How the NCN Works

The National Colostrum Network (NCN) receives all of its funding for the services it provides via a grant from the Minnesota Racing Commission. Horse breeders who find themselves in need of colostrum for a newborn foal contact the NCN paging system, and are then transferred into a voice mail system. Once they leave a message, the NCN volunteer who is on-call will immediately be paged with the caller’s request. The NCN volunteer will evaluate the caller’s request, generate an appropriate list of colostrum donors for the caller, and then phone the caller back to supply them with the names and numbers of these colostrum donors.

The National Colostrum Network volunteers are trained veterinary students at the University of Minnesota-College of Veterinary Medicine. These volunteers carry the NCN pager twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. During the active foaling season (January to June), the SCAAEP members volunteer to take the pager for a week at a time. During the less active months (June to December), the pager is carried by the NCN Co-coordinators.

When the National Colostrum Network returns a call, several things can be expected to happen. First of all, the NCN volunteer will introduce who they are and verify that they have reached the correct personnel. The volunteer will then proceed to provide the names and phone numbers of selected colostrum donors to the individual in need. Attempts will be made to supply the names of donors who reside within the same state as the individual who made the request. All breeders requesting colostrum will be informed that neither the quality nor quantity of colostrum from any of the colostrum donors is guaranteed by the NCN. (Utilizing colostrum from NCN donors is at the risk of the individual who is in need of the colostrum). The NCN volunteer will also explain that they cannot guarantee the colostrum being donated is free of antibodies to the recipient foal’s blood.

Once the logistics of the call have been completed, the NCN volunteer will need to obtain the full name and mailing address of the individual who utilized the services of the Network. The following day, the NCN volunteer will then mail the caller a set of informational pamphlets, as well as a survey asking what the caller’s experience was like utilizing the National Colostrum Network.

Some callers to the National Colostrum Network are only seeking information. For these callers we offer to send out our set of informational pamphlets or loan them a copy of our foaling video. The video is shipped to the caller with the understanding that it will be shipped back at their cost. We also encourage callers to consult their local equine veterinarian to address any medical problems with their horses. It is essential (for liability reasons) that callers understand this, for the NCN volunteers are not yet veterinarians!

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The National Colostrum Network was founded at the

University of Minnesota-College of Veterinary Medicine.