News from Retama Equine Clinic

Why all the light?
Horses are long day breeders. Mares start cycling when there is more sunlight in
a day than darkness. For an early breeding date, mares need to be cycling in winter
when the days are short. To induce cycling in winter, we need to trick the mare’s
pituitary gland to stimulate hormones that encourage the ovaries to start ovulating
regularly. One way to achieve this goal is to put the mare under artificial lighting,
starting around the first of December, the mare should be exposed to a total of
16 hours of light per day. The amount of light should be enough for you to read
a newspaper. This modified lighting schedule should be continued until the mare
is confirmed to be in foal.
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Our veterinarians are proud members of:
*Martin (AVMA, TVMA, TEVA & AAEP), Huffman (AVMA, TVMA, TEVA & AAEP), Bruening (AVMA,
TVMA, TEVA & AAEP), Symm (AVMA, TVMA, TEVA, AAEP & Dipl. ACVS)& Whitacre(AVMA &
AAEP)
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It’s that time of year! The foals are coming and breeding season is about to start.
In this installment of our newsletter we are going to discuss some of the common
questions we encounter and offer some recommendations about foal care and broodmare
preparation. New this month is Inside Retama!, check out what’s new and going on
around the clinic. As always, don’t forget to check out our latest installment
of ‘Small Animal News’. We would like to solicit any input you might have and invite
you to email us with any questions or topics. Please feel free to forward this newsletter
to your friends and invite them to join our mailing list. Thank you for your continued
support and patronage.
Sincerely,
Retama Equine Hospital
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The Last Days
Mare care pre-foaling
Your mare has been in foal through the spring and summer and you are excited about
the future champion that she is carrying. Even though it is very exciting and the
majority of the time everything goes well and a healthy foal is born, there are
several things that should be done and considered in the last few months of pregnancy.
Remember that to produce a healthy foal you must first care for and nurture a healthy
mare. Over 60% of fetal growth occurs during the last 3 months of pregnancy, so
it is important to make sure the mare is fed enough to provide her with the calories
needed to support this surge in growth. In summary a mare should be kept in ‘good
to fat’ condition to allow for fetal growth and rapid re-breeding. For specific
recommendations based on your mare’s individual needs, please consult your veterinarian.
For more detailed information about feeding broodmares you may visit this article
from The Horse [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=fzykwjdab&et=1104021811922&s=661&e=001a_5weaAkP-TfC6NbMssRYNwXpUIiyB0ajBj2nEznrG4-LrAs5q9EgyzXTYAP4_kaHOQYdmAir-GIQVO0p_e9F23bgcoXtjTICapdUdLAZxk6EnIDUd7J1UprWX25D00ko0ZJWPK-5uUW2CPmTYPK5k3rjB-UXt2a7iSaRtEl9kxZ4W8otuPGkERfQ1Emb1sQ].
In addition to proper feeding, the mare should also have annual vaccinations against
the commonly encountered diseases in your area. She should also get a series of
Equine Herpes vaccinations (Pneumobort-K) at 5, 7 and 9 months of gestation. For
additional information about vaccinations this link to AAEP’s [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=fzykwjdab&et=1104021811922&s=661&e=001a_5weaAkP-QQ2bAKjFIjYoJrElb0gh7O4VP7GeRPdpIqeT65zrvw5R1_QzgXcaRKlBoQu1HIksFweQv68g2dt6OfAbLHcbnzhRDI0AX6VVicBM4dY-rOAH1lVRjV51mcakONVzU0Wi8=]
website might be helpful.
Deciding where to foal out your mare can sometimes be a tough decision. Even though
mares have been giving birth to foals for thousands of years without human intervention,
it is important for you to monitor the process to ensure a safe and healthy delivery.
However you decide to house your mare for the impending foaling she should be kept
somewhere she can find clean, dry and safe shelter. Frequently the foaling process
happens so quickly you miss the entire event. One way you can help ensure that you
are available to help the mare and foal is to use a foal alert system. We place
these monitors so that when the birth canal is breached an alarm will be sounded
to alert you as to what has taken place. Visit the Foal Alert [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=fzykwjdab&et=1104021811922&s=661&e=001a_5weaAkP-SKOj-Aur26YTYEX_aQp-BfHqmktbnRnrfln1n4MDvQ-hadPWNn81TPonoUfRqDS8HTunEXsoscOMV8rX70OXStDXEVB9YaiqqXEIFd01cU6w==]
website for more information about these systems.
Foaling is broken up into 3 stages. Stage 1 usually lasts 1-4 hours and consists
of the foal and uterus making final adjustments towards the birth canal and is
complete once the ‘water breaks’. Stage 2 lasts approximately 30 minutes, is marked
by intense abdominal contractions, and ends with delivery of the foal. Normal foal
presentation is front feet and nose first. If a red membrane is seen and there
is not marked progress within a few minutes your mare may be experiencing a ‘red
bag’ delivery, or premature placental separation, which requires immediate veterinary
attention. Stage 3 of parturition, or birthing, is the expulsion of the placenta,
which should occur within a few hours. It is usually best to observe but not interfere
with the foaling process, unless you have specific training and knowledge, but if
you have questions or concerns contact a veterinarian immediately.
This is a very brief discussion about a very precious and delicate process. Many
things have been left out, so if you have any questions about your mare, please
call us at any time.
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The First Day
First 24 hours
Delivery has gone off without a hitch and mare and foal ‘seem’ okay. But, what is
normal? What should I expect my foal to do in the first hours and days?
The mare and foal should be observed from a distance initially to allow them to
bond. Within the first minute of life the foal should be breathing, if the foal
is not breathing, check for debris or part of the sac covering the nose. Remove
these items and rub the chest with a clean towel to stimulate breathing. The umbilical
cord should break naturally. If it bleeds after breaking, apply direct pressure
for a minute to try and stop the bleeding. If it continues to bleed, use a clean
piece of string to tie it off. To prevent infection, the stump should be submerged
in an antiseptic solution twice daily for 3 days. The navel should begin to dry
over the first 24 hours and should not have any enlargement, heat or pain to palpation.
The foal should make attempts to stand within the first 30 minutes and be able to
stand within an hour. The foal should nurse within 2-3 hours of birth and continue
to nurse about 7 times per hour for a few minutes at a time. The meconium, the first
feces, which is dark brown to black and should pass in the first 4 hours. A normal,
newborn foal will have a temperature between 99-102 degrees Farenheit, heart rate
between 40-80 beats per minute and will frequently have a rapid respiratory rate
that generally slows down over the first few hours of life.
It is important to schedule a wellness exam with us within 12-24 hours of birth
to examine the mare and foal. At that time, we will measure the foals blood for
IgG antibodies. These antibodies are obtained from the mares first milk and must
be consumed within the first 24 hours to optimally protect the foal from illness.
Again, this is a general review of the first 24 hours and if you have any questions
or concerns please contact us a soon as possible.
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Small Animal News
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition affecting bone and cartilage in
joints. There are various causes of OA including trauma, genetic predisposition,
and infectious diseases in joints. Most commonly older, large breed, athletic
dogs are affected, but we are also seeing an increase in elderly cats with signs
of discomfort from arthritis.
Diagnosis is made based on history, physical exam, joint manipulation and radiographs.
Once diagnosis is made, a treatment plan can be designed based on your individual
animals condition and needs. Therapies include anti inflammatory/pain medications,
joint supplements (glucosamine/chondroitins), adequan injections or various other
medications and treatments.
The best way to treat arthritis is to diagnose it early and get ahead of the long
term damage by starting a treatment plan early.
Please call 210-651-1384 with any questions you may have or to make an appointment
today.