Stud Farm Diaries: Foal Rejection

stud farm Foal Rejection

diaries

by Cindy Reich

Dogwood Blossoms To dreamy languors and the violet mist Of early Spring, the deep sequestered vale Gives first her paling-blue Miamimist, Where blithely pours the cuckoo’s annual tale Of Summer promises and tender green, Of a new life and beauty yet unseen.

The forest trees have yet a sighing mouth, Where dying winds of March their branches swing, While upward from the dreamy, sunny South, A hand invisible leads on the Spring.

His rounds from bloom to bloom the bee begins With flying song, and cowslip wine he sups, Where to the warm and passing southern winds, Azaleas gently swing their yellow cups.

Soon everywhere, with glory through and through, The fields will spread with every brilliant hue.

But high o’er all the early floral train, Where softness all the arching sky resumes, The dogwood dancing to the winds’ refrain, In stainless glory spreads its snowy blooms.

— George Marion McClellan, “The Book of American Negro Poetry,” New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1922.

T

he chestnut mare lay on the straw of the foaling stall, exhausted and a bit dazed. She had just delivered a large filly. The filly was healthy and vigorous, slapping her feet against the floor as she tried to stand. As she was only a few minutes old and still wet, it was going to be a little while before this foal would be able to stand. I stood in the doorway of the stall, watching and waiting. I did not like the fact that the mare was not looking at or nickering to her newborn foal. She was also a maiden mare — this was her first foal. Suddenly, the mare’s head shot up and her eyes widened. She turned her head to look at the foal and her body tensed as she prepared to jump to her feet. I was already in motion; quietly but quickly, I rubbed my hands over the wet foal and stepped to the mare’s head. Cupping my hands over her nostrils, I waited and held my breath.

As the mare inhaled the amniotic fluid from the foal, her eyes softened. She lowered her head to the floor and began to nicker. I exhaled as well and pulled the foal in front of her ready to grab it away if the mare showed any aggression.

Fortunately in this case, the mare started licking her foal and the rest of her foaling was uneventful. She allowed the foal to nurse and showed exemplary broodmare behavior, even though this was her first foal. However, this foaling could have had a very different outcome, and foal rejection is more common in Arabians than any other breed.

What causes a mare to reject her foal? According to Dr. Katherine Houpt of Cornell University, there are three main types of foal rejection in mares: Mares that accept the foal but will not let it nurse; mares that are afraid of their foal and try to avoid it; and mares that attempt to injure their foal.

The chestnut mare in this article was clearly afraid of her foal, and was poised to jump to her feet and get as far away from it as possible. As a maiden, or first-time foaling mare, she was at a higher risk of this type of behavior. You can hardly blame the mare, when after a hard, painful labor, she

