New Money Honey continues to progress as the staff at Indian Creek Farm monitor her. Prior to foaling, the farm did a blood screening to check if her foal will be predisposed to developing Neonatal Isoerythrolysis (NI) after delivery. NI happens when the foal ingests colostrum or first milk that has antibodies directed towards the red blood cells of the foal.
*Update* New Money Honey came back with a negative (not positive) result for this test which is a relief.
Below is an article from Lexington Equine Medical describing NI and steps taken to for the foal if the result is a positive one.
"Around two weeks prior to foaling, the veterinarian will take a blood sample from the mare to determine whether her foal is predisposed to developing Neonatal Isoerythrolysis (NI) after birth. NI occurs when a foal ingests colostrum containing antibodies directed against its red blood cells (RBC’s). Affected foals will show signs such as yellow gums and sclera (white part of the eye), weakness, lethargy, recumbency, and red-colored urine. This syndrome may ultimately be fatal. The best way to prevent NI is to test the blood of the mare for the presence of antibodies against RBC antigens, commonly referred to as an “NI Screen”. If the blood test comes back as positive, preventative measures can be taken to ensure that the foal does not consume the mare’s colostrum. The mare should be milked out, and the foal should be muzzled while simultaneously provided colostrum or antibodies from a known safe source (i.e. banked colostrum that has undergone testing) after birth.
Prior to foaling and typically at the same time that we are performing an NI screen, the mare will have an episiotomy. The labia are locally anesthetized with lidocaine and then carefully incised. This allows for normal passage of the foal during the birthing process and reduces tearing of the mare’s perineum."
