Study Confirms Effectiveness Of The “Squeeze Technique”

missed the signaling to make the transition from unconsciousness in the womb to full wakefulness. Madigans team found that foals with NMS have high levels of the sedative neurosteroid compounds in their bloodstreams.
Shortly after presenting these initial findings at professional meetings and in veterinary journals Madigans research group requested information via a survey sent to veterinarians veterinary technicians and farm managers around the world treating foals with NMS.
Participants were provided with instructions on how to perform the squeeze and asked to complete surveys documenting their experiences using it with NMS foals during 2015 and the first few months of 2016. Participants reported whether they had tried the squeeze technique and how quickly the foals recovered. For foals who did not undergo the squeeze procedure participants described the medical treatments utilized and how quickly the foals responded.
Overall information was collected on 195 foals who exhibited abnormal behavior immediately after birth. Of these foals 87 underwent the compression procedure and 108 did not. All foals in the latter group received some type of medical treatment such as tube feedings intravenous fluids or plasma administration. Only about half of the foals receiving squeeze treatment were given some type of medical therapy prior to the procedure and another 20 percent received treatment afterward.
While the recovery rates were roughly the sameabout 80 percentwhether foals received the squeeze technique or not the data showed squeezed foals recovered much faster than did foals receiving only medical treatment. Specifically squeezed foals were 15 times more likely to recover in less than an hour than were the other foals. Whats more foals receiving only the squeeze treatment with no medical intervention were 17 5 times more likely to recover within the first 24 hours than were foals treated only with medication.
By accelerating recovery the squeeze technique reduces the need
for prolonged stressful and expensive medical care for NMS foals the researchers note. Further they say the option of euthanasia due to financial constraints lack of personnel or resources to provide adequate nursing and intensive care andor perception of poor prognosis due to severity of signs can potentially be avoided.