MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL 
73 
and fails to take nourishment. When the trouble has progressed thus 
far it is often hard to treat successfully. The simplest treatment, if the 
colt fails to make the proper passage of the first excreta, which is dark 
brown in color, is a solution of soapsuds injected into the rectum. This 
treatment should not be given unless necessary, which will seldom be the 
case when the mare’s milk is normal and the colt healthy.” 
It is further pointed out that the best place for both the mare and 
colt is in a rich good pasture where digestive troubles are seldom con¬ 
tracted. In starting the mare to work she should be brought in during 
the middle of the forenoon and afternoon for the colt to suckle. As 
soon as the colt is accustomed to be away from her mother and without 
milk, the mare may be brought in at half day periods as long as the days 
are not too long. With heavy milkers or if the mare is warm, part of 
the milk may first be drawn or else scours and indigestion may result in 
the digestive system of the colt. When the mare is warm she should be 
cooled off before the colt is turned to her. Colts should never be nursed 
from hot mares. It is also advised that colts should be taught to eat 
early because in so doing they will hardly miss the dam at weaning time. 
Carlson 0 hints that the first three days following parturition is a try¬ 
ing time for the foal. He recommends that as soon as the foal has been 
born the first thing to be done is to disinfect the navel with any of the 
coal tar preparations in five per cent strength, or a 1-500 of one per cent 
solution of corrosive sublimate may be used. Lysol, which is considered 
good, may be used in a solution of one teaspoonful to one pint of water. 
He dislikes the practice of tying or ligating the umbilicus for, he says, 
it leads to the formation of pus which later has to be absorbed. It is 
claimed that in nine cases out of ten the umbilicus will tear off naturally. 
Where, however, it has to be cut this should be done six inches from the 
body. Should there be excessive hemorrhage, the umbilicus may be 
ligated with a disinfected cord and in a few hours this may be removed 
followed by a thorough emptying and disinfection of the umbilicus. Dur¬ 
ing the early part of the season it is said that the danger from 
infection is more than late in the spring and during the summer 
months. Hence, the necessity of proper precautions to be taken during 
such time. 
As to the feeding of the new-born, Carlson 6 emphasizes the need of 
supplying colostrum the first time, whether the foal is to be naturally 
or artificially fed, on account of the purgative effect which this first milk 
gives to the system. Should the foal be weak to find its mother’s teats 
it is advisable to milk the mare and the milk given to the foal when still 
warm. This could be accomplished better, it is claimed, by means of a 
dessert spoon. After doing this once or twice the foal is said to acquire 
sufficient strength so as to look for the mother’s udder. 
During the first twelve hours of the foal’s life the foal should have had 
its bowels and kidneys working normally. Should these fail, which may 
be seen in the foal standing with the back arched, the tail erect and 
afterwards with the head and ears drooping, proper measures should be 
adopted to render bowel movements normal. At first a little olive oil may 
be injected into the rectum, which generally would start the evacuation 
of feces. But in case this fails after several hours an ounce of castor oil 
may be prescribed and the rectum irrigated with warm soap suds. Cas¬ 
tile soap is recommended. 
For the well-being of the new born it is advised that the mare be fed 
lightly until the foal is eight or ten days old. Then afterwards the feed 
may be increased gradually and both mare and foal may then have access 
to good grass. When three or four weeks old the foal may be started on 
good clean oats, giving a little at first and later on gradually increased 
so that the foal may eat at will until weaning time. 
Cases are known of some mares giving no milk for the foal. Notwith- 
