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Treatment

There is no cure for this condition. If you can cure the foal of one infection, any number of other bacteria, viruses, and other infectious organisms can still infect the foal since it has no antigen-specific immune system to protect it. Affected foals usually die around or before five months of age.  Euthanasia is recommended.

Living and Management

Before breeding your Arabian mare or allowing your Arabian stallion to service a mare, be sure to test your horse for severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome in case it is a carrier. This is of the utmost importance, as this disease is fatal in foals.