Navel Ill in Foals.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 56, Issue 5, 20 May 1938, Page 319

Navel Ill in Foals.

W. D. Blair,

District Superintendent, Canterbury.

X TAVEL ill in foals is undoubtedly the NAVEL ill in financial loss and cause of heavy financial loss and bitter disappointment to the draught-horse breeders of the Old World. Even in New Zealand, where conditions are totally different, in that foaling as a. rule takes place in the open and therefore a clean paddock can be selected for the event, cases are by no means uncommon. ■ As is the case in all conditions in which no one definite causative agent has been determined and thus no . recognized line of attack as regards treatment can be advocated, many and varied are the opinions expressed by breeders and others regarding the cause and treatment. One peculiarity of the disease is noteworthy, and that is that in this country it is rarely seen in light horses or ponies. I cannot express an opinion as to why this should be, but the fact remains that while draught foals may be affected, foals from light mares kept under similar conditions and foaling in the same paddock as the draughts remain unaffected. Hereditary Factor. Liability to the disease increases with the betterment of the breed. Heredity, as a factor, cannot to my mind be altogether ruled out, though authorities on the subject hold that the heredity theory has never been definitely established. Against this the fact remains that certain mares in successive years will throw foals with enlarged joints at birth. In a number of cases regarded as hereditary it has been demonstrated that the progeny of the dams have an abnormally large umbilical ring, which necessarily takes longer to heal, and the risk of infection is increased. In others, again, it has been shown that the trouble arose through the mares foaling year after year under the same conditions and surroundings. In some years this disease, like many others of an infectious nature, prevails like an epidemic in certain districts. Cases occur on neighbouring farms, especially on those of breeders of stud stock, and in this connection climatic conditions apparently . play no part. Idleness during the pregnancy period has always been regarded as a predisposing cause. It is a recognized fact that mares worked in a rational manner throughout that period are less prone to trouble at foaling-time. - : In dealing with the trouble it should be stated straight away that all endeavours

should be on preventive lines, as curative treatment is in the majority of cases, useless. The death-rate is estimated at more than 50 per cent., and of the remainder the percentage of complete recoveries is small. Those that survive are unthrifty or bad doers for a long time, and . some permanently so. In others, the enlarged joints remain permanently enlarged. Navel 11l or Joint. 111, as it is sometimes called, may be defined as an acute infectious disease of newly - born animals, characterized by abscess formation in various joints, most frequently the stifle, hock, and knee, the stifle being the commonest seat. Abscesses may form in the internal organs, especially the liver and lungs.

- Causes. A variety of organisms may act as the causative agents, and,” while in most cases infection enters the body through the navel, it is known that one particular organism can infect by ingestion. Again, wounds and abrasions act as portals for the infection. Excluding the few cases in which enlarged joints are found at birth, the first symptoms usually make their appearance within ten days of birth, and these symptoms vary according to the virulence of . the attacking organisms. As a rule, the first noticeable sign that all is not well is the foal’s refusal to suckle. The animal looks depressed, and, as one might' say, looks mighty sorry for itself.” The recumbent position is assumed, and there is no desire on the

animal’s part to move about ; the temperature is higher than normal, and the breathing is accelerated. Examination of the navel may reveal nothing, or the part may be hot and painful, with or without a discharge. If the joints are handled some of them will be found to be swollen; hot, and painful. Later on, these swellings burst, liberating blood-stained pus. Rapid loss of condition is a marked symptom. ■ln some cases none of the general symptoms as denoted are observable, and here the disease takes the form of bloodpoisoning, characterized by high fever, severe diarrhoea, and blood in the urine. Death usually occurs in a few days. Treatment. From what has already been said, one may gather that in few cases can a radical cure be looked for, and it is hardly necessary to add that the services of a qualified veterinarian should be requisitioned, especially as surgical treatment is called for in most cases. In recent years quite a number of sera and vaccines have appeared on the scene, all guaranteed to effect cures, but I think most of them are of the hit-or-miss variety. If one were certain of the particular organism causing the trouble - vaccines prepared from that organism might give results, but to determine the organism and prepare the vaccine which can be done only in a laboratory takes time, and few cases admit of this. Vaccination of the mare prior to '■ foaling is widely practised in England, and has its advocates, but likewise its detractors. Prevention. In medical and veterinary science throughout the,world the trend now in dealing with disease is, if possible, to determine the cause, and having done so to remove or prevent it. There can be no question that navel ill is' one of the conditions that should be tackled on preventive lines. In the Old Country, where foaling invariably takes place, in a loose-box, it has been shown beyond doubt that once a case occurs in a particular box others are sure to follow, no matter how scrupulously the box has been cleaned out and disinfected. It must be admitted, however, that the ordinary box is difficult to disinfect thoroughly, and in few places would the erection and maintenance. of a box solely. for the use at foaling-time be justified. ; • Foaling in Paddock. In this country, however, foaling invariably takes place in the paddock, and therefore little excuse can be offered when a dirty - paddock or • yard is ■ used. The usual excuse that it is handy to the farm is a poor one. The paddock selected should be small, clean, and without

ditches or open drains, and the nearer the homestead the better, so that an eye can be kept on the mare when the event draws near. When, because of climatic conditions or other causes, a box has to be used it should be thoroughly cleaned out and bedded down with fresh straw. A number of owners make it a practice to wash thoroughly the z tail and hindquarters of the mare with a 2-per-cent. Lysol solution just prior to foaling. This precaution appears to be a wise one, ’as one never knows where the infecting organisms may be found. Immediately the foal is dropped the navel and surrounding parts should be swabbed with methylated spirits and the cord tied close up, approximately % in. to the ■abdomen. The cord is then severed i in. or so from the tie. The string or tape used for tying should be sterilized before use, and the parts then painted

with tincture of iodine. It is important that the hands of the operator should be thoroughly clean before operations commence. The navel should be dressed twice daily until it has healed. Solution for Washing. Some recommend the use of astringent solutions for washing after the first day. These are said to hasten the healing process, harden the stump, and thus reduce the risk of infection. A 2-per-cent. bluestone solution is the one generally used. As infection is known to occur through ingestion, the teats and udder of the mare should be watched and cleansed if necessary. In the cases where the mare has foaled and is not seen for some time afterwards, washing, &c., should be carried out, because as long as the navel remains unhealed the danger of infection is ever present. . .