Monitoring of some physiological parameters during the first 30 days of a foal's life

The rectal temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate pattern during a foal's first month of life were studied. Twenty-four thoroughbred foals were divided in 2 groups: group A (Ga) consisted of 12 fully developed foals born within 340 days, while group B (Gb) consisted of 12 fully developed foals born between 341 and 355 days. Rectal temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate were recorded in each subject immediately after birth and for 30 consecutive days thereafter. Data were analyzed by means of a mixed-model factorial ANOVA with two factors: experimental days (1 to 30) and experimental group (born at term or born late). The groups were independent and the days were repeated measures. The results indicated a significant effect of time (P < 0.0001) on heart rate and on respiratory rate in both groups, while no statistically significant difference was found in the thermoregulatory response, which was constant from birth. These results are important for the clinical evaluation of subjects born after the mean scheduled pregnancy term through the acquisition of the reference values of physiological parameters such as rectal temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. These parameters are easy to record and represent valid indicators of the foal's homeostatic response during the neonatal period.