Equine Navel Ill

Equine Navel Ill

Equine Navel Ill, is a deadly equine disease which strikes new born foals from birth to about four months of age.  Navel ill damage is done just after birth, when the umbilical cord has yet to dry and is therefore vulnerable to the invasion of bugs which enter the blood stream via the umbilical stump.   These bugs cause navel ill and lead to equine liver, lung and kidney damage as well as equine septicaemia which targets joints and is known as equine joint-ill. Equine lameness could result from navel ill.

Navel Ill ,or omphalophlebitis - a collective name for any infection of the equine umbilical stump,  is a horrible equine disease causing a huge health risk to new born foals from birth to about four months old.  
Navel ill is highly dangerous to foals whose immune systems are not strong enough to fight organisms not previously encountered.  It is vital to be vigilant in mare and foal management.  If your foal is born in a clean environment, it will not get equine navel ill.  The best place for a foal to be born and avoid the possibility of equine navel ill, is on a clean, grassy pasture uncontaminated by other horses. Failing that, good equine stable management is your best weapon in the war against equine navel ill.


Symptoms 
A swollen, painful navel which does not dry 
An abscess may develop from which pus may ooze
A high temperature


Causes 

• Lack of cleanliness during foaling causes equine navel ill. 
• Prevention his desirable but none more so than equine Navel Ill.
• Make sure your equine friend’s stall is clean fresh and disinfected before foaling.     
• Replace wet bedding with fresh, dry bedding to ensure the foal is not exposed to environmental bacteria causing navel ill.  
• Ensure enough colostrum is taken in by the foal in the first few hours of nursing. 
• Colostrum is the first line of defence against navel ill providing all necessary elements to fight equine navel ill.   
• If the foal is not up and nursing within three to six hours, call the vet otherwise the digestive tract is exposed to bacteria and equine navel ill. 
• Some owners like to dip their foal’s navel in a form of disinfectant.   
• Check this with your vet first as type of product and correct dilution ratios are very important. Chlorhexidine, seems to be the most highly respected solution.

Treatment 
Have the foal seen to by the vet immediately you suspect equine navel ill.  Treatment will involve large doses of powerful equine antibiotics.  Admission to a dedicated equine hospital is the best course of action. Treatment may be long-term and joint lavage may also be required.  You must move quickly to get treatment for equine navel ill.
CLEANLINESS – the terminator of equine navel ill.

joint ill

Joint ill usually occurs in foals, although it may occur in horses of any age. Joint ill takes several forms, all of them septic in nature since they are evidenced by a break down of tissues in the area leading to sepsis which is a toxic condition resulting from the spread of bacteria and toxic products from an infection.

These conditiions include septic arthritis, septic synovitis, septic physitis, and septic bursitis based on where the infection if localized. Acute heat, swelling, and lameness in or around a joint or tendon sheath is the earliest indication of this infection.

Symptoms

Fever
Swelling
Lameness
Lethargy
Loss of appetite
Sleepiness
Causes

Joint ill begins when bacteria enter the bloodstream and invade the bone or synovial membranes of the joint.

Any type of neonatal infection causing septicemia can cause joint ill and most cases in foals are the result of a navel infection. Bacteria gain entrance through the digestive or respiratory tracts. Often, the first indication of the disease is lameness, accompanied by hot, swollen joints and fever.

Prevention

Careful treatment of the navel of the newly-born foal is one of the best methods of preventing infections that lead to joint ill. With weanlings and older horses, good sanitation, along with prompt and thorough response to any bacterial or viral infections affecting the digestive or respiratory tracts, will help prevent joint ill.

Treatment

Treatment of joint ill should begin as soon as the infection is discovered. Massive doses of antibiotics for at least three weeks are often advised by veterinarians.

Joints with septic infections usually need to be irrigated, and at times it is necessary to open the joint to remove pus and debris. A suction drain is inserted and the leg is immobilized.

Stall rest and physical therapy are important for a successful outcome. Because of the seriousness of joint ills, a veterinarian should be consulted and treatments prescribed as early as possible.

“Dummy” foals or Neonatal Maladjustment Syndrome

“Dummy” foals are a potential problem faced by breeders during foaling season. Numerous terms have been used to describe this syndrome including barkers, wanderers, or convulsants. Veterinary terminology includes neonatal maladjustment syndrome, perinatal asphyxia syndrome, and most commonly hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). These terms are used to describe newborn foals that have behavioral or neurologic abnormalities that do not have an infectious, toxic, congenital or metabolic cause. The condition results from decreased blood and oxygen supply to the brain.


