Immunoglobulin assay...

[mikec]

Last year we moved our mares to a new farm which also meant a new vet. After they had their foals a few weeks ago the vet came out & did a test called immunoglobulin which I'd never heard of prior ( but that doesn't mean much ). Just curious if anyone else has this test done by their vet as it is a chunk of change per baby and our first foal last year never had it done at the prior farm. Thanks !

[madelyn]

I believe it is also called an IgG (or iggy) test. It is a test of the immune system, verifying the quality of the dam's colostrum. We do them here on our farm. It is $19. Back when the vet did them they were fifty bucks or so and I only used to test suspect foals. If the mare streamed milk before she foaled, she might not have much colostrum left.

If you get a bad iggy, your troubles are only starting, but a blood transfusion can set the foal right again.

[mikec]

Yep ; that's the one Madelyn. I just did a double take when I saw your $19 charge & had to go back to check myself. This vet just does a lot more, which I don't mind if it's all good, and the bill surprised me. That IgG as you mentioned is $50 and then all the other stuff just snowballed around it. Thanks for taking the time to explain it !

[clh]

Mike - I believe you must also have an IgG done before you can insure your foals - since we do insure all of our foals an IgG is done at 24 hours old.

[KamiBrooks]

My vet checked my foal w/in 48hrs of birth. I can't remember how much, but had to be $20 or less or the number would have stuck in my head. I plan on doing all foals as a precaution.

[mikec]

Well ; learning as we go so this is all good. Frankly I watched this new vet examine our 2 new foals & the 1st. thought that went through my mind was that our 1st. foal last year never got checked out nearly as completely as did these two so I'm impressed. Insurance...yikes now that's a whole other issue isn't it !?!

[clh]

Oh yeh, insurance is a whole other issue. I know there was a thread on here about insurance recently. We do insure our foals and mares. They are an investment and once I have a live standing foal I pay the stud fee so if anything happens to that baby then I'm out the stud fee and the foal. So for us, the cost of insurance is worth it. I have only pro-foal insured one foal and that was because she was purchased pregnant so we didn't have a LFSN guarantee on that one. Unfortunately we have had to collect on our insurance policy so we were glad to have it!

Cheryl

[mikec]

Actually your timing is good on this one 'cause I was wondering how folks handled what seems to me the most outrageous yet necessary of expenses and was going to ask the stupid question anyway. Both our mares are insured ( Mort. & Maj Med. ). Our yearling was a pro foal deal 'cause the mare was pregnant when we bought her as is our recent During baby for the same reason. Since then we've renewed the ins. on our yearling but haven't done anything with our Louis Quatorze colt as yet. I guess at some point unless you're independently wealthy the cost of insurance for every foal becomes impossible but I'm curious what other's do and welcome input.

[clh]

Mikc - I am sure different folks do different things - it is whatever you are most comfortable with. Like I said, we do insure our foals and mares however these are adjusted every year as they come up for renewal, based on mare's production, age and value as a broodmare (has she paid for herself on her offspring, etc...), foals we insure and once they sell we generally get a refund on the yearly policy - so make sure if you sell them you call your agent so they can take them off your policy.

Good luck.

[KamiBrooks]

One thing to look at when considering insurance is are breeding as a business or a hobby. Insurances costs definitely suck.

As a hobby, I'd see is as a negotiable expense to protect me from unplanned vet bills. Vet care can be negotiable because I'm comitted to my horses even for their retirement. If the worst happened, it's heart breaking, but not going to impact 'planned' (hoped for) income or programs.

But as a business, since the whole venture is to produce income (of some sort) and I hope to be working on multi-generational breeding program, it makes sense to simply find the best deal you can get and pay the expense the same as owner's fees, vets, etc, etc.

Injuries need to be treated with the goal of returning them to full earning/producing potential (both to prove breeding theories and earn money for the business). So the level of vet care is much less negotiable.

Each horse has a 'planned' role in my program and their loss would impact plans going out for 3+ years. A lost broodmare might be somewhat replace-able if she's commonly bred, but what if it took you 2 years to find the first one? A lost weanling is a 1yr set back, a lost yearling is a 2yr set back. When they don't race, it impacts their dams as well. The pitance that you might get from insurance would at least give a start at either finding a replacement race candidate or new broodmare.

I'm self employed and can't earn money unless I'm healthy... So I pay my own (human) health insurance out of pocket. I hate the entire medical profession and will never see them unless there is squirting blood involved. But I pay it because even a brief stay in a hospital could cost me so much that my farm would be at risk. Since I can't guarantee that I'll never have to resort to that (corrupt) system, I keep a policy going as protection of my farm.

Kami

[mikec]

Kami - you and I are so on the same page regarding the entire medical profession. I still remember the look on the Dr.'s face when he checked me into the hospital before telling me and I checked myself out 30 seconds later...priceless... and I'm still very healthy to tell about it which I may not have been had I stayed.
We are breeding as a business with long term goals identical to yours so your response struck a particular chord with me. Thanks for your input as well as to the others.

[Intrinsic Worth]

IgG tests are the most accurate after the foal is at least 12 hours old.