Pavo S.O.S. Kit for Foals

Colostrum

A mare's first milk is also called colostrum. This milk contains high levels of antibodies which can protect her foal against infections during its first few months. In cases where a mare is unable to feed her foal, try to squeeze as much colostrum as possible from her teat and feed this to the foal from a bottle. If this is not successful, try to find another nearby mare that is still producing colostrum from her own pregnancy. The Pavo S.O.S. Kit includes all of the necessary feeds for a foal's first 2 days of life.

Instructions for use of PAVO S.O.S. Kit

Take a pan with a volume of at least one litre, add 300 ml of cold water, then top up with 400 ml boiling water. You now have 700 ml of water at roughly 60ºC. Add one scoop (100g) of Pavo Foal Milk Powder until completely dissolved. Now stir in 300 ml of cold water to bring the solution to body temperature (roughly 40ºC).

Stir in the contents of one sachet Pavo Colostrum (150g) into your pre-prepared body temperature foal milk until all powder has dissolved.

Cut the tip off the teat with scissors to create a small opening for the foal to suckle. Every hour give the foal about 250ml of the body temperature (+/- 40ºC) colostrum solution using the enclosed bottle with teat.

Repeat steps 1-3 for the second sachet of foal colostrum powder. After both batches have been consumed by the foal, it can be nourished using only foal milk according to the feeding schedule provided with the S.O.S. Kit. Try to feed foals small amounts often (for horses 400 ml 18 times daily, for ponies 400 ml 18 times daily)

If there are problems with milk from the mare straight after the birth of the foal, revert to your Pavo S.O.S. Kit, ideally within 3 hours from birth, but definitely within 12 hours. To be absolutely sure, a veterinarian should be instructed to do a full health check of your foal within 24 hours. You can heat the milk but it is best to use a bain marie technique to keep it at a natural body temperature. (Bain marie is keeping something at the optimum temperature by keeping it over hot water and will prevent curdling or evaporation.)

Never reheat colostrum in a microwave; effective antibodies will be destroyed by high temperatures. Foal milk can be heated in the microwave.

The kit includes 300g (= 2 sachets) Pavo Colostrum with all necessary antibodies, bottle with teat, 1.5kg foal milk and a useful manual.