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diaries

turns around and finds some strange creature in the stall with compared to 1.9 percent of Paint mares. In a study of 28 Japanese Thoroughbred stud farms, the rejection rate was her. There is a complex series of events surrounding foaling — and smell is very important to this process. I have stopped less than 1 percent. What is even more interesting is that Dr. several potential rejection scenarios using the trigger of the Houpt has found a familial connection as well. She reports smell. Will it stop every mare from rejecting her foal? No, but that in Arabian mares — if the paternal grandmother of the smell is very important. mare rejected a foal, the mare would be at greater risk of I grew up raising sheep, and it was a common practice rejecting a foal as well. if a ewe lost a lamb, to skin the Mares that have had several dead lamb and tie the skin to a foals and rejected two or more lamb that needed a mother. Most foals are more at risk for rejecting ewes would take the foster lamb further foals, regardless of breed. readily as it would smell like Maiden mares are more at risk of “their” lamb. After a day or so, rejecting a foal than mares that the skin of the dead lamb could have had multiple births. Any be removed and the ewe wouldn’t mare that has been separated from even notice, as bonding had her foal during the first few hours already occurred. after birth has a greater risk of When trying to graft older rejecting that foal. foals onto nurse mares, I often Although many people say, used Vick’s VapoRub in the mare’s “If the mare rejects the foal, it nostrils and then spread it down is because there is something the back of the foal and on its wrong with it and it isn’t meant neck and head. The VapoRub on to survive,” that is not true. And the foal was the same scent in the in fact, Dr. Houpt has reported mare’s nostrils and she did not that the mortality rate of rejected foals is 6 percent, and therefore perceive the foal as “foreign.” If Be alert to any negative behavior shown by a mare 94 percent will survive, given the you have a mare that has lost her towards her foal, especially when nursing. proper treatment. foal at birth and someone has a foal that needs a mother, you How do you recognize that a mare is trying can take the remains of the amniotic sac and rub it on the to reject her foal? foster foal, or use the fresh placenta. The mare recognizes Obviously, a mare that grabs her foal by the neck and that scent as “her” foal and will more readily accept a foster flings it to the ground is not showing normal maternal foal. However, this works only if you are grafting a foal to a foster mare at birth. Grafting an older foal (after the placenta behavior. According to Dr. Houpt, 82 percent of normal mares lick their foals, whereas only 38 percent of mares who and all membranes have long been discarded) requires the reject their foals lick them. While 88 percent of rejecting VapoRub or another procedure to trigger the smell response. mares kick their foals, very few normal mares kick at their I don’t know what it is that causes this reaction, but the ability of a mother to recognize her offspring via smell is well foals. Some mares may lift a leg in warning — especially if they have a sore udder, but they do not actively kick their documented in many species. It can be used to advantage in foals. One interesting fact is that 33 percent of rejecting these situations. mares will defend their foal against dogs, for example, or other threats. In fact, dogs can sometimes be used successfully What mares are more likely to reject their foals? to get a mare to defend her foal and therefore potentially get First of all, according to Dr. Houpt, Arabians are her to accept it. more likely to reject a foal than other breeds. In a survey Be alert to mares who appear afraid of their foal and she conducted, 5.1 percent of Arabian mares rejected foals try to get as far away from it as possible. While these mares

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are more interested in getting away from the foal, if the foal persists in sticking to the mare, it could escalate into an aggressive response from the mare if the situation is not handled properly.

How to treat rejected foals The first thing is to make sure the foal is safe. However, if possible, try not to remove the foal from the mare’s sight.

If the foal is removed completely from the mare, attempts at reintroduction will be less successful. It is also important to get milk into the foal — especially the colostrum. If it becomes apparent that the foal is not going to be able to nurse from the mare initially, the mare should be milked and the foal fed colostrum via bottle or stomach tube. The foal will need to feed frequently — at least hourly, if not more often. A newborn foal may nurse as often as every five to 15 minutes.

One factor in providing a safe environment for the foal is to restrain the mare. If the mare is trying to harm the foal, it is important to make sure that she cannot bite or kick it.

Constructing a bar across the stall that holds the mare still while allowing the foal access to nursing is one method. The mare should be able to see the foal, but not be able to reach around and bite or kick. Seeing the foal as it nurses is an important step in the mare’s acceptance.

Having a good handler at the mare’s head who can correct her if she shows aggressive behavior can be helpful.

Excessive correction can make an aggressive mare worse.

Timing is crucial. As well as correcting, rewarding the mare with grain or some treat every time the foal approaches may create a good association with the foal. Putting straw or hay bales in front and behind the mare can add an additional “buffer zone” to protect the foal. Some people hobble mares that try to reject the foal, but unless the mare has worn hobbles before, it may make matters worse. If the mare is more into biting, a muzzle may make things safer for the foal and the handler.

Sedation can also be a useful tool in cases of foal rejection. It can lower an aggressive mare’s agitation and make her less able to physically hurt the foal. Often, once the foal has nursed over several days without incident, the mare becomes more accepting. You sort of break the “aggressive loop” of behavior. For the mare that is fearful, sedation can reduce her anxiety, increase her relaxation, and make it easier for her to accept the foal. It is important to consult with

diaries your veterinarian about methods of sedation, as some common sedative drugs should not be used for a mare that is rejecting her foal. A dopamine blocker such as ace promazine may be a good choice, because in addition to having sedative effects, it can stimulate lactation in the mare. Consult with your veterinarian as to which drugs will best fit your situation.

