever (39oC), depression, loss of sucking, diarrhoea, coma
• Sleepy foal disease causes death within 24hr unless prompt treatment
• Treating sleepy foal disease

  Antibiotics, fluids, dam's plasma
• Sleepy foal disease can also be caused by E. coli, Salmonella, Strep.
• Joint ill/Naval ill

  Bacteria gain entry via umbilicus at birth, causing septicaemia and infectious arthritis (septic arthritis)
• If survive, may be predisposed to osteoarthritis
• Causes of diarrhoea in foals


  • E.coli
  • Salmonella typhimurium
  • Rhodococcus equi
  • Cl.perfringens
  • Rotavirus
  • Strongyloides westerii
• Foals have reduced incidence of diarrhoea compared to other livestock, probably due to lower stocking density, good hygiene and care
• However, foals with diarrhoea rapidly dehydrate so urgent treatment required
• Rhodococcus equi

  Affects foals 2 – 6 months, high mortality, causes alimentary and respiratory syndromes
• Antibiotics have very few cases respond for Rhodococcus equi
• National foaling bank

  Founded by Johanna Vardon in 1965, over 18,000 cases, adoption service for orphan foals, difficult cases on site, 24 hr phone service, colostrum bank, membership / support
• Most common causes of losing a mare


  • Illness
  • Haemorrhage
  • Colic
  • Prolapse
• Most common causes of losing a foal


  • Unknown
  • Illness
  • Accident
  • Premature