Effect of different postnatal care practices on serum gamma globulin concentrations in neonatal foals

Abstract

Summary:The aim of the present study was to evaluate failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI), estimated using electrophoretic gamma globulin concentrations (EGG), during the first 24 hours of life in neonatal foals given either intensive postnatal assistance to nurse or no assistance for the first twelve hours postnatum. Sixty warmblood foals from the same breeding farm were included in this prospective study. Of these, 40 foals (Group 1) were assisted to stand after one hour and nurse after two hours postnatum. They received colostrum by bottle hourly from two hours postnatum until they nursed unaided, as well as by bottle or nasogastric tube after eight hours postnatum if their general condition declined. A further 20 foals (Group 2) received no initial assistance but were given colostrum by bottle or nasogastric tube twelve hours postnatum if they had not nursed or if their general condition declined. A serum protein electrophoresis was performed from samples collected 6, 8, 10, 12, 18 and 24 hours after birth in each foal. In Group 1, 16/40 foals nursed unaided within two hours postnatum, 16/40 foals were assisted to the dam's udder, and 8/40 foals received colostrum by bottle. The median time from birth to the first unassisted intake of colostrum was 141 minutes and 149 minutes in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. The median EGG concentration was lowest at 6 hours postnatum in both groups. At 10 hours postnatum, both groups achieved a median EGG above 8 g/L. The highest median EGG concentration was reached at 12 hours in both groups, after which no significant change in EGG concentrations was observed. No significant difference in EGG concentrations was found between the groups. Moreover, no difference in the proportion of foals with FTPI (defined as EGG < 8 g/L at 24 hours postnatum) was found between the groups. Findings of the present study suggest that EGG concentrations and FTPI are not significantly affected by the postnatal care practices used in this breeding farm. Further investigations are required to evaluate methods of postnatal care that may considerably impact FTPI in neonatal foals.

Postnatal colostrum management and its impact on IgG blood levels of neonatal foals

“…This might suggest that additional bottle-feeding could have reduced the efforts of supplementfoals to learn how to suckle from the udder compared to non-supplemented foals. Nevertheless, healthy foals are supposed to nurse independently after one to three hours which was observed in all foals of this study and which is in line with previous observations (Jeffcott 1974b, LeBlanc 2001, Tscheschlok et al 2016a).…”

“…Although the effect did not reach significance, this might suggest that supplementation with high-quality colostrum supply reduces the incidence of FPTI. FPTI (IgG value < 800 mg/dl) was observed in 20.3 % of the foals of the current study which is in the range of earlier reports (Baldwin et al 1989, Bublitz et al 1991, Tyler-McGowan et al 1997, Tscheschlok et al 2016a). The incidence of TFPTI (IgG value < 400 mg/dl) was 2.8 % and similar to the findings of Raidal (1996).…”

“…The rate of foal plasma IgG level decline between 12 and 24 hours may differ individually or between foal populations. Tscheschlok et al (2016a) reported only a slight decline between 12 and 24 hours whereas Warko and Bostedt (1993) observed a similar decline as in our study (12.9 %) but during the first three days of life.…”

“…Studies comparing different postnatal management practices are rare in foals (Tscheschlok et al 2016a). More research has been done in cattle, where it is common to transfer colostrum via bottle or nasogastric tube, thus ensuring a sufficient supply of maternal antibodies (Godden et al 2009).…”