04/23/2026
Guidelines around parturition:
• Avoid trying to pull the foal unless it is an emergency, such as a breech or red bag. Either of these will lead to lack of oxygen and possibly death of the foal. Improper pulling can damage the mare’s reproductive tract, injury to the foal, or premature placental separation.
• Allow time for the foal to break the fetal membranes but check breathing once it has broken through the amniotic sac.
• Do not break or cut the umbilical cord. It will break at its natural position, about one inch from the abdomen, when the mare or foal rises. If necessary, hold the cord on each side of the natural breakage point and pull to separate. Do not cut the cord. Any hemorrhage that follows can be stemmed by pressure applied to the stump for several minutes.
• Allow the mare and foal to rest undisturbed.
• Treat the umbilical stump with dilute antiseptic solution a few times per day for the first 3-4 days.
• Observe the mare and foal closely for the first 24 hours.
• Ensure that the foal is breathing normally.
• The foal should stand within one hour.
• Monitor closely for acceptance or non-acceptance of the foal. Rejection is most common in maiden mares but can occur in multiparous mares. The foal should be kept safe from such a mare, and the mare physically or chemically restrained. Usually within one to two days the mare will accept the foal.
• The foal should stand and nurse within two hours of birth. If not, call your equine veterinarian. The foal may need immediate medical attention.
• Meconium (the first sticky, dark stool) six hours. If the foal is straining to defecate or holding up the tail an e***a may be needed. Care should be taken when administering an e***a and if another is needed, a veterinarian should be consulted first.
• The placenta should be passed within three hours. If it is not, call your veterinarian. Keep the placenta in a plastic bag for examination by an equine veterinarian.
• Colostrum, the mare’s first milk, is loaded with antibodies required by the foal. This passive immunity helps protect the foal from disease and must be ingested within the first 12 hours of life. If the foal cannot nurse, colostrum will need to be given via nasogastric intubation.
• The foal’s blood should be tested for antibodies (IgG) to ensure enough have been ingested. If not, then plasma transfusion is advised.
• A post-foaling examination should be performed for both the foal and its dam by 24 hours post parturition.
• Many foals are born with tendon laxity. With self-exercise, most foals will come around to normal within a couple of days. If not, call your veterinarian.
Twin Lakes Animal Clinic
45305 SD Hwy 34
Madison, SD 57042
605-256-0123
