Is this a problem?

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Location
Western KY
How active should a newborn foal be? Do they shiver alot? Foals eyes have gotten red and have a discharge -- at first thought it was due to irritation from hair, straw, etc.... Second guessing myself and would like to hear from veterans. I've heard a "bright red tongue isn't good". How red is red and what does it mean?

Thanks
 
My advice would be for you to call your vet. Foals can go down hill very quickly, and your vet shouldn't get mad at you for being concerned about your baby. Give the vet a call, and see what they say. It's always better to call and bug them over nothing, than to not call, and possibly lose the foal.
 
those signs can indicate that the foal is septic in which case you want the vet PRONTO.....
 
If baby is shivering a lot, he is cold. You need to blanket him. If you do not have any foal blankets, get a small childs sweatshirt and pull over his head and put his front legs in the arms. It is VERY important to keep him warm. The newborns cannot regulate their body temps.

As for his eyes, yes, it is probably an irritation. I would suggest(and it is safe as it does not contain steroids) putting a couple of drops of Polysporin Eye/Ear drops in each eye a few times a day. You should start to see some improvement by tomorrow.
 
Sounds like you may need to have the vet back to take a look. The first thing I'd look at for his eyes--are the lashes okay? If the eyelids happen to be inverted, the lashes will be rolled in against his eyes, & that will cause intense irritation--watery, red eyes--if that is the case the lids need to be rolled out, so get the lashes out & away from his eyes. Sometimes once with fix them up; sometimes they have to be rolled out several times (& I try to wipe them dry, that helps them to stay out where they should be. Left wet they are sticky & are more inclined to roll in again.

I haven't had a septic foal, but my vet book does say that the eyes of a septic foal will often look grey-green, due to white blood cells in the ocular fluid. But, if the eyelids aren't inverted, definitely the red watery eyes are a cause for concern.

As for the red tongue, yes, that's not a good sign. How red is it though? Bright red? Red-purple? Quite pink, as in bright pink?

If your foal is shivering, I'd be concerned about that. I don't like to see new foals shivering. Is he inside, if not in a stall then at least in a shed? Out of the wind (if there's a wind/breeze?) ? If he's outside I'd get him in somewhere that is sheltered. If he's inside now & shivering, I'd fix up a blanket for him. If you don't have a foal blanket you can use a child's sweatshirt or sweater. Or if you have a fleece or wool blanket you can cut down to size, quickly cut out a little horse blanket--a quick row of stitching will close the front, make a little surcingle out of the same material, wrap that around & duct tape it. This works good--been there, done that!! (This year I am much better supplied in foal blankets of all sizes!!) --you can fit the blanket snugly so that it will keep him warm & he won't get his legs tangled up in the chest or surcingle of the blanket.

But, in any case, do make that call to your vet & get his opinion on this foal's condition!
 
I agree with everyone......check his eyelashes, cover him up, and call your vet.

MA
 

Latest posts

Back
Top