In newborn foals, the disorder known as neonatal maladjustment syndrome or dummy foal syndrome occurs in only 3 to 5 percent of live births. ... Typically, when a foal's brain is deprived of oxygen, the resulting effects include mental deficits, abnormal behavior, blindness and even seizures. This syndrome has puzzled horse owners and veterinarians for a century.
Foals affected by the disorder seem detached, fail to
recognize their mothers and have no interest in nursing. For years, the syndrome
has been attributed to hypoxia — insufficient oxygen during the birthing
process. John Madigan, a UC Davis Veterinary professor, and UC Davis veterinary
neurologist Monica Aleman began sleuthing around for other potential causes,
however, noting that hypoxia usually causes serious, permanent damage, while
most foals with the maladjustment syndrome survive with no lingering health
problems.
One of their prime suspects was a group of naturally occurring neurosteroids,
which are key to sustaining pregnancies in horses, especially in keeping the
foal “quiet” before birth.
Foals remain quiet in the womb
“Foals don’t gallop in utero,” Madigan is fond of saying, pointing out the
dangers to the mare if a four-legged, hoofed fetus were to suddenly become
active in the womb. The prenatal calm is made possible, he explains, by
neurosteroids that act as sedatives for the unborn foal.
However, immediately after birth, the infant horse must make an equally important transition to consciousness. In nature, a baby horse would be easy prey for many natural enemies, so the foal must be ready to run just a few hours after it is born. In short, somewhere between the time a foal enters the birth canal and the moment it emerges from the womb, a biochemical “on switch” must be flicked that enables the foal to recognize the mare, nurse and become mobile.
Madigan and Aleman suspect that the physical pressure of the birthing process may be that important signal. “We believe that the pressure of the birth canal during the second stage of labor, which is supposed to last 20 to 40 minutes, is an important signal that tells the foal to quit producing the sedative neurosteroids and ‘wake up,’ ” Madigan said.
Neurosteroids persist in the bloodstream
The theory, he says, is supported by the fact that the
maladjusted foal syndrome appears more frequently in horses that were delivered
via cesarean section or experienced unusually rapid births. Perhaps those foals
do not experience significant physical pressure to trigger the change in
neurosteroids, Madigan said.
Foals ‘wake up’ with gentle harness pressure
Amazingly, the veterinary researchers have found that they
can reduce maladjustment symptoms in foals by using several loops of a soft rope
to gently squeeze the foal’s upper torso and mimic the pressure normally
experienced in the birth canal. When pressure is applied with the rope, the foal
lies down and appears to be asleep.
After 20 minutes — about the same time a foal would spend in the birth canal — the rope is loosened and the squeeze pressure released. In initial cases, the foals have responded well to the procedure and recovered, some rising to their feet within minutes and then bounding over to join the mare and nurse.
The researchers suspect that the pressure triggers biochemical changes in the central nervous system that are critical for transitioning the foal from a sleeplike state in the womb to wakefulness at birth.
Article: Newborn foals may offer clues to autism by Pat Bailey
Additional links of interest (will open in a new window)
Fetal Consciousness' Impact on Equine Neonatal Health from The Horse
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