The Importance of Newborn Foal Navel Care

It’s that time of year—foaling season is upon us. Each spring and summer, nearly 20,000 newborn foals grace the U.S., bound for careers in racing, live on farms or equestrian facilities, or simply as beloved pets.¹ Amidst the excitement of welcoming foals, it can be easy to overlook brushing up on care and preparation. Healthy foals require certain daily attention that adult horses do not, and it’s paramount to fully prepare for their arrival. One crucial aspect of newborn foal care is navel care. Sincea normal foals’ umbilical cords need time to dry and fall off on their own, they’re prone to bacterial infection. Read on for a review of everything you need to know about navel care, the practice of navel dipping, and preventing navel ill in your healthy foals this year.

During pregnancy, unborn foals are “fed’ via the umbilical cord or “navel cord,” the same way a human fetus receives nutrients during pregnancy. The umbilical cord is a hollow tube that provides direct access to both the abdominal cavity and the liver.² It’s comprised of two arteries and a vein and can carry nutrients as well as oxygen and deoxygenated blood.³ Rather than “cutting the cord” at birth, it should be allowed to break on its own.⁴ However, since the cord is naturally wet after birth and takes time to dry out and break, it’s a breeding ground for bacteria, making it an easy potential entry site for infection. For this reason, precautionary measures must be taken to dry out the umbilical cord until it falls off on its own. Typically, the umbilical cord spontaneously ruptures shortly after birth. This closes the opening between the healthy foal and the outside environment. This process should prevent infection, but doesn’t always happen perfectly, which can leave the foal’s inner abdomen vulnerable to outside germs. Aside from infection (the most common), other complications include urine leaking from the cord (fetal waste is disposed of through the cord during pregnancy, and incomplete closure of the cord means it can continue to leak out), excessive bleeding from blood vessels within the cord, and local trauma at the navel. As soon as the umbilical cord ruptures, it’s best practice to begin treating it with a drying solution—a process known as navel dipping.

Navel dipping is the process of dipping a foal’s umbilicus into a drying solution to encourage it to fall off naturally (and to prevent bacteria from breeding and causing infection while the cord is wet, especially if the cord didn’t rupture properly). In veterinary medicine, the navel dipping process should begin as soon as the umbilical cord ruptures (typically within minutes of foaling). Be sure to navel dip your healthy foal at least daily for at least three days after birth (some choose to dip every 12 to 18 hours for up to a week to ensure the cord is dry by the time the foal socializes with other animals).⁵ Within two to three days, the cord should dry out, and within five to six weeks, it should fall off on its own. Beware of any swelling around the navel or discharge from the navel cord, as either may indicate an infection or a hernia. Monitor both mother and baby equine health to ensure your foal is nursing properly, as this will also help prevent navel infection. Normal foals don’t develop their own immune systems until they are two to three months old and receive antibodies and passive immunity through their mare’s milk in the meantime. Using a “dip cup” full of the solution is preferred by many to using a spray bottle of solution, as it makes it easier to cover the surface area of the cord. However, spray bottles can be perfectly effective, as long as you take care to coat the cord evenly and thoroughly. Be sure to dump, clean, and refill your dip cup every couple of days, especially if you are treating several animals at once.⁶

Adhering to a proper navel dipping technique is crucial to keeping your foal safe from infection. Navel dipping can also help prevent future infections in the foal (saving you money on antibiotic treatments, too). Steps in proper navel dipping include the following⁵:

• Prepare – Have your solution of choice on hand and ready to dip right after foaling (as soon as the cord ruptures, typically when the mare stands up a few minutes after delivery).⁷ If you’re using a dip cup, make sure it’s clean and filled. Choose a solution specifically designed for navel dipping to prevent infection.
• Dip – Dip (or spray) the entire cord and navel, making sure it’s completely and evenly coated.
• Hold – Follow the label instructions to determine how long to hold the cord in the solution (it’s usually about five seconds).
• Repeat – Check your work to ensure the cord and navel are evenly coated (a dyed solution makes this easy), and if not, re-dip to cover your bases (it’s completely safe to re-dip immediately).
• Monitor – Monitor the foal to ensure the cord dries completely. After three to five days, massage the cord to ensure it hasn’t hardened or swollen. A soft, pliable cord that doesn’t cause the foal pain is ideal. By the end of a week of dipping, the cord should have shriveled down to the size of your thumb—if it’s swollen any larger, contact your vet.

Repeat these steps once or twice a day for three days to a week after foaling.

One of the most common solutions used in navel dipping is 7% iodine (with or without an alcohol tincture).⁶ A known killer of bacteria, iodine kills most pathogens in a short period. However, iodine can be dangerous. While certain amounts of iodine are necessary in the body for thyroid function and hormonal health, exposure to excessive amounts of iodine can cause stillbirths, hair loss, lethargy, and abnormal deposits of fat on the body in horses.⁸ Alternative navel dips have taken the market by storm in recent years, and are often safer, less corrosive, and faster-working than iodine. Moreover, many alternative navel dips are dyed, making it easier to ensure the entire cord is coated.

Often referred to as “navel ill,” an infection of the navel and/or umbilical cord is unfortunately common but fortunately is not usually serious (89% of diagnosed foals recover).⁹ When bacteria enter the bloodstream, other parts of the foal’s body can become infected, including the lungs, joints, and gastrointestinal tract, and the foal can become septic.¹⁰

Common symptoms of navel ill, when the foal is not experiencing sepsis, include:

• Fever
• Lack of appetite
• Depression
• Lethargy

If your foal is septic, you might notice symptoms affecting other parts of the body, like:

• Difficulty breathing
• Rapid breathing
• Diarrhea
• Colic in horses
• Swollen joints
• Lameness
• Constant lying down (recumbency)

If you notice any of these symptoms while your foal’s umbilical cord is still attached (especially if the cord is hard, swollen, or painful to the touch), contact your vet immediately.

Navel ill can often be treated with a course of antibiotics. However, sometimes surgical intervention is necesssary for affected foals. This might include:

• Surgical removal of the umbilical cord/the remaining stump
• Removal of any remaining internal parts of the umbilical cord (as determined by an ultrasound)
• Moving the base of an infected umbilical vein from the liver to outside the abdominal cavity, where it can drain without forming an abscess in the liver; then removing the remainder of the vein

If you suspect your foal has contracted navel ill, consult your vet about which treatment route might be necessary to ensure intensive care and a speedy recovery.

Preventing navel ill early on will start your newborn foal’s life on a positive note and will give them a better chance at a long, healthy adulthood. Fending off infection during the period where your foal’s immune system is still developing is critical, and will help your foal grow big and strong without unnecessary equine health challenges along the way.

This foal season, take extra care to help make your newborn foals’ transition into the world an easy one. Diligent navel dipping and monitoring for symptoms of navel ill will set your foals up for a long, happy life, whether they grow up on the racetrack or underneath a doting brush. Vetericyn has you covered for all your navel dipping needs. Our Super 7 Ultra Navel Care Solution comes in jug and spray bottle form, and is an effective alternative to 7% iodine. It’s dyed for easy identification, safe and non-corrosive on foals’ skin, and works to dry down your foal’s cord with impressive speed. Safe for all animals (even those whose umbilical cords have been torn off), Super 7 Ultra is available in an extra-large 55-gallon drum upon request. By properly drying your newborn foal’s umbilical cord, you’re setting them free into a healthy and happy adulthood. With the navel dip process behind them in record time, they’ll be off to the races in new and greener pastures.