Ninety eight Thoroughbred foals underwent physical (196 joint groups) and radiologic (196 carpi and other joints with clinical ALD) evaluation after birth in order to determine presence and origin of angular limb deformities (ALD). Thirty days later 57 foals were reevaluated. At the physical examination performed at age 1 to 5 days ALD were observed on 94 (48.0%) carpal joints, 12 (6.1%) forelimb fetlocks, 10 (5.1%) tarsal joints and 2 (1.0%) hindlimb fetlocks showing that ALD are a common finding in neonatal foals, specially Carpus valgus. From 196 evaluated carpal joints 52.0% had straight limbs, 28.1% slight valgus deformity and 19.9% moderate valgus. The geometric evaluation of the radiographs showed that 53.1% of carpal joints had angles <=5º, 44.4% between > 5 and 10º and 2.5% > 10º. A reduction of ALD was observed at 30 days: 68.5% of the carpus were straight, 24.6% had slight deviation and 7.0% moderate deformities. At X-Ray evaluation 67.5% of the carpal joints had angles <=5º, 31.6% between > 5 and 10º and 0.9% > 10º. The spontaneous improvement of the ALD was significant on the clinical and radiologic evaluation (p< 0.05).
foals; angular limb deformities; carpus valgus
