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Shari Robbins
New Member
Username: Dreamon
Post Number: 1
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 16, 2005 - 5:00 pm: |   |
I hope I can explain this and maybe you will have some thoughts. We did an embryo transfer last year and the receipient mare foaled ten days ago. She had a normal pregancy and delivery.
The foal appeared to have a meconium impaction but he had obviously passed most of it so we treated him at home with IV fluids for 24 hours. During that time he responded well but developed diarrhea. Approximately 36 hours after he was born his colic got worse and we took him to the clinic. I almost lost him on the way. At the clinic they started him on IV Fluids and antibiotics as he appeared to have an infection.
To make a long story short. They diarrhea almost got better but worsed near the end again. He had a great deal of difficulty using his hind end and the vet was perplexed as their was no obvious sign of injury or deformity.
The last day, his stifles actually blew apart. The knee cap actually moved sideways on both stifles.
When a post mortem was completed, the ligaments and tendons in both stifles were completely torn apart. The foal also had an ulcer which was almost ready to break through the stomach wall - thank goodness it did not get that far.
The vet caring for our little guy had never seen a case like this. The cultures from the diarrhea come back negative - no infectios disease.
Can a foal be born with an ulcer? Could the stifle problem have been a birth defect that was delayed in causing a problem because the foal did not move around too much at first. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 12864
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 17, 2005 - 9:54 am: | |
Hello Shirley,
I am sorry to welcome you to Horseadvice at such a time. We could hypothesize all these problems were seperate problems but I think I can construct a integrated scenario. The ulcers and laxity of the the ligaments of the stifle were secondary to the sepsis and lack of exercise respectively. The laxity caused the patella to luxate laterally and the abnormal stress and wear on the stifle ligaments resulted in rupture. Ulcers are common seuelae to illness in neonates but the ruptured stifles are a new one on me too.
DrO |
Shirley D-G
Member
Username: Saffy
Post Number: 3
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, Nov 17, 2005 - 4:02 pm: | |
I have a question on prepubic tendon.
The mare has been fine up until yesterday,vets arrived last night and said this is what is happening ,but it has not given away completely yet.The mare is pregnant and has 5 weeks to go from her last service.What are her and foals chances of survival.Thank you |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 14147
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Friday, Nov 18, 2005 - 1:26 pm: | |
I am sorry to hear this Shirley. If the diagnosis is correct, and diagnosis is not always straight forward as there are other conditions which look similar like abdominal wall herniation, maintaining the pregnancy will almost certainly guarantee further damage to the mare. Besides the pain to the mare, bowel entrapment may occur, or the pain grow so great the mare lays down and will not get up. That said some mares have been helped along till the foal is mature enough to be born though assistance is almost assuredly going to be needed and sometimes a Cesarean required. Unfortunately I do not have any numbers to give a idea of what is likely to happen but I can say with continued pregnancy the mare is at a fair risk of complete rupture. The question for you is whether it is more important to save the mare or the foal. If you are determined to try and save the foal there have been methods experimented with to speed up maturation of the foal and shorten gestation (Equine Vet J. 2000 Nov;32(6):489-96. Effects of maternally administered depot ACTH(1-24) on fetal maturation and the timing of parturition in the mare. Ousey JC, Rossdalet PD, Palmer L, Grainger L, Houghton E.)
DrO |
