Management of a clostridial diarrhoea outbreak in neonatal foals on a Thoroughbred stud farm in New Zealand

Abstract

In the 2019 breeding season, an outbreak of neonatal diarrhoea in 1–4 day old foals was observed on a Thoroughbred stud farm in the lower North Island. This was primarily attributed to Clostridium perfringens Type C, with some affected foals also returning positive results for Clostridium difficile. The author was engaged to aid in immediate management during the outbreak and to put plans in place for future seasons. The first case was recorded on 7 October, and the last on 25 October.