Raising racehorse foals

[Squeaky]

Question for Summer Bird and others with recent experience foaling at breeding farms. Is it common practice to give all foals a plasma transfusion routinely to help their immune system? I was taught this was only for weak foals that were unable to nurse enough or for those with low antibody levels on blood testing. That was 30 years ago and times seem to have changed-is this now routine for all foals? Thanks!

[Bold Carma]

My experience with the bigger farms isn't recent, but when I worked at one 20 years ago, all the foals were given hyper immune plasma to combat rhodococus equi.

[Summer Bird]

Question for Summer Bird and others with recent experience foaling at breeding farms. Is it common practice to give all foals a plasma transfusion routinely to help their immune system? I was taught this was only for weak foals that were unable to nurse enough or for those with low antibody levels on blood testing. That was 30 years ago and times seem to have changed-is this now routine for all foals? Thanks!

When I was in college, we always gave every newborn foal plasma due to the soil in the pastures testing positive for rhodococous. Where I work now, we only do plasma if the foal still has low ig levels even after tubing more colostrum.

[Squeaky]

Thanks-interesting how things have changed. SB, at your farm are all foals tubed with colostrum or just those who don’t initially nurse well? I remember Rhodococcus was just being discovered and reported as an issue when I was in school.

[Summer Bird]

Thanks-interesting how things have changed. SB, at your farm are all foals tubed with colostrum or just those who don’t initially nurse well? I remember Rhodococcus was just being discovered and reported as an issue when I was in school.

Hi sorry, I forgot all about this thread! And we will tube colostrum for the dummy foals that can’t figure out how to suckle by the time the vet does arrive for their check up. Also will tube colostrum if ig levels are low and the 12 hour window hasn’t passed, but no we don’t tube colostrum to every foal. Foals will stop absorbing antibodies from the colostrum after 12 hours, so if ig levels are still low more than 12 hours later, we will do plasma