Sick Foals: Odds Are in Their Favor

Sick foals that end up in neonatal intensive care units usually have a pretty good chance of surviving, according to an article in The Horse on a study in the United Kingdom led by A. Borchers and abstracted in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. Of 643 newborn foals admitted to clinics in 2008, 25% were diagnosed with perinatal asphyxia syndrome (dummy foal), and 90% of these survived to discharge. Foals with diarrhea or a blood infection survived at rates of 90% and 60% respectively. Foals born prematurely did not fare as well, with only 50% surviving to discharge.