From Debbi Trubee, Breeding Manager, North Farm:
Anyone planning on having a foal this year, please be sure to have an IgG test done on your newborn foal within 24 hrs from birth. This inexpensive test will possibly save the life of your foal. Even if you see your baby nurse, it does not guarantee they have received the proper amount of colostrum to survive. This simple test can save you a lot of heartache. Foaling season is a joyous time for all of us and nothing makes me sadder than getting a phone call from a customer who has lost a baby because of this preventable issue. Wishing you all a safe and successful foaling season!
From Horse.Com
The colostrum is the “first milk” that a mare produces. It will be thick, yellow, and sticky, much different from regular milk, which is thin and white. The colostrum is loaded with immunoglobulins (antibodies) that not only nourish the foal, but protect him from infection. (Remember, foals are not able to obtain antibodies from their dams before birth due to their unique placenta.) Although the foal is born with a working immune system, before the foal ingests colostrum, it essentially is lacking in antibodies to fight infection. The antibodies used to fight off infection for the first four to eight weeks of life will be available in colostrum, provided the foal ingests colostrum from the mare and the colostrum is of good quality. This is why it is so imperative for a newborn to nurse promptly.
Foals must receive colostrum within six to eight hours of birth as their gastrointestinal system can only absorb the immunoglobulins (antibodies) present within the colostrum during a short window of time–usually not longer than 12 hours after birth.
