12.16.09

Foaling Part 2: The newborn baby horse

Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 11:58 pm by petArtist Cmoses

This is followup to a much earlier post, Foaling Part 1: The birth of a baby horse.

Foal’s first behavior:
He may act a little sleepy (shocked?) at first, or he may start trying to hop around as soon as his front legs are out. His eyes will likely be closed a lot. He will struggle to rise and fall down a lot, with his legs going every which way. His mouth will work in a mouthing/nursing reflex. His tongue may lick a lot. He will be attracted to and nuzzle dark warm areas as he seeks mommy’s food. Eventually he’ll find the right spot for long enough to figure it out. It took our babies 4-5 hours to get nursing properly.

Mare’s normal reactions:
She might lie still a few minutes after delivery; don’t cause her to stand early, let the umbilical cord break by itself. She’ll lick the foal, let her do this and lick him dry, as it’s part of the bonding process. Don’t intervene unless the foal is shivering for an extended time, then you might want to towel or blanket him or cover him with straw to warm him.

Momma mare discovers her first newborn Gilford, 10 minutes old

Often people will break the sac if it doesn’t tear by itself, and clear it away from the foal’s head and neck. The sac will remain hanging from the mare until the afterbirth/placenta is delivered, which should happen within 2-3 hours. Tie the sac up using a plastic bag tied to her tail with baling twine to keep her from stepping on it, because the vet will want to examine it. When she delivers it all you can put it in a bucket to hold for the vet.

Maternal Bond, 5 hours old fine art print

Mare possible negative reactions:
The first-time or “maiden” mare will have to learn how to “BE” nursed and it may be uncomfortable for her at the very start. She might not stand still for the foal; we had that problem and had to restrain momma Willy a couple of times for her first baby Gilford’s nursing. With the next foal (Glendale) she knew the drill.

Gilford nursing, his first day

Glendale nurses, a few hours old

The very first milk to flow is called “colostrum” and is critical to the foal’s health, because it contains antibodies and beneficial nutrients he needs in his first few hours. You want to observe the foal until he begins nursing in earnest to be sure he gets the first milk; if it takes too long, the colostrum may start dripping out, if so you’ll need to collect it somehow because it is vital.

On rare occasions a mare might reject her new foal and refuse to let him nurse; your vet will advise you if that happens. It may be possible to find a substitute “nurse” mare or to hand-feed a foal to eventual full health, although this is very difficult.

Foal issues:
Glendale for his first few days dripped some milk out of his nostrils right when he first started nursing. The vet thought he had an incompletely-formed soft palette so there was an opening between his throat and his nasal cavity; when he first began to nurse each time, the milk was likely gushing out with some force and volume and overflowing into his nose. This gradually went away as the opening grew closed (we assume) within a few days.

FjordNewbies’ foal Thor was born with “Golden Slippers” which she describes as a soft yellowish covering over the tips of his hooves. See her comment after Fjord Tales 6 - The birth of Thor.

A foal’s hooves are soft at birth — also Its ankles can be very weak-appearing and over-flexed the first few days; it may actually be walking almost on its fetlocks (joints just above the foot.) It should be expected that his foot structure, tendons and ligaments will quickly strengthen so that he will be walking on his hoof shortly.

Gilford running with momma mare, Day 2

INTERNAL WORKINGS:
Shortly after birth, the foal should have his first bowel movement where he passes “meconium,” which is a dark tarry-looking substance. You should watch for this to happen, as it is cause for alarm if it does not happen shortly. Notify your vet if the meconium is not passed within a couple of hours.

Also watch for his first few urinations, which should not appear to be painful or be bloody. Observe the naval stump during urination, being sure no fluid is expressed from the stump. If this happens, call your vet.

The newborn is often afflicted with a butt rash, called “scours,” when he first starts digesting his mare’s milk. What he passes becomes runny and messy and might cause irritation under his tail for a few days. The best you can do is clean him off as needed with a wet cloth, warm if possible, and hope for his system to settle down soon. Vaseline or diaper rash ointment applied to (clean) skin under his tail can help reduce the irritation.

Foal running with Arabian mare, fine art print

Discovering the world, second day of life (Glendale)

A foal should sleep, eat, and play in that order, with a LOT of nursing and sleeping. Any change in behavior is cause for concern and reason to consult the vet. Monitor the mare’s udder to be sure the foal is nursing healthily; he should keep it drained. If her udder ever becomes full and tight, hot, or dripping, call your vet immediately.

Baby Glendale runs with mare, Day 3