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Why should my foal come to the hospital for treatment versus
being treated on the farm?
There are many conditions that can be effectively treated on
the farm, and that do not require the foal to be brought to the
hospital. For example, a routine foal exam includes measuring
the IgG level to ensure the foal has ingested enough colostrum
and that the colostrum was of sufficient quality. If the foal
is otherwise healthy and standing and nursing well but the IgG
is low, plasma can be administered intravenously on the farm.
However, when a foal is more severely ill, such as being unable to nurse or stand,
hospitalization is the best option. Foals, like human babies, are fairly fragile
and can go downhill quickly if not treated promptly and effectively. There is
a lot more that can be done in the hospital for sick foals, including administering
continuous intravenous fluids, placing them on oxygen, providing nutritional
support (via IV catheter and/or feeding tube),and 24 hour monitoring, that cannot
be done on the farm. Therefore, for critical cases, prompt hospitalization is
the best option to ensure a healthy foal. |
