Congestion in day old colt

[iabecca]

Hi.....My mini, Shadow, foaled a beautiful colt yesterday morning and they are both doing great. This is the first foaling experience for me so i'm taking things as they come. Tonight I was sitting out in the stall with momma and baby and the little guy just came up to me and let me pet him all over...it was so neat!! Anyway, when he was close to me I could hear he had some congestion.....kinda like when you want to cough to clear your throat. I don't know if this is normal or not?

Also in one eye the white part is very bloodshot....is this normal? Other than these two concerns of mine he is running and jumping all over the place....such a joy to watch!!

Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!! I attached a photo of him....hopefully it worked..never done that in here before either....LOL

Thank you!!!!

Becky

 

[targetsmom]

Has a vet seen him? I ALWAYS have the vet out within the first 24 hours to check IgG levels, make sure the placenta is in one piece and generally make sure everything is OK. Foals can crash VERY fast. The bloodshot eyes may be normal (from pressure) but I would still want that checked.

 

[Jill]

I would also recommend the vet see the baby. Wondering if he aspirated some milk? And if so, not sure how serious that is... Do you have access to a vet?

 

[Minimor]

It's fairly typical for a new foal to have a bit of a flutter in his breathing--generally it is just a bit of fluid (from birthing) up in the nasal passages--any I've had with this have always cleared up within a few days. However, I cannot say this is all your foal has--without hearing him breathe it is just a guess.

The bloodshot eyes is probably due to pressure in the birth canal--just make sure that the eyelashes are not rolled in against the eye--that can cause bloodshot and/or mattery eyes.

 

[iabecca]

He is still congested this morning and has a little cough so I called the vet and she is coming tomorrow morning to check him out. Peace of mind is a great thing!

Thanks everyone for your advice!

 

[Becky]

Always a good idea to have it checked out by your vet. These little guys can go south so quickly, it's better to be safe than sorry. I hope it turns out to be nothing!

 

[iabecca]

The vet came this morning and checked everyone out and all are in great shape! Such good news to hear....also today I didn't hear any congestion or coughing!! Now I need to come up with a name.....maybe "Lover Boy"? He has that little upside down heart....and he has stolen mine...

 

[Jill]

I'm happy to read the update and that sounds like a good name for him