A foal with adequate IgG levels rules out which condition?

• A. Failure of passive transfer
• B. Septicemia
• C. Both FPT and septicemia
• D. Neither

Answer: (A)

In foals, receiving enough immunoglobulin G from the mare’s colostrum is what prevents failure of passive transfer. If the foal has adequate IgG levels, you can rule out failure of passive transfer because that condition is defined by low IgG after birth. However, septicemia is a bacterial infection that can occur even when IgG is normal, so an adequate IgG level does not rule out septicemia. The key takeaway is that adequate IgG eliminates FPT, but it does not exclude infection like septicemia.