YOU ARE OBSERVING
Foals, Twins Born Alive
Summary
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Code Red
Call Your Vet Immediately, Even Outside Business Hours- If one or both foals appear to be having difficulty.
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Code Orange
Call Your Vet at Their First Available Office Hours- For a routine post-partum examination of foal, mare and placentae.
your role
What To Do
Monitor both foals to ensure strong suck and that the mare is bonding to each. One or both foals may need to be supplemented with milk replacer, depending upon the amount of milk the mare provides.Both placentas should be expelled by the mare within 3 hours, or they are considered to be retained which can lead to a life-threatening infection. Even if both foals and the mare appear healthy you should contact your vet.
Skills you may need
Procedures that you may need to perform on your horse.
your vet's role
- Were both foals up and nursing within a few hours?
- Are both foals continuing to be bright, alert and nursing?
- Has the mare passed both complete placentas?
- Will a veterinarian perform a post-partum exam on mare, foal, placenta?
Diagnostics Your Vet May Perform
Figuring out the cause of the problem. These are tests or procedures used by your vet to determine what’s wrong.
Diagnoses Your Vet May Consider
The cause of the problem. These are conditions or ailments that are the cause of the observations you make.
Treatments Your Vet May Recommend
A way to resolve the condition or diagnosis. Resolving the underlying cause or treating the signs of disease (symptomatic treatment)