Assisting in Equine Dystocia (Interactive Session)

Dystocia in the horse is one of very few true emergencies that the veterinarian will see, where every further minute of delay will make a difference to survival of both the mare and foal. How a dystocia is managed is very dependent on the owner or stud set-up and if veterinary hospitalization is available close by. If intervention is needed, veterinary attendance is obviously required rapidly and it is critical that a pre-determined plan is in place should this be required. Assisted vaginal delivery (AVD) progressing to controlled vaginal delivery (CVD) and then caesarean section and/or fetotomy can be performed in the event of a dystocia. A terminal caesarean section is also an option and each will be discussed, in a hospital setting as well as in the field. Ex-Utero Intra-Partum Treatment (EXIT) will be discussed. This involves intubating the foal whilst still in-utero, allowing manual ventilation whilst the dystocia is corrected.