How to Perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
on Newborn Foals in the Field
SallyAnne L. Ness, DVM, DACVIM*; Gillian A. Perkins, DVM, DACVIM;
Kevin T.T. Corley, BVM&S, PhD, MRCVS, DACVIM, DACVECC; and
Daniel J. Fletcher, PhD, DVM, DACVECC
Authors’ addresses: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Univer-
sity, Ithaca, NY 14853 (Ness, Perkins, Fletcher); and Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital, The Curragh,
Ireland (Corley); e-mail: sally.ness@cornell.edu. *Corresponding and presenting author. © 2015 AAEP.
1. Introduction
Birth is a high-risk event in which a myriad of
both maternal and fetal factors may result in fail-
ure of a foal to properly transition from fetal to
neonatal physiology. In the field setting, this
failure to transition often presents as a foal that is
born alive (i.e., with heartbeat and pulse), but
fails to spontaneously breathe. Without inter-
vention, hypoxemia-induced bradycardia ensues,
followed shortly thereafter by asystole and death.
In this situation, a well-prepared plan and the
ability to quickly assess the foal and perform ef-
fective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can
mean the difference between perinatal death and
a live, and healthy foal. Clearly, a foal that fails to spontaneously
breathe at birth represents an emergency not amendable to retroactive planning, equipment re-
trieval, or travel to the farm. In this situation,
preparedness is key, and a positive outcome de- pends entirely on the presence of someone possess-
ing the knowledge, skill, and equipment to
perform effective resuscitation. Ideally, a veter-
inarian would be present at high-risk foalings; however, this is not always possible or predictable.
Depending on experience and expertise, breeding
farm personnel can be trained to effectively per-
form the basic life support techniques described
here to improve a foal’s chance of survival in the
absence of a veterinarian.
2. Materials and Methods
Equipment
Supplies can be organized together in a crash kit that allows for easy transport from clinic or truck
to the foaling stall (Fig. 1). Breeding farms may
similarly assemble a kit that can be placed outside
of foaling stalls for easy access during and after
parturition. A portable oxygen tank and flow me-
ter can be rented or purchased from local human
medical suppliers (Fig. 2). Medications should be
well labeled and checked annually for expiration.
A dosage chart may be printed and kept in the
crash kit to minimize the need for time-consuming
calculations and help prevent dosage mistakes in
an emergency (Fig. 3).
40 2015fiVol. 61fiAAEP PROCEEDINGS
NEONATOLOGY
NOTES