THE PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THE
COLLAPSED FOAL
Emma Alsop BVSc Cert EM (Int.Med) MRCVS
Introduction
The collapsed foal can be a daunting prospect. Many disease signs are mild
and non-specific, making early recognition and reaching a diagnosis a
challenge in the equine neonate.
Equine neonatal intensive care units (NICU’s) have greatly improved our
knowledge and understanding of the normal and abnormal physiology of the
equine neonate, resulting in an improvement to successfully treat the critically
ill equine neonate and save lives. The success rate has increased
tremendously since the early 1980s from around 50% to 80% or more for
most facilities; ‘dummy foals’ now have a greater than 80% rate of survival to
discharge in most hospitals. One study in 2008 found that of 423 bacteraemic
foals, 254 survived (60%). A study published in 2012 showed that there was
no impact on sales income for foals at public auction (foal sales, yearling
sales and two year old sales) that had been hospitalized under the age of 125
days when compared to their controls.
Translating referral hospital treatments to the field can be challenging but with
the knowledge of how to translate these treatments, financial availability and
available time and labour, there can be great successes for the equine
practitioner that is at ‘the coal face’.
Most illnesses in the neonatal period have the potential to be life threatening.
Foals deteriorate quickly; mild, transient, localised signs can rapidly lead to
multi-organ failure requiring the highest level of intensive care.
You may not have to reach a specific diagnosis, it is far more important to
determine the need for therapy;
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antimicrobials
fluid therapy
immunoglobulins
anti inflammatories
analgesia
anti endotoxic therapy
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respiratory support
nutritional support
good nursing care
conditions
2nd
recumbency
seizure control
to
Common causes of collapse in the neonatal foal
The following list is far from conclusive, but in the authors’ experience
includes those causes most commonly seen:
15-‐18
February
2016
East
London
Convention
Centre,
East
London,
South
Africa
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