Long story short. 3wk old foal got diarrhea 5 days ago. Talked to my vet and she said to try pepto bismol for the day. That didn’t resolve the issue. That day, foal was eating and had normal energy, normal temp. Next day, diarrhea had some fibre to it but was still like very soft cowpies and still had strong odour, and foal now seemed to have less energy and not eating as well. Talked to vet again and she put her on excenel for 4 days, biosponge, and metronidazole. Giving the needle was a disaster. Took 3 of us to hold her down and then still ended up poking her multiple times before got the injection done. Tried to get ahold of vet to see if there was another option as this wasn’t working. She never called me back, but left a message through a mutual friend (after I pushed for some communication) that this was her protocol and just do it basically. Next day still messy poop but eating better. I decided to get a second opinion b/c poking her was out of the question with the help I have. Second vet said to put her on neomycin and that it should clear it up in 24hrs. Fast forward 24hrs and the diarrhea is gone, but now she’s slightly constipated so Inended giving her an enema. Pooping but stained and it was a little on the drier side AND she is not nursing well now. Talked to second vet again and he said to put her back on the excenel but to give it to her orally. So my question is. Has anyone ever given excenel orally? I’ve never had a vet offer this option before.
This afternoon She is eating better, but she’s still not acting 100%. Temperature has been normal right from start.
Im not trying to second guess the vets. I know that the injection was probably the best medicine but it’s only going to work if I can give her the shots, which, I can’t and since she wouldn’t call me back, I decided to get a second opinion. Both are good horse vets, but the first vet is more specialized in breeding.
Are you near a good vet hospital that sees a lot of foals? I would take the mare and foal in so they can diagnose and treat the problem. I am not convinced that you have a diagnosis or a plan. Foals can get very sick, very fast.
Agreed!
you didn’t mention are you taking temp at least 2x a day? If not, you should be.
Agree with other posters, foals can go from NQR to downhill very quickly. I’d say after a day or two, I’d be hooking up and heading to the nearest vet hospital for diagnosis and treatment/monitoring.
Yes, I’m taking the temp 3 times a day. She has not had a temp yet, but has been on the high side of normal 2 times in the evening. We decided that it didn’t matter how reactive she is about the needle she’s got to be on excenel so last night started the round of treatment again. Today she acting 100% so the treatment seems to be working. Not letting my guard down at all, but we are going in the right direction I know things can take a turn for the worse in a blink of an eye. I’m also in contact with my vet again. She was super hard to get ahold of for a couple of days and I did feel like she let me down. I know I’m not the only client, but I wasn’t calling her to just chat. She’ll go to the clinic if things change again but right now, what I’m doing here is what they’ll do at the clinic.
