Premature, Postmature, Dysmature, or Dummy: What’s Ailing Your Foal?

After waiting nearly an entire year, your mare finally foals. But your foal isn’t following the rules. He hasn’t attempted to stand in the first two hours after birth, missing out on vital antibodies and nutrients in colostrum. What could be wrong, and what should you do?

“Call your veterinarian immediately!” said Laura Petroski, B.V.M.S., a veterinarian for Kentucky Equine Research. “Several possibilities may cause the foal’s abnormal behavior and failure to thrive.”

Prematurity. Foals born prematurely—prior to their estimated due date—are small. Other characteristic signs include fine, silky hair; muscle weakness; joint and tendon laxity; domed forehead; and floppy ears.

Based on the average gestation period in mares of 340 days, foals born prior to this may be considered premature, though many horsemen will only classify foals born prior to 320 days as premature. Foals can “naturally” be born premature, secondary to a medical condition in mares, such as colic.

Postmaturity. Postmature refers to foals born after their estimated foaling date that have a normal skeletal size but are thin, even emaciated. Such foals often have a long hair coat and may even have teeth.

“These foals have simply stayed in the uterus for too long, potentially due to a lack of signaling to the mare that they are ready for birth,” explained Petroski. “Common causes include placental insufficiency or ingestion of tall fescue by the mare late in gestation.”

Unfortunately, foals become increasingly abnormal the longer they remain in utero, and the chances of complications during foaling increase.

Dysmaturity. Foals born on or after their estimated foaling date but that are smaller than normal and exhibit signs of prematurity are considered dysmature or “small for gestational age.” These foals are thought to have suffered from placental insufficiency, meaning that the placenta could not provide all of the oxygen and nutrients the foal required.

Dummy foal. This condition is also referred to as barkers, sleepers, wanderers, neonatal maladjustment syndrome, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, neonatal encephalopathy, or perinatal asphyxia syndrome. Such foals may actually appear normal at birth then begin to decline and become “dummies.” Affected foals are typically weak, uncoordinated, and unable to locate the udder to nurse. Foals may also show unusual behavior, such as head-pressing, licking at the stall walls, and startling at sounds or touch. In severe cases, a dummy foal may become recumbent and experience seizures. The underlying cause is believed to be lack of oxygen in the perinatal period.

According to Petroski, mare owners should consider natural variations in gestational length when attempting to classify a poor-doing foal.

“The normal gestation length varies from mare to mare, geographical location, season, and a plethora of other factors, so not all foals born before 340 days necessarily will show signs of prematurity. This is why veterinarians recommend attended foalings, potential problems identified swiftly, and all foals examined by their veterinarian within 12-24 hours of birth.”

The prognosis for each of these classifications is actually quite good, assuming they are quickly diagnosed and receive the intensive care they require,” shared Petroski. “One exception: foals born too prematurely typically do not survive.”

“Don’t forget about the value of omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin E supplementation before, during, and after foaling to benefit both mare and foal health,” Petroski recommended.

EO-3 is a potent, effective source of marine-derived long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which have shown multiple benefits for mares and foals, such as improving follicular growth, enhancing embryo quality, improving endometrial scores, and boosting colostrum quality. Nano-E, a liquid, natural-source vitamin E product, uses nanodispersion technology to boost absorption rates.