NEUROLOGY
How to Conduct a Neuro Assessment OF THE NEONATAL FOAL M a r i e
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A neurological examination of the neonatal foal with a physical examination provides a more comprehensive assessment of the young horse, according to Monica Aleman, MVZ Cert., PhD, DACVIM (LAIM & Neurology), a neurologist at the University of California-Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. The neurologic examination should assess behavior, state of consciousness, cranial nerves, spinal reflexes, posture and gait, she said, and in the stable, can be done using simple tools in every veterinarian’s toolbox: listening, observation, palpation and patience. Although it does not matter in which order the examination is performed, she said it was a good idea to develop a routine so that nothing is overlooked. The goals of the neurological exam are to determine whether the foal is meeting its neuroanatomical milestones, and if not, why not. Because a horse is a prey animal, the normal transition from intrauterine to extra-uterine life must develop quickly in the foal. Important early milestones include the time to sternal recumbency, when the foal becomes alert and responsive to stimuli, the suckle reflex, nickering in response to the mare, the time it takes to stand and to nurse. A modified APGAR score can be calculated in the stable; monitoring the heart and respiration rates, mucus membrane color, muscle tone, and the response to several stimuli will quickly indicate if the foal has a neurological issue that requires immediate attention. During the evaluation, the veterinarian should ob4
Issue 3/2021 | ModernEquineVet.com
serve behavior and the animal's state of consciousness, cranial nerves and the foal’s responses, reactions and Signs of a problem in medium reflexes, segmental reflexes oflevel thedressage spine,horse posture, in right gait canter: Earstime back; intense and nociception, if needed. “The only we're stare; going and the bit is pulled through to to evaluate for nociception, however, the right. is if the animal is non-ambulatory, and there is no obvious voluntary movement. If the animal is walking, you don't need to check for this,” Dr. Aleman said.
Behavior
A new foal should be curious and responsive to its environment. It should be investigating, licking and smelling, while bonding with its mother, answering her nickers and suckling. That is normal behavior. If a light is shone in its eye, it should blink. Check the direct pupillary reflex, which is a response to light that enters the ipsilateral eye and consensual pupillary reflex that responds to bright light shown in the contralateral eye. Foals should respond to external stimulation with exaggerated movements. Again, in the field, she uses a common tool—she claps. The foal should jerk its head up in response to the sudden noise. “That is normal. This is a remarkable evolutionary adaptation of the foal in order to survive in the wild—the foal is fully hearing and visual,” Dr. Aleman said. To check the spinal reflexes, the animal must be completely relaxed and be in lateral recumbency. A foal should enter a relaxed state when restrained gently. “If it’s standing, it is going to have increased muscle tone,” she said. “Even if he’s recumbent, he must be relaxed.
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