Fluid therapy for neonatal foals

The neonatal foal has proportionally greater body water content than the adult horse. The extracellular fluid (ECF) compartment is also larger in foals than in adult horses. This greater body water content, along with a higher metabolic rate, growth, and increased insensible losses, results in a greater water requirement for neonatal foals as compared to adult horses. Clinical signs of shock in the foal include abnormalities in the clinical perfusion parameters: obtundation, poor pulse quality, cool to cold extremities, prolonged capillary time, pale mucous membranes, poor jugular refill, and reduced urine output. The laboratory evidence of shock in foals includes hyperlactatemia and increased oxygen extraction ratio. Central venous pressure (CVP) is a controversial goal of fluid therapy in humans, because it alone does not reflect blood volume; CVP can be affected by cardiac function, pleural pressure, and venous tone.