It’s an emergency if: more than 20 minutes elapse from the time the mare’s water breaks until the delivery is completed or if an improper presentation seems to be delaying the birth. If it doesn’t, call your veterinarian immediately.” “That’s a personal preference, not a necessity, as long as what you are observing appears normal. “Some people call the veterinarian as soon as the mare’s water breaks, then hope there’s nothing for him to do when he gets there,” says Jon Palmer, VMD, director of Perinatology/Neonatology Programs, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania. Unless something goes wrong, don’t intervene.Ĭall your veterinarian if: having medical help at hand would make you feel more comfortable.

Disturbing the mare or interfering with the process won’t help and may cause problems. Your role: During a normal birth, you are primarily an observer. If the first two hooves to appear are sole upward, you may be seeing the hind feet, an indication of a breech presentation a breech birth may also proceed normally, with little harm to the foal. Once the body of the foal is on the ground, possibly still encased in the amniotic sac, the mare may stop to rest while his hind legs are still inside her. In a normal birth, both hooves will be front side up, or just slightly turned. Within 10 to 20 minutes, you will see one front hoof appear, followed by the other, about three to four inches behind. The Birth Once the mare’s amniotic sac ruptures (known as the water breaking), the birth is under way. But if you find yourself considering whether to make an emergency call to your veterinarian, err on the side of caution: All of these times are approximate, and if you have any doubts, it’s best to go ahead and seek help. As long as everything appears normal, mare and foal will take care of themselves. The following time line tells you what to look for during your newborn foal’s first day. It’s important, then, to understand the normal stages of development during those first critical hours so that you can recognize the earliest signs of trouble. “Oftentimes it is easier and less expensive to treat sick foals right away, and it can improve the chances of a positive outcome.” “A newborn foal can deteriorate very quickly, so call your veterinarian at the first sign of a problem,” says Heather Kaese, DVM, of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

But if anything does go wrong, detecting the problem quickly can make the difference between life and death. The vast majority of the time, all of this goes off without a hitch, and all you need to do is to schedule a veterinary exam within the first day to confirm that all is well. Meanwhile, other vital systems–renal, thermoregulatory, neurological–quickly come on-line, ready to meet the demands of this brave new world.

When the foal nurses for the first time, his gastrointestinal tract springs into action with a burst of hormones, enzymes and other substances. An arterial shunt, which before birth channeled blood past the pulmonary system, will soon close so that freshly oxygenated blood can be sent from the lungs to the rest of the body. His first gasps of breath inflate the alveoli in his lungs. This, after all, is the period when a newborn foal adapts to life outside the womb. Of course, the birth itself is a miracle of sorts, but as you’ll soon discover, a youngster’s first minutes and hours of life are a remarkable mixture of joy and anticipation. After 11 months of waiting, the big day has arrived your mare is about to deliver.

Big time donkey power