Caring for Mares & Foals

Lesson 5: Dystocia: Foaling Problems

Emergencies

The problems I’ve mentioned so far have been ones you probably can solve. If you are uncomfortable with dealing with these problems, then you should immediately call the vet. Remember though that often there is little time to lose and if you are unwilling to make the attempt, it may be too late by the time the vet arrives.

The following problems are more serious and usually require professional help. Many foaling difficulties arise from malpresentations. If you know that help is far away, you should elect to try yourself to correct the problem, otherwise wait for the vet and delay delivery.(explained later in the lesson.)

It helps if you picture what is happening inside the mare. Make sure your hands are sterile and realize that you may need to insert not only a hand, but also practically the whole arm to reposition the foal. Karen Hayes book, “The Complete Book of Foaling”, shows numerous pictures of malpresentations and a person’s hand inserted repositioning the foal. There are many types of abnormal positions. The most common is one foot is missing; being bent back instead of stretched forward. In this case you need to follow the neck to the shoulder and down the leg to locate the knee or fetlock if you can reach that far. Then pull the knee up toward the mare’s spine, which should raise the hoof into a position you can grab it and pull it into the birth canal and the correct foaling position. If you are missing both feet, use the same procedure twice, once for each leg.

The other common problem is no muzzle is present. Instead, you find nothing, or the crown of the head. If you feel nothing you need to ascertain whether the foal is backwards. Follow the legs up to the baby and farther up to the neck and head. You should be able to feel the large jawbones if the head is present. Then slide your hand under the jaw to the mouth. Grasp the mouth and use it to bring the foal’s muzzle into the birth canal.

If you determine that it is the buttocks present at the end of the legs, you will need to act quickly. (You know its buttocks by not finding the jawbones and by checking the position of the legs. A hock joint will be somewhat pointy and the feet will be sole up.) It is easy for a foal to suffocate when being delivered breech. You will need to lubricate lavishly, using several tubes, bath as far inside the mare as possible and as much of the foal as possible. Then when the mare is pushing, help by pulling in an arc-like path. Consider that a foal delivered this way is generally stressed and oxygen depleted and that the mare is at considerable risk for uterine tearing or rupturing.

Two other emergencies may occur during foaling. The foal may arrive weak, with difficulty breathing or a low erratic or nonexistent pulse. While these relate to foal care after birth, since it often goes with a difficult labor or delivery, I’ll address it here.

If the foal is not breathing well or at all, the first step is to clean it’s nostrils with a downward stroke on its face, eyes to muzzle. Grasp and give a gentle tug on its tongue. If this elicits no response, you may need to thump it on its chest or shake it, as if trying to awaken it. If you are able you can try to pick it up, upside down in a bear hug. Determine if the heart is beating, then begin mouth to nose resuscitation and continue until the vet arrives.

If the heart is not beating, administer CPR. With the foal on its right side, close the mouth, pinch the lower part of the nostril and breath in a normal lungful of your air until you se the chest rise, then remove your moth to allow the air to escape, repeating every three seconds. A second person needs to apply firm nudges to the heart area just behind the elbow, once every second. If there is no response after several minutes, it would be wise to admit defeat for the foal would be brain damaged if it did survive.

For me, the most traumatic problem I’ve ever found was a foal dead inside the mare. For whatever reason, this is an immense disappointment and a serious condition. Besides losing the foal, you may lose your mare or at least her reproductively. In all cases, this situation requires professional help to remove the foal and treat the mare.

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