Sick foal

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vodkas_mum

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its a long story but in a nutshell i am Very inexperienced with foals and such but appear to be managing a breeding yard! i am told one foal today who i believe is 8 weeks old appeared to be off colour at 7am and by half past was sweating, weak and very very bad diarrhoea. the vet was there scanning a mare anyway so had a look. the owners of the stud were there but i should point out they are not the most knowledgeable people, when i arrived i asked what was wrong with the foal and what the vet had said, all i could get out of them was that she has diarrhoea and vet thinks its a virus, very contagious to foals but doesn't affect mares. vet left sachets of glucose/electrolytes to give daily and some paste to aid digestive function to give daily (so i am told) but the foal wasn't drinking so i milked the mare and syringed it to the foal at about 10am. the foal was lying down and weak with pulse 100bpm

what should i be doing now? there isn't anywhere to have them in isolation but they are stabled in the furthest barn away from the rest. this afternoon she was drinking water and milk from her mum but still weak and Very very bad diarrhoea

i started the job on monday and plan to make alot of changes and seek advice from experienced people!
but for now iv been thrown in at the deep end and just want to make sure im doing the right thing or if there is anything else i need to do, i dont live on site but im willing to stay with them if i need to

basically...help!
 
the only thing i can suggest is that you find a bloody good equine vet pronto.
babies (and it matters not what breed or species) will fade fast if poorly, particularly if there is a large loss of fluids as there will be with diarrhoea.
 
will ring vet in the morning, he took a faeces sample but there were no signs of dehydration with the pinch test. the vet did say it was a virus, which from looking on the internet could be 'rotavirus'

any idea how long the tests take to return results?
 
i am of the same opinion but unfortunately her owners are not, i dont know them very well as i only started on monday and dont feel as though i am in a position to tell them what to do

i would do all in my power to help the foal but where money comes into it, its out of my hands
 
if its rotavirus it may take up to 24 hours for blooods to come back as the fibrinogin level has to be checked.you may also mention to the vet the possibility of scanning the foals lungs to check for comet tails or absesses as this is where most r equi virus's start.in the meantime just keep checcking with your pinch test and making sure the foal is getting plenty of fluids and sucking the mare.
 
no sorry but that sucks.
if you are to manage this yard you must take control of the situation...now.
explain to the owners of the mare and foal, that IF this indeed is viral, then potentially it can spread to any other mare/foal, and should that happen then they will be responsible for treating a mass of animals instead of just the one.
oh and you could also tell them the law states that as the owner of said poorly foalie, they have a LEGAL duty of care towards the animal and that its against the law to NOT provide the required level of vet care needed.
 
i completely agree! but the vet has been and is surely the best judge of what action to take?

have to wait for test result to see if it is indeed viral, they were out with 5 other mares and foals so im afraid it would be too late to stop the spread but any others showing signs will be moved

if this was the case and other foals had the same symptoms, should they be away from the other mare and foal or together?
 
her belly looks bloated yes but no cough or snotty nose as of yet, this does sound as though it is what the vet said to the owners from what i could make out

hows the prognosis?
 
Oh dear leanne what a bit of a situation for you in the first few days. The only thing I would say is if for any reason you feel the Vet is taking to much time or your worried then perhaps get a second opinion.

Hope little foal will be ok.
 
Hi, I am really sorry for your situation and I wish you all the luck.

I am currently looking after an orphan foal. I am not 100% sure but the virus you describe is, I think, what she had. she was given antibiotics and this is the bit to look for - as a rare side affect if a suckiling foal on antibiotics the mare became ill and consequently had to be put down. The foal was 8 weeks at the time.

I don't want to scare you but I would talk to the vet personally asap.

Good Luck.
 
I don't know how it happens, all I know is that is what the vet said when the mare went rapidlly down hill. Whether it is a reaction to a specific antibiotic or not I don't know. I didn't really know the owner at this point, I have only got to know here after the mare was pts.
 
In a managers position it is up to you to decide what needs doing, and do it. Speak to all vets personally rather than through grooms/owners. Try and always be around for the vet/farrier/relevant expert.

Hassle the vets for results, if they say they will be ready in the morning, call in the morning, and keep calling back until they give them to you. My vet has learnt now that I want to know things ASAP and rang me at 7.15am when he got to surgery and saw the results were ready.

I really hope you manage to sort this little one out, they do fade so so fast when they are tiny. Make sure she is warm/cool enough, gets enough to drink and she is observed regularly. With poorly calves my YO makes sure they are looked in on every 15mins.
 
the drugs they give the foals are the same as those to treat herpes in humans.make sure to wipe clean the foals mouth after administration of the drugs as it can cause sepsis in the mare.think it gets up through the ducts in the udder.i think the virus is getting harder to detect due to different strains etc so a fibrinogin test does not always tell you if they are sick or not.just bear that in mind.
 
Echo the others, get a vet that knows what they are dealing with asap. Taylored Equestrian is currently looking after my orphan who was exposed to Rhodococcus equi, aka foal pneumonia, bloods were taken but it would have taken over the weekend to get the results back, i put my foal on the anti biotics regardless, sadly although nothing can be proven it seems my mare had a reaction to the antibiotic erythromycin and developed colitis x and had to be put down. Rotovirus is different as is a viral infection not a bacterial but can be fatal for the foal just as rhodococcus can and prompt attention is your best bet, Rhodococcus like rotovirus only affects foals so the mares although can pick up the virus/bacteria are not affected by it. Good luck
 
Having had some experience of sick foals I wouldn't have much confidence in your vet I'm afraid.
Foals go downhill so quickly you need to act right away, the risk of dehydration is huge, and he should have given you more detailed instructions re this and possibly set up a drip if the foal has stopped drinking.
I understand your difficult position but if the foal isn't any better by today ring the vet and ask for an urgent visit .
Our two foals had similar symptoms, one died within 48 hours and the other almost did. Only the fact we recognised the problem with the second and fought like hell with the vet to save him worked.
They didn't discover for days what the problem was (ecoli 125 caught we think from an overflow of a stream in heavy rain onto the land from farms higher up the line) and luckily the vet had ensured we covered all possibilties by then.
How is the foal today?
 
hi, thanks for all the replies, i havent had time to update since i posted so sorry.

three foals are now ill, they have rotavirus and are all in electrolytes/glucose sachets (lectade) and some paste to aid digestive function (diarsanyl). i spoke to the vet the day after i posted and confirmed it was rotavirus, i put in place measures to try stop it spreading with disinfection and isolating the sick ones. the vet is coming out every couple of days and has stomach tubed two of them with the lectade and fluids to make sure they are getting some but i am syringing them with 1L spread out over the day.

they are suckling and drinking water aswell, look quite bright considering and on a pinch test none appear dehydrated

managed to take controll of the situation and make the owner realise how serious it is and feel much better

thanks for the replies they are all going to be taken into account

as of yet they arent on any antibiotics or actual medication but yes the vet is equine and experienced
 
anti biotics are not normally given for viral infections just bacterial infections, unless you get a secondary bacterial infection with the virus. Glad to hear things are looking up and the foals looking bright eating and drinking
 
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