Abstract
Two groups of foals, comprising normal and abnormal subjects were studied during the first week of life. The abnormal foals were selected from cases exhibiting clinical signs of somatic instability unassociated with bacterial infection. Measurements of respiratory rates, tidal and minute volumes and levels of pH, pCO2 and pO2 in arterial blood, were performed; a significantly increased respiratory rate and minute volume (p < 0.05), decreased tidal volume/kg. body weight and paO2 (p < 0.01) were found in the abnormal compared with the normal group. paO2 was significantly lower in the abnormal group after oxygen inhalation. It is suggested that a right to left shunt is present in foals which have difficulty in adapting to the extra-uterine environment. Further work is required to determine the size and position of the shunts and to assess their significance in the differential diagnosis of diseases affecting newborn foals.
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