Foal Stress

There are two occasions in the first year of your horse’s life when digestive problems are likely. The first is when the mare comes into heat, seven to nine days after the foal is born. The second is when the foal is being weaned. In both cases, the composition of the food ingested by the foal changes and the foal’s immature digestive tract has trouble coping. During these stressful times, the papain enzyme found in Natural Plan Stomach Soother™ gently helps the foal adjust to his new diet.

When the mare is in heat, the change in her hormones can cause her foal to develop severe diarrhea.

• This can lead to dehydration, and in severe cases, the foal must be put on intravenous fluids.
• In addition, diarrhea may damage the skin of the foal’s hindquarters.
• To avoid this, the soiled area must be cleaned with soap and water and coated with a baby rash cream several times a day. (Imagine doing this with a skittish, week-old foal!)

Learn more about diarrhea.

Weaning can trigger a variety of problems.

• While the weanling will have been eating some grain and forage, the total removal of milk from its diet, combined with the stress of separating from the dam, can cause diarrhea and ulcers.
• Some horses will take up cribbing as a way to release endorphins and relieve stress.

The enzyme, papain, in Natural Plan Stomach Soother helps prevent diarrhea and cribbing in foals.

• It works against diarrhea by taking up where the gut bacteria fail.
• It also increases mucus production to protect the delicate lining of the mouth, esophagus and stomach.
• Stomach Soother calms and comforts some horses, and this eliminates their desire for cribbing.

Learn more about cribbing.

Dosing:

• For foals and weanlings, give one ounce a day.
• If there’s no improvement, increase the dosage to one ounce twice a day.
• Most foal/weanlings require treatment for at least seven days.
• If the problem recurs when you’ve stopped giving Stomach Soother, resume dosing for another seven days.
• The easiest way to give Stomach Soother is with a 60 cc plastic syringe.

Learn more about giving medication.