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Stages of Parturation
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
- 1. uterine contractions and fetal positionings. restless, paw, up and down, kick at belly, sweating. 1-2 hours
- 2. active labor - breaking of water, abdominal pushing, appearance of fetal membrane, then front legs, head and rest of foal. <30 min
- 3. expulsion of placenta. 1-3 hours
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Red Bag
- premature placenta seperation
- sac must be ripped open and foal pulled out immediately
- once the placenta seperates, the foal is deprived of oxygen
- most of these foals die, or require extensive care
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Post-foaling exam
1. Mare
2. Placenta
3. Udder
- 1. HR, mucous membranes, gut sounds, perineal swelling, udder development, vulvar swelling/lacerations, vaginal bruising, cervical lacerations, uterine contractions, discharge.
- 2. check for completeness, abnormalities (color/texture), weight (<15 lb)
- 3. milk vs. colostrum. firmness - is foal nursing off both teats
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Foal exam (post foaling)
- check all body systems - umbilicus, joints, nursing, enema (milk manure vs. muconium)
- heart murmers are ok until day 3 of age
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Dystocia
- Most common in horses of all live stock, but only 1% of pregnancies
- Usually due to fetal malpositioning
- Stage 2 of labor is very fast and violent, so corrections must be made quickly
- First thing that occures is constriction of umbilical chord - asphyxiation
- Mutation, fetotomy or C-section
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Retained placenta
- Lack of expulsion >3hrs after foaling
- May be whole placenta or just a piece
- Oxytocin will help with expulsion as well as tying a weight to the placenta
- After care is CRITICAL - NSAIDs, antibiotics, aggressive uterine lavage
- Complications: laminitis, metritis
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Lacerations
1. Cervical
2. Vulvar
3. RV fistula
- 1. Wait 30 days to rebreed
- 2. Heal by second-intention
- 3. Keep mare on high fiber, moist diets until foal is weaned, then repair - no effect on fertility
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Metritis/Laminitis
- Severe and life-threatening
- Antibiotics (IU and IV/IM), NSAIDs
- IV and oral fluids
- Uterine lavage
- Supportive care
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Colic/Ruptures
- Impaction colics, displacements, torsions
- Uterine rupture - FATAL
- Middle uterine artery rupture - bleed into broad ligament; very painful, life-threatening
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Dummy Foals
- Neonatal Maljustment Syndrome, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
- Oxygen deprivation at birth, appear normal for 2-5 days, then "dummy out"
- Intensive supportive care - feeding, fluids, antibiotics, anti-ulcer meds, NSAIDs, oxygen
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Failure of Passive Transfer
- IGG<400mg/dl - inadequate (poor colostrum, poor absorption, or dripped out prior to foaling)
- IGG between 400-800mg/dl - watch
- IGG>800 mg/dl - good
- Treatment: frozen colostrum or plasma - if <24hr old
- transfusion - tranquilize foal, lay on ground and give plasma slowly IV
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Diarrhea
- Foal Heat Diarrhea: 7-10 days of age, normal and requires minimal Tx (peptobismol, wash rump, decrease mare's grains)
- Clostridium, Salmonella, E. coli
, Rotavirus- Treatment: antibiotics, fluids, enteral/parenteral feeding, NSAIDs, antiulcer meds, probiotics, wormers, chelating agents (charcoal, diatimatious earth), hyperimmune serum
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Colic/Ruptured Bladder
- Colic: meconium impaction, congenital defects (atresia ani/coli, lethal whites)
- Ruptured Bladder: occures at birth, more common in colts, increase in abdominal size and colic by day 2-3. MUST treat electrolyte (hypokalemia) and fluid disorders BEFORE surgery!
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Hernias
- May be congenital or aquired
- Umbilical: very common. most close on their own if less than 2 fingers.
- Inguinal/Scrotal: common in Standardbred and Saddlebred colts, may require surgical closure.
- Risk of colic! watch.
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Pneumonia
- Primary: Rhodococcus
- Secondary: aspiration from cleft palate, white muscle disease, HYPP, broken ribs
- Diagnosis: physical exam, radiographs, cbc
- Treatment: aggressively with antibiotics, oxygen, NSAIDs, antiulcer meds
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Limb Deformities
- Can be congenital or aquired
- Angular: side to side. most angular deformities resolve on their own unless severe or if bones are not calcified.
