This week the condition termed labour dystocia will be looked at, whereby the newborn is prevented from leaving the mother’s uterus during birth. This can have serious consequences for both the baby and the mother, and therefore needs to be identified and treated accordingly (Wikipedia). With reference to equine cases, a study by McCue PM and Ferris RA [Parturition, dystocia and foal survival: a retrospective study of 1047 births, Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement, February 2012,(41):22-25 (correction March 2013,45(2):259)] addressed this particular issue, and the information contained in the abstract is looked at henceforth. This study looked at a sizeable cohort of equine births (1047 to be exact), and three interesting findings relating to labour dystocia were revealed. The first was that 10.1% of mares suffered from this condition, a figure that reflects the requirement for a better understanding of what it actually entails and how best to identify it. Secondly, it appears that breed may be linked to the development of dystocia, with Thoroughbreds more likely to suffer than Quarter Horses, whilst finally implicating the physical form of the foetus as a risk factor for dystocia development. As an aside, this study also observed that where male foals were born the gestation period was found to be longer relative to female foals.

It is interesting how studies such as the one looked at here can help to shed light on how best to identify and subsequently react to certain conditions and improve the lifespan of the animals in question.

Nevertheless although the methods used in this study have not been discussed in this article, using ultrasonography is a good way to monitor pregnancy progression and spot any potential problems during gestation. To see the range of veterinary scanners we stock that would be suitable for scanning horses, please click here. Our scanners are not just good for equine pregnancy however – the Siemens Acuson Freestyle Equine Tendon Scanner is a particularly sophisticated piece of equipment, that as the name suggests is perfect for scanning equine tendons. It is worth noting that this scanner has specific features that make it a must-have for any horse breeder/enthusiast including wireless transducers, whilst not compromising on the resulting images. If you would like more information on anything mentioned here, please don’t hesitate to contact us.