Conclusion
Foals are not merely young horses, but have different environmental, nutritional, medical, and metabolic needs. Diseases in foals can progress extremely rapidly and treatment responses must occur just as quickly. Many of these differences in response can be attributed to the immature immune system of foals, which allow significant infection to become established in a short period of time. Education of owners and veterinarians on foal-specific clinical signs will lead to a more rapid identification of illness and hopefully successful outcome.
Declarations
The author states they have no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgements
None
Ethical Animal Research
Ethical review not applicable for this review article.
Source of Funding
The author received no compensation for this article.