Reble
Well-Known Member
Found this info interesting with all of these abortions happening and twisted cords we read.
Umbilical Cord Torsion in Mares
by Robert N. Oglesby DVM
The umbilical cord is the fetal structure that feeds nutrients and oxygen and removes many wastes while the foal is in the uterus. It works by circulating the fetal blood through the placenta. Here the close apposition with the maternal blood supply allows diffusion of oxygen, nutrients and waste products across the membranes. The cord also contains the urachus which transports urine into the allantoic sac.
Excessive twisting or the cord can result in obstruction resulting in congenital defects or abortion.
Twisting alone is not enough to diagnose this condition as it is normal and occurs due to fetal motility.
Umbilical Cord Torsion
Torsion, or strangulation of the umbilical cord, is said to be the cause of fetal deaths and abortions in the later stages of pregnancy. The cord normally has three clockwise turns. In a few cases, excessive twisting or wrapping around the limb of the fetus shuts off the flow of blood in the cord, resulting in the death of the fetus. Umbilical torsion was observed in 19% of 515 cases submitted to the Animal Health Laboratory over six breeding seasons3.
Fescue Toxicity is the form of ergot alkaloid toxicity that has been widely seen in the U.S. It is caused by the endophytic fungus Neotyphodium coenophialum (formerly called Acremonium coenophialum). It lives inside the plant and produces ergot alkaloids (primarily ergovaline), resulting in the disease condition called fescue toxicity. These chemicals cause dystocia in mares and deaths of foals. The primary clinical signs of ergot alkaloid poisoning in the late-gestation mare include:
an extended gestation length from 11 to 12 months;
* dystocia, with mares sometimes trying to foal for many hours;
* agalactia (little or no milk) with poor quality colostrum (low immunoglobulin levels);
* "red bag" placentas from premature separation;
* thick edematous placentas with weights exceeding 6.5 kg for a thoroughbred mare;
* weak or dead foals with aspiration pneumonia from struggling to get out through a thickened placenta.
Species/OMAFRA; Dr. Dan Kenney - Diplomate/A.C.V.I.M./Ontario Veterinary College/University of Guelph.
(If you saw just how much a fetus flips and spins during pregnancy, you wouldn't be terribly surprised There can be an incredible number of twists in the cord with no deleterious impact on the foal. It's extremely difficult to twist it sufficiently to cut off the blood supply between the mare and the foal and generally speaking, when it "does" occur, there is a huge amount of bruising and trauma to the cord.
Kathy ST.Martin
Equine Reproduction
Umbilical Cord Torsion in Mares
by Robert N. Oglesby DVM
The umbilical cord is the fetal structure that feeds nutrients and oxygen and removes many wastes while the foal is in the uterus. It works by circulating the fetal blood through the placenta. Here the close apposition with the maternal blood supply allows diffusion of oxygen, nutrients and waste products across the membranes. The cord also contains the urachus which transports urine into the allantoic sac.
Excessive twisting or the cord can result in obstruction resulting in congenital defects or abortion.
Twisting alone is not enough to diagnose this condition as it is normal and occurs due to fetal motility.
Umbilical Cord Torsion
Torsion, or strangulation of the umbilical cord, is said to be the cause of fetal deaths and abortions in the later stages of pregnancy. The cord normally has three clockwise turns. In a few cases, excessive twisting or wrapping around the limb of the fetus shuts off the flow of blood in the cord, resulting in the death of the fetus. Umbilical torsion was observed in 19% of 515 cases submitted to the Animal Health Laboratory over six breeding seasons3.
Fescue Toxicity is the form of ergot alkaloid toxicity that has been widely seen in the U.S. It is caused by the endophytic fungus Neotyphodium coenophialum (formerly called Acremonium coenophialum). It lives inside the plant and produces ergot alkaloids (primarily ergovaline), resulting in the disease condition called fescue toxicity. These chemicals cause dystocia in mares and deaths of foals. The primary clinical signs of ergot alkaloid poisoning in the late-gestation mare include:
an extended gestation length from 11 to 12 months;
* dystocia, with mares sometimes trying to foal for many hours;
* agalactia (little or no milk) with poor quality colostrum (low immunoglobulin levels);
* "red bag" placentas from premature separation;
* thick edematous placentas with weights exceeding 6.5 kg for a thoroughbred mare;
* weak or dead foals with aspiration pneumonia from struggling to get out through a thickened placenta.
Species/OMAFRA; Dr. Dan Kenney - Diplomate/A.C.V.I.M./Ontario Veterinary College/University of Guelph.
(If you saw just how much a fetus flips and spins during pregnancy, you wouldn't be terribly surprised There can be an incredible number of twists in the cord with no deleterious impact on the foal. It's extremely difficult to twist it sufficiently to cut off the blood supply between the mare and the foal and generally speaking, when it "does" occur, there is a huge amount of bruising and trauma to the cord.
Kathy ST.Martin
Equine Reproduction
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