Oh my goodness. What a nightmare. :(
I would watch every single move these horses make. Such a high risk for colic and founder. Please, please research founder and colic, the signs, the risk and treatment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminitis http://www.acreageequines.com/HorseCare/horsecare5a.htm http://www.recoveryeq.com/laminitis_founder.htm http://www.equinepodiatrycenter.com/...tml#canmyhorse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_colic
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A list of symptoms generally associated with colic:
1. The horse is reluctant (anorexia) or refuses to eat;
2. The horse may look at their sides, or turn and nip at their sides;
3. The horse may kick at their abdomen with their back legs, paw with their forelegs, or stomp their feet;
4. The horse appears to be stretching out abnormally when defecating or is straining to pass a bowel movement;
5. The horse lies down and begins rolling and thrashing violently;
6. The horse is excessively sweaty after light exercise;
7. The horse shows excessive lip curling (Flehmen response);
8. The horse has cool extremities (e.g lips might feel cool to the touch on inside of the mouth);
9. Lack of bowel movements, as evidenced by the small number of manure piles (however, bowel movement is evident in some more severe cases);
10. Along with these other symptoms the horse's pulse (greater than 52 beats per minute) and respiratory rate may increase
(NOTE:
the horse's temperature usually shouldn't increase with colic. If a horse is experiencing abdominal pain and also has a fever, seek a veterinarian's help immediately, as this is often an indication of an infection and may also be an indication of peritonitis)."
"When to call the vet
If the horse refuses to get up, is colicking violently, is sweating profusely, shows no signs of improvement within twenty to thirty minutes, or you have reason to believe the colic is serious, call the veterinarian immediately. However, in the early stages of colic a possibly fatal case is not easily distinguished from a mild one.
Sometimes a mare may colic after delivering a foal. This may be normal if only mild and for no longer than 20 minutes but call a veterinarian if the colic is prolonged or appears to be severe."
Quoted from wikipedia.org, - Horse Colic
http://www.horsevet.co.uk/colic.php http://www.equusite.com/articles/hea...licFacts.shtml [/url]
Hopefully this helped.
