Texas Equine Veterinary Association

www.texasequineva.com • 17 on darker hooves; this is commonly an indicator of sepsis in these neonates and indicates that these foals need to be evaluated more closely. e eponychium wear indicates how much mobility this foal has had and if the foal is unable to stand; wearing may be signs of a foal that had been trying to stand to nurse all night and is now hypoglycemic and exhausted as compared to a foal that has not been able to stand since birth with no wearing. orax: Auscultation of the lungs for crackles, wheezes, or a clicking sound as well as palpation of the thoracic contour is vital as defects, crepitus, pain, or edema could indicate a traumatic birth or broken rib. Crepitus from broken ribs may not be palpable initially but a plaque of edema will usually form over the broken ribs then travel ventrally to the sternum over time. e heart is ausculted bilaterally for murmurs and arrythmias. A patent ductus arteriosis (PDA) produces a le sided continuous murmur and is a normal finding in a newborn. e diastolic component usually disappears within the first 24 hours while the systolic component may be present for around four days. A murmur present in a foal older than one week of age is abnormal. Abdomen: Auscult the abdomen for borborygmi and palpate the abdomen for distention and flaccidity. A digital rectal exam can help with some meconium impactions, although most may be difficult to reach or palpate. e umbilicus should be checked for size, any discharge, or moisture associated with a patent umbilicus. Hindquarters: e hindquarters are palpated similarly to the front legs. Examine the external reproductive genitalia for congenital abnormalities. A normal foal (no IV fluids given) will usually not urinate until 12 hours of age with colts taking longer than fillies. Rectal temperature should be taken. A saline enema is administered if none has been given by owner; if an enema has already been given, this should be at the discretion of the veterinarian as repeated enemas may cause straining. It is helpful to know if the foal has passed all of the meconium or if there may be more present in the rectum; milk feces should be a yellow to orange color and should be so while meconium is dark and tarry. Phosphate enemas should be avoided due to risk of hyperphosphatemia; soapy water enemas can be given if repeated enemas are needed. If a difficult meconium impaction is suspected, an acetylcysteine retention enema can be administered. EXAM OF THE POST-FOALING MARE On a post-foaling mare, monitoring her mentation and behavior from outside the stall prior to entering in order to observe the bond between the mare and the foal, fecal and urinary output, as well as eating/drinking. Observe if she is allowing the foal to nurse and if she is posturing correctly to give the foal access to her teats. On her physical exam, the heart rate, attitude, and mucous membrane color can serve as an indicator of potential postpartum hemorrhage and if more diagnostics are needed. e temperature, attitude, vulvar discharge, placental exam, and appetite can help determine if the mare has a metritis or an infection elsewhere. Slight expression of each teat allows to observe for indications of mastitis (pain, blood, coagulated milk) and allows for observation of colostrum. It is important to not milk these mares though as to not stimulate milk let down and lose precious colostrum. e teats of an adequately milked mare should be supple from vigorous foal nursing therefore daily palpation of this can help one to uncover problems early. On defecation, the mare should not strain. Some mares will develop temporary obstipation post-foaling from presumed pelvic pain or gastrointestinal trauma during parturition and may need to be given laxatives and be manually evacuated. A speculum vaginal exam will help characterize the extent of trauma that the

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