History:
 Foals diagnosed with HIE often have a history of the mare experiencing difficulties during the pregnancy or during delivery of the foal. Premature lactation, uterine or placental infection, and prolonged or shortened pregnancy lengths may play a role. In addition, problems during delivery, such as dystocia or premature placental separation (“red bag”) increase the risk of a foal developing HIE. It is important to note, however, that some cases of HIE foals have no known predisposing factor.


Clinical Signs:
Clinical signs are very variable in onset, severity and duration. Some foals begin showing clinical signs immediately after birth while others may not show any signs for a couple of days. Mild signs can include poor suckle response, lack of interest in the mare, wandering, depression or staring into space. Facial spasms, lip curling or abnormal vocalization (“barking”) may be observed. Clinical signs may also be much more severe including seizures, unresponsiveness, and blindness.



Treatment:

• The amount and level of treatment is dependent of the severity of the foal’s clinical signs.
• In mild cases, very little treatment may be necessary.
• If the foal fails to absorb adequate colostrum and has failure of passive transfer in addition to HIE, plasma will be given.
• If the foal is unable to nurse, feeding through a nasogastric tube or supplementation given intravenously may be needed.
• In severe cases, more aggressive therapy is required.
• Seizure activity needs to be controlled.
• Medications, such as DMSO, mannitol, and magnesium sulfate, can be given to reduce cerebral edema and limit damage to cells.
• Caffeine may be administered to support respiratory function or mechanical ventilation may be needed.
• Broad spectrum antibiotics are started to decrease the risk of a secondary infection or sepsis. Thiamine is helpful in supporting the metabolic processes of cells. Anti-ulcer medications are given to prevent additional gastrointestinal problems.
• Vitamin E and Selenium are often added to reduce oxidative damage

For more information

http://www.newenglandequine.com/Articles/dummy-foal.pdf

Neonatal isoerythrolysis or Jaundice Foal Syndrome

• Neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI) or Jaundice Foal Syndrome is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening condition of newborn foals.
• It has been estimated to occur in 1 to 2% of equine births.
• The condition occurs when a foal ingests colostrum containing antibodies directed against its red blood cells (RBC’s).
• Destruction of RBC’s leads to release of a pigment called bilirubin that may cause the gums, white parts of the eye and feces to become yellow or jaundiced.
• Horses have a number of blood groups, the most common of which are labeled ‘Aa’ and ‘Qa’.
• A foal may inherit its blood group type from either the mare or the stallion.
• If the stallion and mare have the same blood group, the problem cannot occur.
• If a foal inherits the blood group type of its dam, there will also be no chance of developing this syndrome.
• Affected foals usually begin to show clinical signs between 24 and 72 hours of life.

Signs

• jaundice
• weakness
• lethargy
• decreased nursing vigor
• increased respiratory and
• heart rate, recumbancy
• passage of red-colored urine and possibly death.

Treatment

• Blood transfusions from a crossmatched donor horse or washed red blood cells from the mare. 
• Additional therapy may include administration of purified hemoglobin, antibiotics, and other medications.

For more information

http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/Learnfoals8-jaundicesynd-apr09.pdf

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome in Foals

• SCID- Severe combined immuno deficiency is a genetic defect characterised by deficiency of B and T lymphocytes.
• Autosomal recessive  genetic disease affecting Arabian foals.
• It is genetic defects which causes deletion of genes responsible for production of B and T lymphocytes.
• B and T lymphocytes are vital for devolopment of immunity.

Causes

Genetic defect

Symptoms

• Pneumonia
• cough
• Dyspnea
• Diarrhoea
• Colic
• Stunted growth
• Fever
• Weight loss

Treatment
There is no treatment for SCID.
Because of low immunity prone for all infectious diseases

Atresia ani in foals

Atresia ani is a rare congenital condition in which a foal is born without an anus.
Affected horses shiws signs of colic.

Symptoms

• Absence of anus
• Signs of colic
• Distended abdomen
• Straining to pass a bowel movement.

Causes
Congenital condition that may be inherited.

Treatment
Surgery is the only option to correct the conditions.
Surgery is required to correct the opening for the anus.