The biggest problem in getting a mare to accept the foal is the constant supervision required. Since the foal will normally nurse every 15 minutes, if it is held separate from the mare the foal must be brought to the mare frequently — not only to ensure the foal gets adequate nutrition, but also to increase lactation, which can release hormones that may make the mare more accepting of the foal. That is why having some sort of “stock” that the mare is held in with access to her udder for the foal is better, say, than having the foal in an adjoining stall and bringing it to the mare. Regardless of method, however, safety of the foal and restraint of the mare are the two main objectives.

If the mare absolutely won’t allow the foal near the udder at first, the foal will have to be bottle-fed. Milk the mare and when bottle-feeding the foal, do it as close to the mare’s flank as you can get. It is important that the foal associate the bottle with the mare’s flank to make it easier to get it to try nursing from the mother — or, should grafting be necessary, to get it to nurse from a surrogate mare. If the foal is fed via bottle in a corner of the stall, or away from the mare, it will only associate feeding with humans and that area of the stall where it is fed.

Conditioning mares to have their udders handled Foal rejection among mares who won’t allow the foal to nurse, is, in my experience, the most common form of rejection, and often the most frustrating. Frustrating because these mares are always the ones that foal at 3:00 a.m. and then refuse to let the foal nurse. As a sleep-deprived foaling attendant, I generally will not have a lot of patience for mares in this situation.

However, patience is exactly what is required. I will often back such mares into a corner, creating a “V” between the mare and the wall. The mare can’t kick and as long as she doesn’t spring forward out of the “V,” once the foal has nursed a number of times, she usually will settle and allow the foal to nurse without restraint.

I think it is important for all foaling mares, and especially maiden mares, to be conditioned to having their udder handled.

Handling the mare’s udder in the weeks prior to foaling, using a warm washcloth, will save a lot of trouble later. In fact, I think

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diaries

that mares have more of a problem with the foal jamming them in the flank as they try to nurse than with the actual udder.

When the foal keeps lifting the skin of the flank as it pokes around, it seems to provoke a bigger negative response from the mare than just poking the udder. Therefore, I also mimic a foal lifting that flank “flap” gently on mares to get them accustomed to the sensation. WARNING — this can and does provoke a negative response (this is why a flank strap works so well on bucking horses). Be very careful when conditioning mares for this type of handling.

I have constructed a “foal stick,” which is simply a wooden handle with a big sponge attached to the end. This allows me to stand at the mare’s shoulder and rub the sponge around her udder and flank more safely.

Some mares truly have painful udders, and when the foal nurses it hurts! Make sure the mare does not have mastitis as it can make the udder very painful and can cause an otherwise good mare to refuse to let her foal nurse.

The good news about foal rejection is that most mares will accept their foals within a few days with consistent treatment and attention. Some may take longer, but it is always best to try to get the mare to accept her foal. If it is obvious that the mare has no intention of “mothering up” after treatment, it is best to graft the foal on a nurse mare. If no nurse mare is available, then a goat would be the next best bet. The last resort would be to bottle-feed or pail-feed the foal.

Foal “stealing” This is actually the opposite of foal rejection. However, mares can and do “steal” foals, particularly newborns, and it is

important to be alert to the possibility. When I was working in Kentucky, we kept all of the mares that were a month prior to foaling in one pasture, mares that were two to three months out in another pasture, and so on. As the mares got closer to foaling, they were brought into the foaling barn as stalls became available.

One morning I went out to feed and there was a newborn foal pasted to the side of a mare. The whole herd was agitated. I ran them into a catch pen to separate the mare and her foal. As I separated them, I was surprised to see that the mare had virtually no udder. Mares can foal without producing much milk, but I was suspicious. I checked her vulva and it did not have the appearance of a recently foaling mare. Furthermore, this mare was still quite “fat” for having just foaled. I walked through the other mares and found a mare that had a large udder, dripping milk, and when I looked at her vulva, it was elongated and there were signs that this mare had recently given birth. Fortunately, when I separated the foal from the first mare and put her with her real mother, they bonded quickly. Since the “thief ” had separated the mare and foal at some time during the night, the mare was at risk to reject her foal, but did not and raised it without incident.

However, for mares that are run together that are in foal, it is important when you find a “surprise,” to make sure you have the right mare/foal combination.

Foaling is one of the most joyous events on a breeding farm. Be alert to the risk factors for foal rejection and be prepared to act in the event that it occurs. Most broodmares love their job — and we love them for it!

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