Blessed Are The Foals [Hardcover]

Maintaining that congenital deformities and easy contagion in foals are often the effects of human interventionselective breeding, inbreeding and overcrowded living conditionsveterinarian Lose suggests that nature, therefore, requires human assistance to give the foal a fair chanceat survival. A knowledgeable owner, says Lose, can improve the foal's prospects by paying close attention to the animal's appearance and behavior, because sudden onset of illness in a newborn is not unusual. The key is to assist, not replace, natural processes. For example, she discourages tying off the foal's umbilical cord, which if left to rupture naturally can provide the animal with nourishment and oxygen for half an hour after birth. The volume features careful descriptions of diseases and deformities, as well as clear instructions on when to seek routine or emergency veterinary treatment. Lose provides vaccination schedules, a full section on nutrition, detailed, practical advice on common equine parasites and instructions for husbandry. Lose wrote Blessed Are the Brood Mares, etc. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Blessed Are the Foals has been revised and updated to give those who care for the young equine from birth through its first year of life the information they need to make that critical period successful. Once again, Dr. M. Phyllis Lose draws on her decades of experience in equine veterinary practice to explain how to evaluate the foal's health and to recognize when professional help is needed. Profusely illustrated with photographs taken in her practice, Dr. Lose describes in simple, easy-to-understand language for owners, foaling attendants and caregivers what is normal or typical and how to troubleshoot situations that depart from the norm. Beginning with the delivery, emergencies such as failure to breathe, to rise and to nurse are addressed along with such problems as infections and congenital, hereditary and developmental conditions. Other topics include medication and diet—with the emphasis on foal nutrition to meet the changing needs of the newborn—exercise and the special needs of the premature, twin, orphaned and rejected foal. In addition, Dr. Lose discusses current veterinary and husbandry practices and gives candid judgments about their efficacy. Blessed Are the Foals is, in effect, the companion volume to Dr. Lose's Blessed Are the Brood Mares—the acknowledged classic on the breeding and care of mares through gestation. Yet again Dr. Lose's expertise, compassion and loving regard for all horses is apparent, along with her desire to offer support to all who would look after them.

Blessed Are the Foals has been revised and updated to give those who care for the young equine from birth through its first year of life the information they need to make that critical period successful. Once again, Dr. M. Phyllis Lose draws on her decades of experience in equine veterinary practice to explain how to evaluate the foal's health and to recognize when professional help is needed. Profusely illustrated with photographs taken in her practice, Dr. Lose describes in simple, easy-to-understand language for owners, foaling attendants and caregivers what is normal or typical and how to troubleshoot situations that depart from the norm. Beginning with the delivery, emergencies such as failure to breathe, to rise and to nurse are addressed along with such problems as infections and congenital, hereditary and developmental conditions. Other topics include medication and diet—with the emphasis on foal nutrition to meet the changing needs of the newborn—exercise and the special needs of the premature, twin, orphaned and rejected foal. In addition, Dr. Lose discusses current veterinary and husbandry practices and gives candid judgments about their efficacy. Blessed Are the Foals is, in effect, the companion volume to Dr. Lose's Blessed Are the Brood Mares—the acknowledged classic on the breeding and care of mares through gestation. Yet again Dr. Lose's expertise, compassion and loving regard for all horses is apparent, along with her desire to offer support to all who would look after them.

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M. PHYLLIS LOSE, V.M.D. has been practicing veterinary medicine for nearly forty years. She is the author of Blessed Are the Brood Mares, Second Edition, also published by Howell Book House. Dr. Lose lives in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.