Intesting study on foals with low IgG

[motorgypsy]

Clemson Univeristy did this study and it basically says that foals with low IgG who are given antibiotics do fine. It also says the IgG supllement doesn't raise IgG levels even when the foal is within the four hour window but it helps to close the gut to harmful bacteria so is useful.

http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/AAEP/1998/Vivrette.pdf

[Jane Hurl]

So one takes it that if the administration of the replacement colostrum CLOSES the gut to pathogens, after this Moniece's Rosa will be fine?

I know that on occasion we've had lambs that didn't get their colostrum in a timely fashion. As long as they stayed in a relatively clean pen for the first while -- so they could build up resistance to the normal bacteria one finds on a farm -- they were fine. The key, for the lambs at least, was that they built up their resistance SLOWLY. Once they joined the flock, they'd be right in there with all the other lambs playing "king of the castle" on their favourite hill -- the manure pile!

[motorgypsy]

That's what it sounds like and giving the antibiotics since she seems to have a littler upper respiratory thing sounds like the best thing. I suspect the difference here is that she is not an orphan so her stress level is not anywhere near that of the orphan foals.

[motorgypsy]

This study was done by several researchers, one of whichis the same one who identified the toxin in fescue and found a solution to prevent the problems caused in foaling when mares are on fecue pasture.