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  Discussion on Constant foals with limb deformities
Author Message
Member:
Kitch

Posted on Thursday, Jun 1, 2006 - 5:37 pm:

I need some advice about a brood mare I own. I purchased this 1987 Thoroughbred mare a few years ago she was in foal to a Paint/Clydesdale stallion and the foal was healthy and strait. I have bred her three times now to my Foundation Appaloosa stallion, each time I have gotten foals with limb deformities, they all had contracted tendons that corrected within a week, the first one also could not straiten her knees, they buckled so far forward that her legs would pop out to the side when she walked (she was strait by two month), the second one also had angular limb deformity in both knees that corrected in time. The third however also has angular limb deformity in the left knee but does not appear to be correcting itself. These are not overly large foals, the first one was small and the other two were normal size at birth. One of my questions is why? the foal that she came with had no problems yet the three from my stud have many. I feed much better than the previous owner, I know she is getting older but I make sure she has free choice alfalfa 30%/timothy hay, grain and mineral, she is on a large field in the summer and she looks good. All the foals out of the other mares are strait with no leg problems. I am in a quandary, it is time to re-breed this mare for a 2007 foal but with three out of three I don’t think we should, we thought we might try a different stallion, but are afraid this limb problem will happen even with a different stud now, any opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Janine
Member:
Echoval

Posted on Thursday, Jun 1, 2006 - 6:43 pm:

try giving her selenium and vitamin E
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jun 2, 2006 - 6:35 am:

We really do not have a good handle on the causes of congenital deformities in foals. Yes toxins and nutritional deficiencies are associated with increase incidence and I know of at least one stallion that threw a significant number of a specific deformity always on the same leg so there are hereditable genetic factors. Usually horses with nutritional and toxic causes will have multiple and multisystemic problems and others will be effected.

With alfalfa in the diet, a selenium concentrator, and none of the other mares having problems, Se supplementation is a unlikely problem. We do suggest vitamin supplementation for mares in the last trimester if they are not on fresh grass. I cannot predict what might happen with another stallion but here again we have a lesson because we can examine several mares also bred to your stallion who are fine. It suggests at least some of the problem resides with this mare. Even if the foals were better you may be embedding a defective gene in the offspring.
DrO
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