With eyes on your patient daily, broodmare owners and managers are important extensions of your care team. Ensure your clients understand issues to monitor and have a plan for scheduled mare maintenance leading up to foaling.

Start with Condition
Keeping mares at a healthy body condition is an important aspect of maintaining pregnancy and setting the foal up for ideal growth. Cold weather can be hard on livestock; thin mares may not be able to maintain their pregnancy or produce sufficient milk, while obese mares may have difficulty foaling and predispose their foals to future growth disorders and insulin resistance¹.

Talk to your client about keeping their early-pregnant mares in moderate to fleshy condition (5.5 to 7 on the Henneke scale²). This will set the mare up to provide adequate resources for the growth of the fetus and milk production, while avoiding the risks of obesity. Foal growth accelerates rapidly in the last trimester. Clients can increase the mare’s ration of good-quality forage in the final three months prior to foaling to support the rising plane of nutrition. Remind your client that a healthy mare in good condition prior to breeding will gain an average of 16% of her bodyweight (or around 170 lb for a 1,1000-lb mare) during pregnancy.³

Vaccination and Deworming
Several infectious diseases have the potential to trigger abortion, making vaccination of broodmares a top priority⁴. Mares should be vaccinated for Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus, influenza, and tetanus at the beginning of pregnancy.

Depending on your location and risk factors, strangles, Potomac horse fever, and botulism vaccines may also be warranted. Mares should also be vaccinated against equine rhinopneumonitis at several points throughout gestation and boosters of the first round of vaccines should be given one month prior to foaling to increase antibody levels in the mare’s colostrum.

Your client may comment that they’re seeing you a lot! Explain that pregnancy brings special risks to both mares and foals, and that pre-loading colostrum with antibodies is a key tactic to keeping foals healthy. To assist in keeping track of these appointments, consider using Covetrus® software solutions such as Pulse™ or Rapport^™ to manage your client communication and scheduling. Ask your account manager which solution would be right for your practice.

Remind clients that mares have the potential to pass parasites to their foals. Following a consistent parasite control protocol and deworming the mare a few weeks prior to th expected foaling date and clearing the pasture of old manure will help to set the foal up to enter a healthy environment⁴. To gain visibility on your client’s deworming protocols, recommend they purchase their anthelmintic products through your Covetrus online pharmacy storefront.

Preparing for Foaling
Review the normal stages of foaling with your client and point out early indicators that emergency assistance may be required. Also talk to them about your preferred schedule for examining mares and neonates post-parturition.

Adequate mare care and client coaching can help to set your clients up for a successful delivery and healthy foal. Talk to your Covetrus account manager for more information on services and products specifically for large-animal veterinary practices.

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Foaling Supplies Checklist
Your client’s foaling supply kit should include⁵:

• Clean stainless steel or new plastic bucket
• Watch to time each stage of labor
• Clean tail wrap material
• Flashlight
• Several large, clean towels
• Mild iodine or chlorhexidine solution for disinfecting the foal’s navel
• Sodium phosphate enema for the foal
• Halter and lead rope
• Mild soap to wash the mare’s vulva and hindquarters

Advise your client on potential back-up sources of colostrum available in your local area.

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¹ Robles M, Nouveau E, Gautier C, Mendoza L, Dubois C, Dahirel M, et al. (2018) Maternal obesity increases insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and osteochondrosis lesions in foals and yearlings until 18 months of age. PLoS ONE 13(1): e0190309. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190309 Accessed online October 19, 2022.

² Mottet, R. & Onan, Gary & Hiney, K. (2009). Revisiting the Henneke Body Condition Scoring System: 25 Years Later. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 29. 417-418. 10.1016/j.jevs.2009.04.116.

³ L.M. Lawrence, J. DiPietro, K. Ewert, D. Parrett, L. Moser, D. Powell, Changes in body weight and condition of gestating mares, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 12, Issue 6, 1992. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080606813614 Accessed online October 19, 2022.

⁴ American Association of Equine Practitioners. Expectant Mare: Assuring the Health and Well-Being of the Pregnant Mare. https://aaep.org/horsehealth/expectant-mare-assuringhealth-and-well-being-pregnant-mare Accessed online October 19, 2022.

⁵ Thomas Lenz, DVM. Mare and Foal Care After Foaling. https://www.aqha.com/-/foalingpreparation Accessed online October 19, 2022.