Abstract

Septic foals may present diagnostic conundrums as their clinical presentation can vary from normal to comatose. While the comatose, hypothermic foal with swollen joints is easy to identify as septic, bright foals may require additional diagnostics such as bloodwork, radiographs, or ultrasonography. Treatment of neonatal septicemia is led by the need for supportive care and selection of appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Antimicrobial pharmacology in foals differs significantly from adult horses due to the lack of hindgut fermentation development. Foals respond to many medications similarly to other common domestic species, the cat and dog, until their adult gastrointestinal tract is developed. As such, care should be taken whenever administering antibiotics for a sick neonatal foal. The goal is to avoid medications that maybe damaging to a developing animal and consider their differences in medication absorption and pharmacology. The prognosis for septic foals varies extensively based on the cause of the disease, promptness in starting therapy, and complications. In most cases the prognosis is improved the more quickly treatment is initiated. Therefore, sick foals should be treated as emergencies.