05/01/2019
Coincidence or Fate
A 10 year old Quarter Horse mare was referred into the veterinary hospital approximately 36 hours after foaling. The mare had a retained placenta, an increased body temperature (104° F), and was exhibiting significant abdominal pain. Despite intensive medical therapy, the condition of the mare continued to deteriorate. Sadly, the mare passed away a few hours later leaving her foal an orphan.
A blood sample collected from the foal confirmed that the c**t had acquired adequate passive antibody transfer through ingestion of her dam’s colostrum. Subsequently, the foal was fed a commercial equine milk replacer every 2 hours. The foal readily learned to drink out of a bucket avoiding the need for bottle feeding.
Fortuitously, the same breeding farm had a broodmare that had lost her foal two weeks previously. The horse was transported to the clinic as a potential nurse mare for the orphan c**t. A physical examination showed that the mare was healthy and still had some milk in her mammary gland. The mare was administered the dopamine antagonist domperidone twice daily, as well as estradiol, to re-stimulate milk production. The mare was also hand milked multiple times a day.
Eventually the day came in which the foal was to be introduced to its surrogate mom. The c**t was held without food for a few hours to make sure it was hungry. The mare was administered a dose of prostaglandins to stimulate her maternal behavior. Twenty minutes later the foal was introduced to the mare. The mare was lightly restrained and the foal was guided to the mare’s mammary gland. He immediately started to nurse and the mare stood like a rock.
The orphan foal and surrogate mare went home together a few days later. A happy ending to a pair of tragic circumstances.