A mare’s death
is a tragedy that will be compounded if her foal isn’t quickly placed on an
effective feeding and care program. However,
with proper nutrition and veterinary support, orphaned foals can be managed and
successfully developed into healthy adults.
To help orphans through the tough early stages of life, an emergency
feeding program was developed at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center.
Starting at birth, here are the steps in an orphan foal feeding
program:
- Day 1: The first and most important step is getting colostrum into newborn foals within the first 2 hours of life. This “first milk” gives foals the antibodies they need to temporarily build up their immune systems to fight disease, but after 18-24 hours they can no longer absorb these antibodies. Check with your veterinarian right away to see if foals should receive medication of any kind and if they have achieved proper immunoglobulin levels.
