How to Avoid and Stop Joint Ill in Foals

Many horse owners are not aware of how insidious joint ill is to foals. Unfortunately, many horse owners take a wait and see approach when they observe a foal limping. This can spell disaster for your foals health and future well being.

Treated early, joint ill is easy and inexpensive to treat with common antibiotics such as SMZ's, but if treatment is not started immediately, the foal could die, end up lame for life, and incur some very large veterinary bills.

In order to keep joint ill from damaging bone, it must be treated as soon as you see the foal start to limp. In the beginning stages of joint ill the foal may not run a fever or even limp badly. The symptoms in the beginning can be very subtle. If you observe a foal limping, do not assume that the foal was stepped on by it's dam or hurt it's leg playing in the pasture. Simply put, mares do not step on their own foals and foals rarely hurt their joints by playing in the pasture. At the first hint of a foal limping, the foal should immediately be put on antibiotics and the veterinarian called.

Some foals will exhibit just a slight limp, while others more advanced in the disease will limp, run a fever, refuse to nurse and become very lethargic. If there is heat in the joint or you hear a "crunching" sound when touching the joint, the disease may have developed too far to treat on your farm.

Another misconception is that foals only acquire joint ill under the age of one month. This simply is not true and I have seen foals as old as 5 months get joint ill.

In severe or advanced cases, the foal must be taken to an equine hospital and have the joint opened and drained and I.V. antibiotics are given. This is hugely expensive and stressful on foals.

The most common cause of joint ill is the E. Coli bacteria. While mature horses are immune to E. Coli bacteria, young foals are not. Many foals are born in the spring where wet moist spring rains make the perfect environment for E. Coli to grow in stalls and pastures.

If possible, always give newborn foals Equine E. Coli Endotox before the foal is 12 hours old. This will give the foal immunity to E. Coli bacteria which will in turn keep them from getting foal diarrhea and joint ill.