Foals have very sensitive digestive systems, and it is essential that good practices to help improve neonatal GI tract of foals are followed to help prevent gastrointestinal problems.
When the foal is firstborn, the umbilical cord will still be attached to the placenta inside the womb of the mare. This will be naturally broken after around 20 minutes when the mare and foal start to move around.
Colostrum is the first milk that the foal drinks, and it is very rich in antibodies. During the first 12 hours of life, the foal’s digestive system is able to absorb these antibodies
Meconium is the first feces passed by the foal and consists of fecal material that accumulates in the rectum before birth. It is not uncommon for a foal to struggle to pass meconium,
So, as we have learned, the best practices to help improve neonatal GI tract of foals include vaccination of the mare, and adequate passive transfer of maternal antibodies.