Written by: Dr. Kevin Corley. One important tool in every horse breeding farm is a foaling kit ready for foaling season.
Our co-founder and equine veterinary surgeon, Dr. Kevin Corley, is is sharing his wealth of knowledge on assembling an indispensable emergency kit tailored for foaling. Have questions or comments? Drop them in the comment form below, and Kevin will be more than happy to help! Stay tuned for more exciting insights and techniques.
Introduction: Why your foaling kit is important.
Preparation and planning are key to a successful foal season. We cover some of the potential emergencies that can occur in neonatal foals and techniques needed to treat them. This week’s blog lists what vets should have to hand ready for before the start of the season.
What equipment do I need for foaling season?
All equipment should be kept in a box that is readily accessible in an emergency. The box should be clearly labeled. It should be checked and restocked so it is always ready to use.
| Essential veterinary equipment for Foal CPR |
| · Nasotracheal tube (for sizes see table below). |
| · 5ml syringe to inflate cuff on tube. |
| · Self-inflating resuscitation bag (eg “The Bag II” Disposable resuscitator adult, Laerdal). You need a bag designed for human adult patients, not human pediatric patients. |
| · Small torch (flashlight) |
| · Epinephrine (adrenaline) 1mg/ml (1:1000) – keep 10ml in stock |
| · Five 2ml sterile syringes |
| · 20 Gauge 1 inch needles |
| · Bulb syringe |
| · Clean dry rough towels |
| Extra equipment to be available if possible |
| · Oxygen cylinder and flow valve |
| · Steel 14 gauge 1-1.5inch needles |
| · Four 1L bags of lactated Ringer’s solution or Hartmann’s solution |
| · Fluid administration set |
| · 14 gauge IV catheter |
Nasotracheal tubes
If you can only get one tube, use a 9mm tube. A smaller tube can usually be made to work in a larger foal even if it is not optimal. But the opposite is obviously not true.
| Weight of foal | Typical Breed | Nasotracheal tube | Orotracheal tube |
| 20 – 35kg | Premature foal Pony Foal | 7mm 9mm | 9mm 10mm |
| 35 – 40kg | Arab Large pony breed Premature foal | 8mm 9mm | 9mm 10mm |
| 45 – 60kg | Thoroughbred Warmblood | 9mm 10mm | 10mm 12mm |
| 60 – 80kg | Draft Breeds | 12mm | 12mm 14mm |
In adult horses the site for placement should be 5-6cm below the roots of the mane. Below where the firm border of the ligament nuchae can be palpated. In foals this is 2-3cm below the roots of the mane.
Equipment for dealing with emergencies
As a result, in an emergency, it is important to have the right equipment ready.
For mares with dystocia, its recommended to have:
| Emergency Equipment for Mares |
| · Head collar and twitch |
| · Tail bandage |
| · Clippers |
| · Scrub material |
| · Surgical gloves |
| · Scalpel blades and handle |
| · Elastoplast |
| · Local anesthetic |
| · Gloves |
| · Lubrication |
| · Soft foaling ropes, of different colors |
| Epidural injection equipment |
| · Epidural needle 18 ga 5-9cm (2-3.5 inches) |
| · Epidural catheter kit (optional) |
| General equipment |
| · IV catheters |
| · IV infusion set |
| · Cuffed bag for rapid fluid delivery |
| · Colloids |
| · 5L bags of IV fluids |
| · Sedation |
| Medication for mares suspected to be haemorrhaging |
| No medication is proven to work – consider: |
| · Injectable Tranexamic acid (Cyklokapron) – should have 10 vials of 500mg each in stock |
| · Terlipressin – theoretically might be beneficial. Reserve for cases where all other options exhausted as no data in horses. A possible one-off dose is 5mg to 10mg / 500kg horse. |
| · Yunnan Baiyao |
Medical Records
Additionally an emergency during foaling season can deal with multiple problems and fast action required by veterinarians. It is important to ensure all records are up to date and accurate. Using EquiTrace to capture medications, treatments and results is vital to best practices. Connect with our team today to get you set up with a free trial ahead of foaling season. Click here: Get Started