Premature colt survives red bag delivery, sepsis after 29 days in UC Davis NICU

A colt born about 3 weeks premature after a red bag delivery spent 29 days in the Lucy G. Whittier Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the University of California, Davis, (UC Davis) William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. In a red bag delivery, the placenta separates from the uterus prematurely and cuts off the foal’s oxygen supply.

Clinicians treated the colt, named Banks, for sepsis, incomplete bone development, and the effects of oxygen deprivation, according to the school’s October 2026 Case of the Month report.

As a precaution, owner Dave Aguilar had arranged for his mare, Sierra, to foal at his primary veterinarian’s clinic. Sierra had delivered several healthy foals in earlier years, usually after similar gestation lengths. This time, Banks arrived early.

Sierra’s primary veterinarian recognized the red bag delivery during foaling and delivered the colt. He stayed abnormally quiet and could not stand or nurse, so she referred him to UC Davis immediately.

According to UC Davis, Aguilar hauled Sierra by trailer and carried Banks in the back seat of his truck, held by Aguilar’s son, on a drive of nearly 3 hours. The foal reached the hospital within 5 hours of birth.

Prematurity and sepsis identified at admission

Hillary Bunay, DVM, a large animal resident, and Emily Berryhill, DVM, DACVIM, admitted Banks. He was small, with a silky coat and curled ears consistent with prematurity. Radiographs of his carpi and tarsi showed incomplete mineralization, and he had signs of sepsis, according to UC Davis.

His treatment included intravenous (IV) antibiotics, IV plasma for antibody support, tube feeding, and oxygen supplementation. UC Davis said clinicians tracked his neurologic, renal, and gastrointestinal function, since all three can be impaired after oxygen deprivation. They also monitored his breathing closely, because premature foals may not fully inflate their lungs and their respiratory muscles tire quickly.

Student volunteers from the UC Davis Foal Team stayed with Banks around the clock, alongside technicians and veterinarians. Part of their job was to keep him from standing before his bones could bear weight.

Pan feeding, physical therapy, and bone recovery

Banks remained critical for several days before improving, the UC Davis report noted. He moved from tube feeding to drinking from a pan, regained normal organ function, and went through physical therapy designed to strengthen bone and soft tissue gradually. Follow-up radiographs taken nearly a month later showed good bone formation, according to UC Davis.

Sierra stayed in an adjoining stall in the NICU’s dual mare-and-foal housing and allowed staff to milk her regularly.

The care team also included other large animal medicine residents and board-certified internists.

“Seeing the change from a foal barely able to lift his head and unable to stand to a bouncing, bucking, and nursing baby brings everyone so much joy,” Berryhill, who is chief of service at the school, said in the UC Davis report.

Owner plans to keep Banks for barrel racing

Banks is now an active 6-month-old colt, UC Davis reported. Aguilar runs a small breeding operation that has produced about a dozen foals in 15 years. He plans to keep Banks and eventually train him for barrel racing. The colt’s sire line includes The Goodbye Lane, a sire of more than $20 million in earners, and Dash Ta Fame, which UC Davis describes as the all-time leading sire of barrel racing horses.

“There was never a thought to selling him after what we’ve been through,” Aguilar said. “There’s just no way we’re letting him go.”

Reference

Warren R. Premature foal spends month in UC Davis NICU. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. October 19, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/premature-foal-spends-month-uc-davis-nicu