- Flexure: front to back. treat with tetracycline at birth or surgery later on.
- Bandaging, casting, or splinting may be needed.
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Orphan Foals
- Twin, rejected, non-maternal mare, mare dies.
- Nurse mare, bottle feed/bucket baby
- Be sure to check IgG; feeding schedule is crucial, antiulcer meds
- Minimize handling if possible, turnout with other foals - they will become imprinted on humans!
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Nurse Mares
- Usually Draft mares, older; may be mare whose foal had died
- Blindfold mare, twitch, sedate, hold or tie to wall until mare accepts foal
- Skin of dead foal tied to new foal
- Rub foal with mare's feces, urine
- Vics mare's nostrils
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Milk Replacers and Feeding
- Mare is best (Foal Lac), can also use goat if no other option
- MUST be fed every 1-2hr (this is critical); as foal ages you can feed every 3-4 hrs
- Once drinking from bucket well, can feed free choice; switch to replacer pellets
- Should gain 2-3 lbs per day
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Vaccination and Deworming
- Foals of vaccinated mares start at 4m and booster 5m
- EEE/WEE/TT, RV/FV (PHF and Rabies can be started at spring of yearling year)
- Deworm at 2m (DO NOT use Quest on foals), repeat every 2m
- Foals from unvaccinated mares or unknown history start vaccines at 2m, repeat at 3 and booster at 6m
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Signs of Calving
- Sunken tail head
- Red, swollen vulva
- Restlessness
- 24 hours pre-calving - refuses to feed
- Seperates from herd
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Stages of Calving
- Same as horse, only different times
- Stage 1: 12-24 hours
- Stage 2: 1-3 hours
- Stage 3: about 12 hours; may remain in for several days and be ok
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Dystocia (Bovine)
- Fairly uncommon, twins
- Most common reason: calf is too big, "double muscled" calves, heifers first calf
- Treatment: calf jack, fetotomy, C-section
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Care of Neonatal Calf
- Dairy: calf removed with in 12 hours and raised in a calf pen or calf hutch with straw
- Free choice milk replacer, milk pellets or treated milk (replacement heifers only - antibiotic residues in veil)
- Beef: very low rejection rate. weather concerns
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Retained Placentas (Bovine)
- May be retained for several days will no ill effects on cow
- "Cleaning" - manual removal of placenta
- Antibiotics and NSAIDs - discard milk
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Uterine Prolapse (Bovine)
- "Casting the bed, cast wethers"
- Epidural Anesthesia; elevate uterus with sheet/towel, wash uterus with warm water and dilute antiseptic, reduce edema with sugar, manual replacement, suture vulva.
- Little to no effect on future furtility if no damage to the uterus
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Post Parturient Paresis
- "Milk Fever"
- Hypocalcemia from massive mobilization of body stores
- Cool extremities, limp ears, constipation, decreased rumen sounds, decreased body temp, flaccid paralysis (trembling, sternal recumbancy, lateral recumbancy)
- Respond to IV calcium (SLOW) w/in minutes
- Prevention is key
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Care of Ewe/Doe
- 6-8w dry period
- Keep thinner during pregnancy - prevents pregnancy toxemia (ketosis) that usually occures 2-4w before parturation esp. if it has mutiple kids
- Induce parturation if it does not occur
- Keep in one pen after birth
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Signs of Parturation (Ovine/Caprine)
- Same stages/times as cow
- Will also create nests and bag up
- Check animals "up close" frequently by the same person - they will not lamb if it is a stranger
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Parturation (Ewe)
- Often assisted in the ewe - multiple births
- Often induced to insure survival in cold weather
- Given Steroids or PGF2a at 7-8am; will give birth the next afternoon
- Care of the neonate - must keep warm (straw, heat lamps, 90*F) ensure colostrum intake, ear tag, vE, selenium
- Castrate, dehorn, dock tails at 3-4 days old
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Mastitis
- The key is to prevent
- Improve milking technique - keep cow calm, wear gloves, wash and dry udder thoroughly, presquirt, apply milker properly, teat dipping
- Proper maintainence and machine washing
- Maintain dry cows properly - dry cow tubes, coating
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Mastitis Tests
- Test all incoming animals before milking them by machine (CMT test effective)
- Cull cronic mastitis cows
- Mastitis eradication program - will be difficult and expensive
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