BASICS
- 2 major forms—rejection of the foal's attempts to suckle and overt aggression toward the foal
- Because a mare's identification of her foal largely depends on smell, iatrogenic foal rejection can occur if the foal's odor changes because of extensive clinical treatments
- Can occur without any physical pathology; however, any painful condition (e.g. mastitis) may cause this behavior
- Systems affected—nervous: central nervous system; mechanism unknown.
- More common in primiparous and Arabian mares but can occur in any breed at any age
- Most common immediately postpartum but can occur hours or months after initial acceptance
- Rejection of attempts to suckle—squealing by mare and signs of fear and avoidance, including repeatedly moving the hindquarters away from the foal or walking away from the foal, especially when the foal moves its head toward the teats
- Aggressive rejection—squealing by mare, head-threat (i.e. ears laid back against the neck), threatening to bite, biting, threatening to kick, kicking, threatening to strike, and striking
- Genetics may be a contributing factor; the problem has been identified as being more common in Arabians and in certain pedigrees
- Turgid udders and lack of experience in primiparous mares probably are the most relevant factors in failure to allow suckling with a first birth; the mare has not yet learned that allowing the foal to suckle relieves her discomfort
- First birth
- Arabians, especially if relatives have exhibited this behavior
- Previous foal rejection
- A highly disrupted environment or unusual circumstances at the time of birth
DIAGNOSIS
TREATMENT
MEDICATIONS
FOLLOW-UP
MISCELLANEOUS