Pneumonia in Foals
The most devastating form of pneumonia in foals is caused by the bacteria Rhodococcus equi (R. equi). R. equi causes abscess formation in the lungs and can be very difficult to treat. This article will briefly discuss ways to prevent your foal from getting R. equi. The bacteria are found in the G. I. tract of most herbivores, including horses. Adult horses are not affected, but pass R. equi in their manure.
It is then in the soil and foals are infected by inhaling dust particles with the bacteria attached. It is important not put too many horses on one pasture, because the more horses present the more R. equi you will have in your soil. It is also important to keep your foals out of dusty pastures or paddocks, and remove any manure from them on a regular basis. Once your foal is born it obtains antibodies from the mare’s colostrum to help it fight off disease. If the foal does not receive an adequate amount of colostrum or it is not of good quality your foal's immune system is at a disadvantage.
The amount of antibodies your foal receives can be tested the day after foaling by a simple blood test called an IgG test. If the IgG levels are low your foal can be given hyper immune plasma which will provide the necessary antibodies. For foals not housed on pastures with a large number of horses checking the IgG level is usually adequate prevention, but for foals being born on or going to a breeding farm so the mare can be bred again it is advisable to run hyper immune plasma irregardless of the IgG levels. Hyper immune plasma provides antibodies specific for R. equi to your foal, and it has been show to decrease the chances of contracting R. equi pneumonia.
The plasma is given at one day and again at 20 days after birth. Despite our efforts sometimes you can not prevent pneumonia, so it is important to catch the disease early. Checking temperatures on foals can allow you to find a problem and have the foal examined before it becomes clinical.
