Twisted cord

[Maple Hollow Farm]

So I lost a foal last night due to a severely twisted cord. I was just wondering for those other people that have had this happen. Have you bred the mares back to the same stallion and had the same problem or is this just a totally random event and next year could be just fine? Thanks.

 

[wildoak]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I can give you my experience with it. I've lost 3 over the years to a twisted cord, all did happen to be colts and by the same stallion (2 different mares). Now we were breeding the stallion quite a bit, so maybe just coincidence as he sired lots of other foals with no issues. One mare had two of those twisted cord colts, but she also had 2 fillies by him that were fine.

Jan

 

[Bonny]

Sorry to hear Maple, very sad.

 

[ruffian]

So Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately I know exactly how you feel.

Yes I did have a foal do that. Cord looked like a spiral telephone cord. I bred the mare prior and after the same way and had no issues. The vet said he'd heard of it, but didn't know wat caused it. That was a few years ago, and they may have discovered something since then.

Again my sympathies on your loss.

 

[Ashley]

I would guess its alot like human babies.The get tangled up from the movement in a small area. I cant imagine that would be a genetic issue.

 

[Reble]

Important causes are twisted umbilical cord, bacterial infections, placental insufficiency, twins, equine herpesvirus infection (due to EHV-1; "rhino"), fungal infections (rare in WY), and leptospirosis (rare in WY; in 2007 there was a jump in leptospirosis cases in horses in KY). Many of the death losses in horses occur at parturition due to premature separation of the placenta, and neonatal asphyxia/dystocia. The best way to minimize these losses to be present when the mare is giving birth, and to provide assistance when appropriate.

Lot of information on this site if you wish to read.

http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/vetsci/Courses/PATB_4110/2009_lectures/35_reproduct_horse/HTML/Class_Notes.htm

 

[Charlotte]

Excellent article Rebel. Thank you for sharing.

Maple Hollow, I'm sorry for this loss.

Charlotte

 

[Joanne]

You did not say if teh mare was ready to foal or premature.

The one we had the foal twisted the cord and was too early to live and aborted. We did rebreed that mare to teh same stallion and it did not occur the next time. I do not think who the sire and dam are makes a difference. It is a random event.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

Thanks guys and Joanne the mare was at 290 days so chances were the foal wouldnt have survived at that point anyways. By how twisted the cord was we think that is what caused him to be aborted. It was a very nice colt that looked to have nothing else wrong with it just that severely twisted cord.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Unfortunately, its completely random

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Our mare Sweet Tart lost her 09 foal to a severely twisted cord. With her foal he was SUPER active the night before, I had even sat out in the stall for a good 20-30 minutes watching and feeling him bounce around while she was eating! I went to work the next morning and got a call from my mother that the mare had gone into labor and my heart sank (she was only 270-280 days) as I knew the foal wouldn't make it, she had already called the vets and they were there working on getting him out (she of course was not dialated etc. for delivering so had a ROUGH time getting him out) .. I left work and rushed home, to find we had lost a handsome, black frosted appy colt, everything looked normal, vet/interns checked him over and the only thing that stuck out was a severely twisted cord. Vet even said that the colt had been dead no longer than 8 hours

I'll tell ya that was a hard loss, going from the excitement I felt that night before seeing/feeling a healthy baby bouncing around, to losing him 10-12 hours later

To this day it still makes me wonder if the little guy did himself in with all his activity, twisting his own cord.. Makes me super nervous when the babies get really active anymore!

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

We've lost a few to twisted cords, no common stallions though. Two were straight twisted, one was twisted and strangled the foal in-utero. Someone had mentioned to me at the time to check the cord length as it's possible the longer cords/more active foals cause this problem. As this one was a full sibling re-breed, I can't blame the stallion for it. We now make note of any longer than normal cords, thicker sacs, etc.

Also cord length may be attributed to stallions. I don't remember which vet/medical school was studying that though.

 

[palsminihorses]

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your foal.

In years past, we lost one due to a twisted cord. Bred the mare again and she foaled without problems.

HUGS!

Pam

 

[Eagle]

oh how sad! I am so sorry, you must be devastated. I send my prayers for you and your mare. I am new to this site but it seems to be a bad year for foaling so far. Lets all pray that things turn around immediately.

 

[Royal Crescent]

Our mare Sweet Tart lost her 09 foal to a severely twisted cord. With her foal he was SUPER active the night before, I had even sat out in the stall for a good 20-30 minutes watching and feeling him bounce around while she was eating!

At least in human babies, wild movements can be a sign of a struggling fetus. Movements are almost always a good sign but if unusually active followed by quiet, it can signal a problem. So sorry for the loss of your colt Maple Hollow.

 

[supaspot]

we lost a foal just a couple of weeks ago , the mare was 270 days , the cord was very twisted (red and white colt) and we measured it at 54 cms , I dont know if thats long or average as Ive never taken much notice before , I did read about a study done in TB and the normal length for them is between 35 cms and 84 cms this mare did the same thing lastt year - premmie red and white filly , three years ago she did deliver a bay pinto colt full term , he was badly presented but we did manage to get him out ( he won all- ireland champion foal that year) all three foals were by different stallions , one point - this mare is 0nly 33 ins at the withers but she is quite a wide roomy mare , I did wonder if that was a factor - more room to move around and get in trouble

 

[minie812]

We lost a colt last month due to a severely twisted cord at 286 days. This mare has had three healthy fillies prior and this was the third breeding to the same stallion. It was so sad but I believe it was random and it happened during the -16 degree weather. Sorry for the loss.

 

[Miniv]

We've lost a few foals (abortions) that had a severely twisted cord.....by different stallions, different mares. I agree that it's "random" as far as the parents are concerned. But I do believe it indicates that the foal was under a great deal of stress.....But the reason for the stress can vary with each pregnancy.

I'm very sorry for your loss. I know how disappointing and frustrating it can be not knowing the CAUSE.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Torsion of the umbilical cord in the mare can be a cause of fetal death and abortion, commonly seen in mid-to-late gestation. Length of the umbilicus is considered a contributing factor. Measured lengths of less than 84 cm (33 in) were considered normal in a study among Thoroughbred mares in 1 report. Increased lengths have been associated with excessive torsion and allantochorionic necrosis.

During gestation, particularly during the first two trimesters, the fetus can "roll" inside the uterus. During these movements the fetus can roll together with or independently of its surrounding amnion. These movements can then lead to twisting of the cord: Extra-amniotic twists result from movement of the fetus together with the amnion while intra-amniotic twisting results from fetal movements within the amnion. Twisting can occur in either, clockwise or anti-clockwise, direction and the intra- and extra-amniotic twisting may even occur in opposite directions. Any degree of twisting is considered normal, provided there are no signs of compromised blood flow (edema, perivascular hemorrhage, severe swelling).

Dr Taylor

 

[ForeverFarma]

So sorry for your loss- we lost a foal at 220 days with a twisted cord. It was kinked and knotted so tight around itself that there was actually a blood clot the size of my hand where it had been backing up and pooling, unable to get to the foal. My mare is 18 yrs old, and this would have been her last foal. We will not be breeding her again, but not because of the aborted foal.