Very Common
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)
Observation
What you see. The starting point for addressing any equine health related issue is your observation.
YOU ARE OBSERVING
Foal or Newborn, Heart Murmur Heard
Summary
Heart murmurs in young foals are fairly common. They are often the result from patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), the persistence of the fetal circulation in the newborn which usually resolves within the first week or two of life. Ongoing heart murmurs or ones accompanied by other health problems usually result from congenital heart problems and may be very serious.
If you hear a murmur in the newborn heart, talk to your vet about the significance of this problem. They can examine the foal during the post-partum exam, determine whether the characteristics of the murmur are typical of PDA or not, and tell whether further investigation of the murmur is needed. Your vet may want to examine your foal again in a week or two to see if the murmur has disappeared.
If you hear a murmur in the newborn heart, talk to your vet about the significance of this problem. They can examine the foal during the post-partum exam, determine whether the characteristics of the murmur are typical of PDA or not, and tell whether further investigation of the murmur is needed. Your vet may want to examine your foal again in a week or two to see if the murmur has disappeared.
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Code Yellow
Contact Your Vet at Your Convenience for an Appointment
your role
your vet's role
Questions Your Vet Might Ask:
- Will a veterinarian perform a post-partum exam on mare, foal, placenta?
- Does your foal seem normal otherwise?
- How old is your foal?
- Was the foal normal before, i.e. nursing, bright and alert?
