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WHEN FOALING IS IMMINENT

What does a foaling actually look like?  There are 3 stages to parturition:

Stage 1: this stage is the beginning of parturition where uterine contractions begin and the mare may demonstrate colic-like signs.  The colic-like signs should not be violent, but include sweating, cramping, and getting up and down.  These last for about 4 hours before foaling.  The mare may drip and/or stream milk.

Stage 2: this stage begins with the rupture of the chorioallantios (“water breaking”) and ends once the foal is born.  The foal should be born within 5-30min of the water breaking.  Intervention needs to occur if there is a red bag, dystocia, or there is no progression after 30min.

Stage 3: this stage includes the passing of the placenta, or “afterbirth”.  It should pass within 3 hours of foaling. 

Foals Kirby Penttila Foals Kirby Penttila

My Newborn Foal

Welcome to the third post in our series about foaling.  Here we will discuss the important events that take place in a foal’s life immediately after it is born.

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When Foaling Is Imminent

In our last post, we covered the signs to monitor in your mare that she is close to foaling.  Here we will cover how to prepare for your foal’s arrival.  These include the stages of labor, foaling kit essentials, and a few of the more common foaling problems.

 

Mares should have a clean and dry area on which to foal, that is free from too many disturbances.  They can foal inside or outside, depending on the time of year and the weather.  If your mare is to foal inside, straw is the recommended bedding.  Having a stocked foaling kit nearby with some basic supplies will also be helpful.  The foaling kit essentials include:

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When is my mare going to foal?

This is the first post in a series about foaling out your mare.

Foaling season is upon us and mare owners everywhere are left guessing as to when their mares are going to foal.  Watching your mare can be frustrating and confusing, but knowing some basics and being prepared can go along way to help bring a healthy foal into the world, or to help save a sick one.  This spring we will have a series of posts about foaling – what to watch for when your mare is close to foaling, how to be prepared, what to do once the foal is on the ground, and when to breed back your mare.  This first post in the series covers information on the signs that your mare is close to foaling.

 

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Surgery Kirby Penttila Surgery Kirby Penttila

Misty - Enucleation surgery

An enucleation is the surgical removal of a horse's eye. There are many indications for which this surgery would be performed, including trauma, neoplasia (cancer), extensive infection, or any condition causing pain in a blind eye. In Misty's case, the procedure was recommended due to an acute worsening of uveitis and ulceration along with equine recurrent uveitis flare-ups that had been occurring over the last four years.

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