Risk factors associated with the incidence of foal mortality in an extensively managed mare herd.
The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of neonatal mortality in a large, extensively managed mare herd and what risk factors were involved in foal mortality. For a 6 wk period between April 18, 1994, and May 31, 1994, 334 foals were born, of which 74 died before reaching 10 d of age, giving an overall mortality of 22% for this period. Seventy four percent of the foal deaths occurred within 48 h of parturition. The major causes of foal mortality included starvation/exposure 27%, septicemia 26%, and dystocia 20%. Weekly incidences varied significantly, ranging from 67% for week 1 to 14% for week 5 (P < 0.01). Other risk factors that were associated with foal death included failure of passive transfer (P < 0.0001), poor mothering ability (P < 0.0001), the presence of dystocia (P < 0.0001), low birth weight (p < 0.05), lack of rainfall (P < 0.01), and low temperatures (P < 0.1). The effect of sire, mare age, mare body condition, and foal sex were not significant risk factors for foal survival (P > 0.1). Further studies are required to determine if changing management procedures will be effective in reducing the incidence of neonatal foal mortality in this extensively managed herd.
Haas
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Department of Herd Medicine and Theriogenology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.
Bristol
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D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D006736:Horses; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008350:Manitoba / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors