We’ve assembled three articles addressing pneumonia for consideration during the foaling season now underway.
Pneumonia is very common in foals and can affect up to 10 percent of all foals, writes Nimet Browne, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVIM1. Although foal pneumonia can be quite severe, with aggressive management foals can recover and go on to lead normal lives.
A foal’s immune system is adept at protecting itself against many disease-causing organisms. However, two bacteria continue to present problems: Rhodococcus equi and Streptococcus zooepidemicus.2 With no commercially available vaccine, Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc, says prevention is the best way to minimize the chances of infection.
Blood-borne infection is one of the more common causes of pneumonia in neonatal foals that consume inadequate colostrum in the first 24 hours of birth.3 According to Todd Holbrook, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, bacteria, viruses and fungi are the basic types of pathogens that cause pneumonia in people and horses. However, most are species-specific with pathways including aspiration, blood-borne, inhalation and direct inoculation.
Sources:
- 1 Will a foal that had pneumonia suffer lasting effects? The Horse, September 8, 2022. Link.
- 2 Foal pneumonia: Beyond the basics, The Horse, November 13, 2021. Link.
- 3 4 things to know about equine pneumonia, The Horse, September 2022. Link.
INSIGHTS: Educating horse owners is often about reminding them of what they already know. Help make the excitement of a new foal last by sharing this post and its articles with mare owners on social media or in newsletters.