Orphaned foals and depression

Question
Hello. I was wondering, with a 2 week old orphan foal, do they go thru a depression type behavior? Or are we putting human emotions on the horse? If the foal is being fed properly, has been given another orphan to be raised with (but no nursemare) can the foal be expected to withdrawl and act depressed from an emotional standpoint, or would that be caused from nutritional needs not being met?  Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Jan,

You ask some interesting questions, and I don't know if I have all the answers.  But I can share with you what I know from having raised my orphan. My horse had no bonding time with her mom at all so I don't think she even knew what was going on.  From the very beginning, I imprinted her and spent the entire first week of her life in the stall with her so I don't think she understood that she'd lost her mom.  I never noticed any withdrawl or depressive activities.  If you have an orphan foal who's experiencing any drop in appetite or any lethargic attitude, I'd have the vet check him/her out just to make sure nothing's wrong.  Where foals are concerned, when in doubt, call the vet.  Babies can decline really rapidly if they're not treated right away when there's a problem.

I hope this helps.  Don't hesitate to write back if you have any other question.

--Susan