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Neonatal maladjustment syndrome (NMS) is a syndrome where newborn foals exhibit uncommon behaviors, occurring in three to five percent of live births. These behaviors can include aimless wandering, hypersensitivity to loud sounds and brightness, weakness or coordination issues, and the incapability to nurse.
Within a few hours, signs of colic appear; affected foals die within a few days. Because the death is often painful, such foals are often humanely euthanized once identified. The disease is particularly devastating because foals are born seemingly healthy after being carried to full term.
A foal at about weaning age. A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam (mother), it may also be called a "suckling".
Prior to weaning the foal, there is usually a creep feeder set up to allow the foal to begin consuming feed that the mare cannot access. [31] There are two main approaches to weaning foals, abrupt and gradual weaning. [30] Abrupt weaning is when the mare and foal are separated, [30] usually without contact.
During the final month of gestation, alloantibodies concentrate into the colostrum. Horses, unlike humans, have an epitheliochorial placenta which prevents the transfer of antibodies to the foal in-utero. Foals are only exposed when they first nurse and ingest colostrum, so therefore are born without the disease and acquire it soon after birth.
Foal immunodeficiency syndrome (FIS), originally known as Fell pony syndrome, mainly affects two breeds of ponies: the Fell and Dales. FIS is a recessive genetic disease . Affected foals appear normal at birth, but become weak, and either die or must be euthanized by three months of age due to persistent infections caused by immunodeficiency.
A foal with lavender foal syndrome exhibiting opisthotonus, a common clinical sign of the disorder. Lavender foal syndrome (LFS), also called coat color dilution lethal (CCDL), is an autosomal recessive genetic disease that affects newborn foals of certain Arabian horse bloodlines. Affected LFS foals have severe neurological abnormalities ...
Lameness is a common veterinary problem in racehorses, sport horses, and pleasure horses. It is one of the most costly health problems for the equine industry , both monetarily for the cost of diagnosis and treatment, and for the cost of time off resulting in loss-of-use.