North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) Practice Test

Foal heat diarrhea typically occurs in foals between the ages of 7 to 14 days. During this time, foals are transitioning from colostrum to milk, and their gastrointestinal tract is adapting to digesting substances other than those passed through the placenta. This developmental phase can lead to variations in gut motility and bacterial flora, resulting in transient diarrhea.

This diarrhea is generally mild and self-limiting, associated with the normal physiological response of the foal adapting to life's outside the womb. The timing coincides with the foal’s first heat period rather than being a response to pathogens. Understanding this age range is crucial for practitioners to differentiate between normal foal heat diarrhea and more serious gastrointestinal conditions that could arise in young foals.