Services in Foal Medicine and Intensive Care
Some foals need a little help getting started in life - we have assembled a comprehensive foal intensive care team consisting of skilled staff from the Equine Clinic and veterinary students. We have a specially equipped foal intensive care unit where your mare and foal can receive the best possible care.
Our team looks forward to welcoming each of these little patients.
Please be sure to contact us before bringing your foal in: +49 89 2180 2627 or +49 173 2465627
Based on the preliminary report, the gestation period, and the clinical and laboratory examinations, we can assess how intensive the support the foal will need to be.
© Klinik für Pferde
Useful information about pregnancy, birth, and the first weeks of life
You can find an information sheet with useful information about foal rearing here:
Normally, foals adapt well to their environment after birth, and natural processes occur automatically.
You can use the 1-2-3 rule as a guide:
- Within the first hour: first attempt to stand
- Within the second hour: first intake of milk containing important colostral antibodies (colostrum, first milk)
- Within the first 3 hours: expulsion of the afterbirth in the mare
- Within the first 12 hours: passage of meconium and urination
Causes of a delay in these vital processes include, for example:
- Placental insufficiency
- Placentitis (infection/inflammation within the uterus)
- Premature birth
- Dystocia with temporary oxygen and nutrient deprivation
- Infection of the foal before (in the uterus), during, or shortly after birth
- Neuroendocrine disorder
- Foal diseases (neonatal isoerythrolysis, bladder rupture, meconium obstruction, etc.)