Foal Rejection - Characteristics and Therapy of Inadequate Maternal Behaviour in Mares

Abstract

<jats:title>Foal Rejection - Characteristics and Therapy of Inadequate Maternal Behaviour in Mares</jats:title><jats:p>The bond between the mare and her newborn foal is usually a strong one. However, some factors can lead to aberrations of maternal behaviour. Failure to protect and nurse the foal is defined as foal rejection. With a long period of gestation and increasingly high value of foals, foal rejection causes severe losses to breeders. Horse owners and breeders should have knowledge of risk factors, types, prevention rules and treatment of inadequate maternal behaviour. In the case of foal rejection it is important to use fostering techniques in raising such foals.</jats:p>

Mismothering and remedying the mother-young relationship in stabled dromedary camels

“…This can impair the mother's motivation to care for her offspring (Nowak et al, 2000). Prolonged and difficult parturition, assigned to pain and discomfort, is associated with reduced mothering behaviour in ewes and mares, and contributes to increase newborn rejection (Dwyer et al, 2003;Żurek and Danek, 2012).…”

“…Should a newborn calf be abandoned by its mother, even temporarily, nutritional and behavioural needs are not met, and its survival is at risk (Vogels et al, 2013). While inadequate maternal care and rejection behaviours have been well investigated in cattle, sheep, goats, and mares (Poindron et al, 2007;Żurek and Danek, 2012;Kohari and Takakura, 2017), this aspect has never, to date, been investigated in dromedary camels. Research is needed to understand camel postpartum behaviour and the reasons leading to the potential rejection of newborns.…”