Lameness in a 2 week old foal... both legs on left side

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Peggy we did use the e coli antigen on our last foal as a preventative and no problems whatsoever. I have never had to use it until this year.
 
Peggy and Kay, what E coli antigen did you use? I find one labeled for calves, but not horses? If that would stop some of the foal diarrhea here, it would be well worth it!
 
For the foal diarrhea, I've read if you deworm the mare with Ivermectin right after birth, the foals won't get it. I don't know if this is always true, but ours didn't go through it and we did deworm the mares right after birth with Ivermectin.
 
I sure wish I had known about this stuff before the last foal. Here is what happened here. When the first 4 foals were born we had extreme flooding here. There were "ponds" of water all over the pasture. We couldnt keep the foals out of it. All 4 got sick with e coli. It was a nightmare. Then one got joint ill. The vet felt sure it was e coli from the flooding (the inside of our barn even flooded) So he suggested I get the E coli antibody for the last foal and said to give it within 12 hrs of foaling. I ordered it online and sure enough the last foal had zero problems. The only thing I didnt like was figuring out how much to give as one tube is for one big horse foal. Heres the name

Escherichia Coli Antibody Equine Origin. other name on the tube is Equine Coli Endotox. by Novartis. It was hard to find because everyone was selling out at foaling time. Shelf life is very short and it must be kept in the fridge. I think I ordered it from Jeffers.com. The label says "for use in newborn foals for the prevention of colibacillosis and septicemia caused by e coli

If it is this wet again next spring I will definitely give it to every foal.
 
Sounds like a very good preventative for potential joint ill to give to newborns. Thanks!
 
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Thanks, Kay! I have one more foal to go this year and I think it would be well worth trying to see if it would prevent some of the foal diarrhea. I'm going to order some.
 
Yes, Becky- It is called Equine Coli Endotox by Novartis. I actually got mine from a vet's office, but you can also order on-line. I see that Valley Vet supply also carries it for $22.95. Small price to pay, I think, since I am a believer in this product!

You see, last year one of our foals died on day 4 from E-coli. We had never had an issue like this before. Our vet at the time said to use this product as a preventive! He recommended it for all foals and not just if a person has had problems at their place. He, and one other vet since, said I could use the whole tube on the foal, it wouldn't hurt. Once the tube is opened you are supposed to discard any unused portion. One other vet I asked about it said we could get by on half a tube- but why throw the other half out, I guess- since it won't hurt and can only help.

Honestly, we had no problems with our babies here with the foal diarrhea or being sick. I just kept waiting for it to happen and it didn't!

I WILL be using this product on all foals from here on out. It is just not worth the risk of them getting sick from ecoli by not using it. The quicker you give it to the foal within the first 12 hours, the better, I am told. You just don't want that nasty bug getting into your babies. One foal was several hours old (the foaling alarm never went off!) and the other foal was about 45 minutes old when we gave it. It is a great product!

Good luck, Becky- let us know how it goes.

Peggy

PS- Back to Calekio's problem- I hope your foal gets better soon. I think you had some really good advice here on this Forum. Keep us posted, ok?!
 
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Yer, been reading all posts intently.

My baby is looking so much better, still trying to bolt round the lawn which is now the biggest problem as he is suppose to be resting... but mum is getting itchy feet! But you have to actually really look now to notice any lameness... unlike before it was very noticable.

This Equine Coli Endotox..... been searching for that but found nothing... obviously prevention is better than cure, but i can't find any in the UK.

Anyone able to help me out there and point me in the right direction.
 
What excellent info to know- my neighbors almost lost a foal from that a few years ago- and wow, what a vet bill and almost lost the foal. Sounds like a great idea- thanks for the info.

Oh dear, I dont know about finding some of the products out of the country- what one place allows another doesnt. Or, it may go by another name- hopefully someone here can help you, or I would just call your vet's office and ask them- they can probably help you there too.
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Wow! What a timely post for us! I read this thread yesterday morning, and realized that our little Lacey (the blind filly with cataracts) may need to be treated for joint ill. She had come up lame on her RF last Friday morning, but had no obvious signs of injury or heat. She seemed fine again the next day so I decided to just watch her. Yesterday morning she just seemed a little 'off' and didn't seem to want to be on her feet. No obvious sign of discomfort from any particular leg -- just wasn't being her normal fiesty self. No temp either. But I read this thread yesterday morning and didn't want to take the chance that it was joint ill, and started her on SMZ's and Penicillin. Today she's back to her normal spunky self and it's a huge relief. So we'll continue treatment. Thanks LB folks!
 
How do you lot manage to get antibiotics from a unwilling vet... or do you not get from a vet?

Well my little boy is now 99% sound... he only looks a little bit stiff/sore every now and then and is starting to go back out in the field... maybe it was just a slip in the field that did this..? Will still be keeping a very close eye on him though... still concern bout him as his front legs just don't seem to be strightening out to my liking.... (always got bent knee's...) poor little mite must be totally sick of people proding and poking him.. he's still currently being treated for little ulcers on his bottom jaw as he's got a under bite and the top jaw is causing sores as he's teething... still he's a very willing patient which is a good thing.
 
How do you lot manage to get antibiotics from a unwilling vet... or do you not get from a vet?
Do you have other vets in the area that you could use?

We're lucky in my area and there are several clinics to choose from. The one I use has 4 full time vets and someone is on call 24/7. They set me up ages ago with a medical kit that has SMZ's, Tribressen, opthalmic antibiotic, banamine, and all kinds of other medicines and ointments. That way when something is wrong, often they can consult me over the phone and tell me what to do, vs. having to come out and evaluate (at this point, they are familiar with what I can and cannot do for the horses on my own).

Hoping your foal is OK and it was just some kind of pulled muscle.
 
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If you can't get the meds from the vet you normally use, call another vet. I couldn't believe that my favorite trusted vet didn't seem worried when we consulted by phone about Lacey's lameness. So I called the vet that I actually HATE (the idiot had told me last year to PULL on a mare's retained placenta - NO! went to another vet). Although I vowed I would never use that idiot vet again, when I called him this time right away he agreed that it was likely joint ill and at least he let me come pick up the SMZ's and Penicillin. You might also want to check with places like Rural King or Tractor Supply or your local farm/feed store as they should at least carry Penicillin and syringes/needles. Or order them online for overnight delivery from places like Jeffers.

BTW, we're finding out that it's much easier to get the crushed SMZ pills down Lacey if we mix it with just a bit of PEACH yogurt and then squirt it in.
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Just an fyi I didnt know until all this occurred to me last spring that you can get liquid SMZ and its cherry flavored. This stuff has been a godsend when treating foals. Liquid is sooooooo much easier to give and they love the flavor
 

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