More Reflections on Twin Arabian Foals

The beginning of the twins story starts here


As the Arabian twin foals (horses) stall rest went on, the mare (horse) had the staples removed from her nose. Vee (the Arabian horse) wasn't happy about having her nose fussed with again but after all the staples were out, the horse spent a lot of time wrinkling up her nose like she was testing to see it still worked the same way or maybe appreciating that it was now more flexible. The horse was pretty comedic for almost an hour. Wish I had taken pictures.

Life with the twins (Arabian horses) settled into a quieter routine once the mare's treatments were finished. I still monitored them daily for temperature, weight and their behavior watching for any signs of problems.

Both twins (Arabian horses) came down with a fungus infection. It spread rapidly to the horses' faces and behind their ears. From there it passed to the mare. None of the Arabian horses liked the treatments much and we tried everything trying to get a handle on the outbreak. I don't know how many things we actually tried before we finally got it under control. In the meantime, I started them on herbs to help boost their immune systems since it was obvious that the twin horses were still in a highly susceptible stage.

The mare seemed to be doing fine. I had been able to get her weight up to normal in about a month after the birth of the twins (Arabian horses). The horse was getting a 16% mare and foal feed twice a day with lots of stabilized rice bran and hay in front of her all of the time. She was pretty much an eating machine. To keep up her milk production to feed two foals, the mare ate around the clock. The only time the horse wasn't eating was when she was sleeping.

Her fluid intake was monitored as well to be sure she was drinking enough water to produce the required amount of milk. At the first signs of growth spurts in the twins (Arabian horses) I would up the mare's salt intake so she would increase her fluid intake to accommodate the twins increased needs.

Everything was going along pretty well until one late night check. I found the mare with too much food in front of her. It was obvious the mare was not eating. I checked for gut sounds and found none in 2 of the 4 quadrants. I can remember my mind racing to what might be next. Sometimes it just seemed like the twins (Arabian horses) were jinxed.

I called the vet, it was just before midnight. I told him the mare was colicing. I remember his response, "What mare?"
I told him, "The twins mom!"
His response, "Oh my God, I'll be right there."

I think he set a record in getting to my house. I knew he was thinking the same things I was. With all these horses had gone through, we couldn't lose them now. Anything jeopardizing the mare was a definite threat to the health and welfare of these miracle foals.

Jack checked over the mare while I tried to keep the twins (Arabian horses) out of his way. Dave was working nights and Lindsay was gone so there wasn't anyone else around to help. Trying to tube the mare while keeping the twins out of the way was going to be a trip.

I tried to tell Jack that he wasn't going to be able to keep a straight face while he treated the mare. I think he thought I was off my rocker. But as he was trying to put the tube down the mare's nose, Trouble was trying to pull it back out and Surprise was playing with the pump in the bucket of water and oil. I had been delegated to holding the mare still so he could get the tube in properly.

The vet finally did manage to get the tube in the right place despite the assistance of the twins and he began to pump the water and oil into the mare. The twins (Arabian horses) took advantage of the vet being busy to harass him all the more. Trouble pulled his shirttails out and licked him on his back, while Surprise untied his shoes and tried to force herself between his legs, scratching her fungus on the inside seams of his jeans. That was just the beginning. The twins (Arabian horses) raced around the back end of the mare ducking underneath her belly and nearly knocked her down. The twosome (Arabian horses) kicked at Jack, they kicked at mom and they kicked at me while continuing to weave in and out amongst us at the fastest pace possible doing roll backs and stealing pieces of equipment. Jack definitely found out what I'd meant by not being able to keep a straight face working in the twins (Arabian horses) stall. Somehow we managed to get the mare treated for her colic.

An Update