Maple Hollow Farm
Well-Known Member
Ive got a question, I am going to post on my marestare topic and the main forum simply to hopefully get answers from more people.....
I have a 2 day old foal that doesnt seem to be hungry at all and isnt eating very well, took to the vet and all bloodwork came back normal so doesnt have anything obviously wrong with him, also had his Igg test run and it is normal too. He had really watery diarrhea at about 24hrs old and seemed to be a bit uncomfy, the vet gave me Metronidazole and Biosponge which seems to have stopped the diarrhea but still doesnt have a strong appetite. He knows where the milk is on the mare but will go get a sip and stop, sometimes fairly frequently to seem to be getting more but never enough to truly soften the udder. Still seems to be a bit uncomfy and thinking still has a bit of a tummy ache. The vet said if he doesnt start nursing they can put a tube in but as of right now I am just milking the mare and feeding him by hand to make sure he is getting fluids. He has started being more active and playful since being treated with the meds but just doesnt have the normal appetite of other foals. His temp has been around 101.7 pretty much this whole time. He had a normal birth, normal length gestation, everything about his arrival was normal. He did have a good suck reflex at birth too but just never really wanted to eat much, now doesnt even suck on the syringe at all and just the small sips off the mare. Still will eat from the syringe but will not suck the milk out like other foals have for me.
Has anyone experienced this type of behavior in a foal and what did you use to treat them. I hope I explained it somewhat well, wanted to get some other opinions and ideas before I talk with my vet again.
I have a 2 day old foal that doesnt seem to be hungry at all and isnt eating very well, took to the vet and all bloodwork came back normal so doesnt have anything obviously wrong with him, also had his Igg test run and it is normal too. He had really watery diarrhea at about 24hrs old and seemed to be a bit uncomfy, the vet gave me Metronidazole and Biosponge which seems to have stopped the diarrhea but still doesnt have a strong appetite. He knows where the milk is on the mare but will go get a sip and stop, sometimes fairly frequently to seem to be getting more but never enough to truly soften the udder. Still seems to be a bit uncomfy and thinking still has a bit of a tummy ache. The vet said if he doesnt start nursing they can put a tube in but as of right now I am just milking the mare and feeding him by hand to make sure he is getting fluids. He has started being more active and playful since being treated with the meds but just doesnt have the normal appetite of other foals. His temp has been around 101.7 pretty much this whole time. He had a normal birth, normal length gestation, everything about his arrival was normal. He did have a good suck reflex at birth too but just never really wanted to eat much, now doesnt even suck on the syringe at all and just the small sips off the mare. Still will eat from the syringe but will not suck the milk out like other foals have for me.
Has anyone experienced this type of behavior in a foal and what did you use to treat them. I hope I explained it somewhat well, wanted to get some other opinions and ideas before I talk with my vet again.
