Foal Scours

[Monkers]

Hi there,
I was just wondering how long newborn foals tend to scour for? Mine started on about day 8 or 9 and is still quite bad a week later.

 

[Gucci_b]

hi, my foal scoured for about near 2 weeks.

 

[Spring Feather]

It's rare for us to have any foals who scour however the odd one does and scouring usually lasts for about a week or so.

 

[Monkers]

Thanks for the replies. Interesting Spring Feather that yours don't scour often? Do you have any theories as to why that is? I know the current thinking is leaning towards the transference of worm eggs through the milk, rather than the mare's hormones during her foal heat, but I'm not so sure about this!

 

[chrissie1]

In recent years we have avoided scours which we thought was due to wormingthe mare the day she foaled. This year both foals scoured despite that, so not sure on that theory anymore.

Mine went on for a few days after mare out of season, and since we were at the vets I collected two syringes of ProKolin, which with doses of Pepto Bismol, stopped it within 48 hours.

 

[Spring Feather]

I know the current thinking is leaning towards the transference of worm eggs through the milk, rather than the mare's hormones during her foal heat, but I'm not so sure about this!

Well the worms transference has been mentioned for many years now, it's not a new thinking. I am not convinced that ivermectin really does stop scours, I think it's far more to do with the hormones of the mare, or maybe even the foals environment/ingestion/etc. I don't know but what I do know is that using ivermectin is certainly not 100% effective at avoiding foal scours. I also do not know why the majority of our foals don't get scours

 

[Monkers]

That's interesting, thanks all. I don't think it can be caused by worms, I have been strategically worming my mare for several years now. She is grazed on her own or with one or two others that have been on the same worming programme, on a paddock that is poo picked every day. Her worm counts have not detected a single egg in years now. I doubt very much there is anything to transfer in her milk.
If it is a hormonal thing, then how interesting that most of your foals don't scour at all. There must be a university thesis in this for a student somewhere!

 

[Gucci_b]

Well the worms transference has been mentioned for many years now, it's not a new thinking. I am not convinced that ivermectin really does stop scours, I think it's far more to do with the hormones of the mare, or maybe even the foals environment/ingestion/etc. I don't know but what I do know is that using ivermectin is certainly not 100% effective at avoiding foal scours. I also do not know why the majority of our foals don't get scours

My thoughts also, as I too wormed my mare the day of foaling and foal still scoured, but I did notice that the foal scoured when he started to pick at the grass, I put the scouring down to a change in his gut...

 

[Rosehip]

Maisie is just starting to show some looseness today, she is 9 days old, Seren doesnt appear to be coming into season, but Maisie is picking grass, eating mums tea and hay and I also noticed that she is drinking (or at least dipping her head in!) mums water bucket too! I worm count my girls and they both show a <50 epg reading, so I didnt worm Seri after foaling, incidentally, I didnt worm my last mare after foaling, and her colt never scoured.
As you say OP, Im sure there is a thesis lurking in this!! x

 

[Spring Feather]

There have been lots of studies published about foal scours. The main culprit has always been blamed on threadworms, which I am not suggesting is not a cause, but just not the only cause. Mares and their milk/hormones have not been traditionally blamed for foal scours and maybe they're not directly but indirectly possibly. Foals at around 8 or 9 days old touch absolutely everything with their mouths. They lick and pick up all sorts of bacteria in their mouths. They are born with little immunity so it's not really surprising that scours come about. There may not be an exact cause, more of a culmination of lots of things creating disturbances for the foals gut.

 

[Spring Feather]

P.S. I have always wormed every mare within 12 hours of the birth of her foal with ivermectin and no most foals here do not get scours but the odd one or two do, which would suggest (to me at least) that it can't all be about threadworms.

 

[Fun Foals]

Hi
We get alot of foal scours and can mainly put it down to the mare being in season or the grass coming through, i no it sounds wrong but you can usually tell when its the grass cus its more of a diff colour, abit greener. We tend to use tuff rock which tends to work well in general, for bad ones that go off suck abit with it we have started useing bio spunge, which soaks up everything includeing any chemical imbalances.
Some can be just a couiple of days others a few weeks unfortunatly they are all different like that. Not one thing works for them all.
Hope it helps.

 

[Reindeer Rider]

My vet said that even foals fed on milk replacer scour, so it can't be foal heat. He says its due to changes in the gut.

My foal scoured for just a couple of days when she was about 10 days old.

 

[chrissie1]

My vet said that even foals fed on milk replacer scour, so it can't be foal heat. He says its due to changes in the gut.

My foal scoured for just a couple of days when she was about 10 days old.

I was involved with a frieinds mare that sadly had to be pts within an hour of foaling. I milked the mare before she was pts and the vet tubed this down the foal. The foal scoured at the time that his mother would have been in season.

Couldn't blame any changes in milk or her hormones for that.

 

[Monkers]

That's really interesting. As some of you have already said, it must be enviromental factors for the foal rather than anything from the mother's milk. Interesting that some studs have very little trouble and others do. The type of grass/ soil must have something to do with it. My foal is also beginning to steal his mother's stud cubes. He doesn't get much, but perhaps that has something to do with it too!
He's still scouring pretty badly. My vet doesn't seem unduly worried, but I might have a chat with him about some of the medications one or two of you have mentioned.
Thanks again!