Sick Feral Foals Recover Thanks To Dedicated Team Effort

issue. To reduce their stress and promote their emotional wellbeing the four foals were placed in isolation stalls in pairs.
The foals were initially received for emergency treatment by Krista Estell DVM 09 clinical associate professor of equine medicine and transferred into the care of Elizabeth MacDonald M S. 15 clinical instructor of equine medicine for continued care.
The entire EMC medicine team worked together to ensure that these fragile patients received the best care possible.
Special handling
It became apparent early on that EMC staff would need to spend time each day handling the foals to make treatment less stressful for them and create a positive interaction with humans. During their extended period of treatment staff worked on general handling picking up their feet and leading. 
The care and compassion that the weanlings received from EMC staff during their treatment and the dedication of their owners gave them the best opportunity for making a full recovery MacDonald said.
Once stabilized the foals continued their recovery at Always There Horse Care in Haymarket Virginia under the care of licensed veterinary technician Malena Brisbois. Each goodbye was bittersweet but knowing we contributed to their remarkable turnaround made every effort worthwhile Brisbois remarked.
Janices surgery
After a couple of months with her pneumonia resolved and her general health and body condition improved Janice returned to the EMC for surgical repair of her umbilical hernia. 
Sophie Boorman clinical assistant professor of equine surgery repaired the hernia under general anesthesia. Due to Janices history of pneumonia she was carefully evaluated prior to surgery to ensure that she was healthy enough to safely go through the surgical procedure.  
Repairing Janices umbilical hernia now will reduce the risk of the intestines slipping into the hernia and getting stuck which can lead to colic. 
Partnerships work
The partnership between the EMC Colbys Crew Rescue and
Always There Horse Care highlights the remarkable outcomes possible when skilled medical expertise is combined with compassionate dedicated care.  
The EMC was uniquely equipped and staffed to successfully treat all six of these weanling foals for a myriad of injuries and illnesses. Their successful treatment involved both the medicine and surgical teams and the dedicated support of all of the EMC clinical staff.