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Discussion on Atresia recti-the odds of happening again.
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Member:
Morg1
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 3, 2005 - 11:48 am:
Hi DrO,
I had a foal born this spring with atresia recti, where the rectum ended in a blind pouch. This mare has had several foals with no problems, but this is the first foal with this stallion. The stallion owners have never seen this problem before either. What are the odds of this happening again breeding back to the same stallion? Should I not risk it? I wanted to try again, because this was the nicest colt I've ever seen this mare produce, confirmation wise anyway. Here's a picture taken when he was 6 or 7 hours old. He was starting to show his discomfort.
If she did have a healthy foal, would I have to worry about it possibly being a carrier of this defect?
Thanks,
Karen
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Member:
Morg1
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 3, 2005 - 11:59 am:
He also had a ruptured bladder. Could the two be related? The poor guy just didn't have a chance. Everyone tells me I worry too much about my foals. Well in this case it was warranted.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 4, 2005 - 7:51 am:
We do not know the answer to your questions Karen but it is possible this is a genetic defect of the mare or mare and stallion. However there is a good chance that this was not a genetic defect passed on by the parents but a congenital defect that happened during embryonic development. Such non-genetic developmental difficulties occur for a number of reasons (toxins, viral infections) but often we don't know the cause. All things considered I would check back as far as possible to see if there are any other reports of such problems in your mares lineage and if not continue to breed but not to this stallion.
DrO
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Member:
Morg1
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 4, 2005 - 10:16 am:
The mare was kept on a pasture with a crick running through it for much of her pregnancy. Could something in the water have caused this defect? I had two other mares in the same pasture this year, and their foals are fine.
Several years ago, I kept a different bred mare in the same pasture and all four of her foal's legs were crooked to a certain degree(They have since straightened well, but the front legs had surgery to straighten them). Could this have caused the crooked legs? The mare was a result of 50 years of breeding from a friend of mine who had never had a foal with that problem, and the sire or his ancestors (that I know of) had never had the same defect. Could nutrition have caused it? She was my first foal and I unknowingly thought that the more and richer the food the better. She was getting fed straight alfalfa hay and 12% grain. Also the foal was quite large for the size of the mare. I thought crowding could be an issue. I'm sure I'll never know for sure what caused her crooked legs, and any of these could be a factor.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, Aug 5, 2005 - 7:30 am:
Over feeding rapidly growing foals can definitely can cause developmental problems Karen. Is there anything running into the creek you are aware of or does it drain agricultural land where fertilizers and pesticides are used? Your local extension or water utility can give advice on where to test the water in the creek.
DrO
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Member:
Morg1
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Posted on Friday, Aug 5, 2005 - 9:25 am:
I'm sorry, my post sounded like I was over feeding the foal. I was over feeding the mare before the foal was born. We have never got the crick tested, but part of it comes from a spring and some does come from a direction including several fields. I imagine the water will test different depending on the time of year and how much rain we get. There is also water run off from across the road. It is a definite possibility that the mares were exposed to chemicals and fertilizers. I never thought about this, I don't think I'll ever keep them in that pasture again.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Aug 6, 2005 - 6:46 am:
Does the creek have fish, crayfish, and most sensitive to toxins: water frogs and salamanders in it? If so it seems unlikely toxins are present in dangerous amounts but I don't think it is a guarantee.
DrO
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Member:
Morg1
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Posted on Saturday, Aug 6, 2005 - 8:06 am:
Yes, the creek has everything you mentioned except salamanders, not sure we have them around here. Last winter, I saw the horses drinking a lot from the water that ran from across the road. It's not usually anymore than a trickle, but with the freezing and thawing it became more. I had never seen them drink from this water source before. Across the road is an old farm house, and some livestock.
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