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Re: [RC] Neonatal Cleft Palate......Not - Heidi SmithThey scoped him and found nothing. He was a great horse, he just leaked. After drinking or eating he'd have to cough deep a little. Guess he got stuff in his windpipe. Well, it doesn't get clear into their windpipe--they get it sorted out in the pharyngeal area. But that's a perfect example of a soft palate that just doesn't quite work right. As Maggie's friend found out, this can sure be the case in foals--and it really doesn't have anything to do with milk "pressure" or too much milk, although more milk makes the problem more noticeable. Quite a few foals are born with soft palates that just have to "get in shape" to do their jobs. Prior to birth, the foals DO swallow amniotic fluid, but there is no big crisis if the soft palate doesn't direct it properly, since nothing is going into the lungs yet anyway. Once the lungs expand after birth and start to work, then all of a sudden it IS a crisis--and if the soft palate is a bit behind in its development, then "stuff" can get around it and into the nose--particularly liquids. In most foals, this problem goes away at around 5-7 days of age, and as Maggie's friend noted, she could see an improvement in her foal almost daily. But occasionally one will find an adult horse that never quite got its soft palate fully functional.... Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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