The Proper Weaning of Foals

It has been shown in studies that foals who suffer too much stress when being weaned can lose their appetites and lose weight... then when they recover have a growth spurt. This can cause developmental orthopedic disease (DOD), in which bones and joints begin to grow abnormally. Possible causes are:

Foals which have little stress during weaning grow evenly with height and weight increasing in steady increments. This smoother growth pattern makes them less susceptible to DOD.

Other problems can occur when foals are weaned and under undue stress:

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