Archie McPhee — The Foal That's Now Fooling Around

Archie McPhee (www.ArchieMcPheeSeattle.com) fits his quizzical name. He’s a mischievous colt who thinks life is a great big playground. He frolics to his own tune and gives his dam, Tilly, a hard time as any rambunctious youngster would.

Archie’s life started out quite differently. He was born quite uneventfully from the maiden A la Mode (a Delineator mare). His sire is Ariadus, a Holsteiner stallion standing at Foxfire Farm near Gig Harbor, Washington.

His breeder, Meika Decher, an international Eventer and owner of Polestar Farm in Granite Falls, recounts his early days:

“I spoke with my veterinarians at Evergreen Equine about Archie’s details over the phone for the first two days of his life. We established that for these first two days, all was normal. Dr. Ron Colton came out to Polestar Farm on the third day and noted that Archie didn’t seem to be standing as much as he should. He wasn’t exploring his world quite normally.

Because of Ron's extensive experience with babies, he recommended that we treat this behavior as if it was a symptom of a serious infection. We took a blood sample and started Archie on antibiotics immediately. The results from the blood test confirmed his health status—that he indeed had an infection—although we wouldn’t know this until the following day.

Dr. Colton decided that we could not afford to lose a day without antibiotics if it was an infection, and that overrode the risks of putting a newborn on unnecessary antibiotics. I believe that this small step saved us thousands of dollars in vet bills because foals, being so medically fragile, have the capacity to decline rapidly. We might even have lost Archie.

This experience proved to me that Ron is an extremely knowledgeable vet. He was able to recognize a small physical sign, Archie's lethargy, and prevent it from becoming a potentially life-threatening issue.”

Evergreen Equine’s Perspective of Archie as recounted by Chelsie Hollan, DVM

“Tilly, a bay Thoroughbred mare, was carefully eyeing us as the examination began on her. She had delivered a large brown colt approximately 36 hours ago. She was a maiden mare (has never delivered a foal before) and did an excellent job during parturition. She was in good health and had no abnormalities. Although her placenta was very smelly (over 24-hours old), it was normal and completely intact.

Now, it was the three-day-old brown colt’s turn for examination. He wasn’t quite sure what to think of the vet and her assistant. As they picked him up, he started to scream. Although Tilly calmly watched, the rest of the barn was on alert. He finally settled down and the exam began. His heart and respiratory rate were extremely high, but that is not unusual, especially after the initial excitement. His lungs were clear. The umbilicus was dry and was a normal size.

Blood was taken to measure his IgG antibodies. It was suspected to be normal since he had nursed the colostrum well. He seemed to be a healthy foal. However Meika was concerned because he was not as active as he had been earlier. He was still nursing, but he was lying down much more and had an increased respiratory rate at rest. Foals are very fragile in the first few days of life. It is important to note subtle changes and to intervene before the foal becomes very sick.

Meika, being astute horse owner, was rightly concerned. We decided to draw blood for a CBC and serum chemistry to evaluate for infection and organ function. At this time, we had a lengthy discuss about putting Archie on antibiotics. By the end, Dr. Colton, Meika, and I had decided it was best to start antibiotics sooner than later and recheck him in a couple days. Injections began, and Archie was a good patient.

Blood work results weren’t back until the next day and revealed an elevated white blood cell count. This suggested that he had an infection somewhere in his body. With antibiotic therapy and good management, Archie recovered and has grown into a strapping youngster.

It is our recommendation that every new foal receive an exam 24-48 hours after being delivered. During this exam, the mare and foal are assessed to determine their overall health and to implement any needed treatments to avoid diseases. IgG antibody is measured in the foal’s blood. Foals acquire IgG antibodies from the mare’s colostrums and should protect the foal. Vets can provide appropriate medical treatment in cases where there are issues.”