Case History 4 - SNOWY

Snowy is a 17 year old Thoroughbred mare that has bred some really successful racehorses. Like many grey horses, she has developed some melanomas; these are usually benign tumours of the pigmented cells of the skin. In Snowy’s case however, the melanomas have become much larger and more widespread than normal. During her latest pregnancy a large tumour appeared in the vagina which meant that a normal foaling would be impossible and a Caesarean Section would be required to deliver the foal.

In order to maximise the chance of delivering a live foal it is essential that we wait until the mare is nearly ready to foal naturally. The best way to predict this is to monitor changes in the mare’s milk; both the specific gravity and the calcium levels increase just before foaling.

The whole Practice was on standby to take Snowy to theatre at the most opportune moment. The foal must be delivered swiftly after the mare is anaesthetised as her blood pressure is compromised from both the anaesthetic and due to positioning her on her back. The weight of the foal squashes her major blood vessels which run along her dorsal midline. There is a real chance of the foal being deprived of oxygen if the surgery is prolonged.

As expected Caroline did a superb job on the anaesthetic, the surgery went well, and Jane, with the help of Holly and Flick, resuscitated a very sleepy filly foal. Snowy recovered very well and immediately bonded with her foal despite not having seen her born.

The foal, christened Boo, did have some neurological problems on day two due to a degree of hypoxia at birth. This manifested initially as some muscular spasms progressing to seizures. She required 48 hours of very intensive care which was a worrying time for all concerned not to mention massive sleep deprivation! Luckily Boo is made of tough stuff and responded to treatment.

Snowy was amazing throughout the whole thing and just stood quietly watching her baby. Boo was soon back on her feet and once again on suck. She should now develop normally and hopefully follow in the footsteps of her siblings. Snowy will be retired to the paddocks once she has reared her foal.

Snowy and Boo enjoying some freedom in the field.