By DON PLANT The Daily Courier

A veterinarian who examined two horses seized by the SPCA says they are being kept on a starvation diet and should be returned to their owners

Sheila McDonald, a horse specialist and Kelowna vet for 21 years, was allowed to assess the condition of a 25-year-old mare and her two-monthold foal at an undisclosed location last week. The Kelowna SPCA took the animals into custody on Sept. 10, when another vet determined the mare was suffering a serious foot inflammation called laminitis

"This horse was wrongfully seized, and the horses should be returned to their owners," McDonald said

McDonald contradicts the original vet's diagnosis, saying an X-ray taken Sept. 22 reveals the mare has ringbone arthritis ­ a condition easily treated ­ in her left front leg, and does not have laminitis. She estimates the mare weighs about 915 pounds, about 50 to 60 pounds less than when she was seized

"She's being fed a starvation diet while she's trying to feed her foal. She's at peak lactation right now," McDonald said. "She's not being fed enough to maintain herself, much less feed a foal." The horses were being kept in a small corral with sharp branches sticking out of the ground, McDonald said. Pieces of metal were on the ground and no salt block was in the vicinity

"I am surprised that this foal has not received a skin or eye injury from the rose thorns," she said

"The current corral is too hazardous for any horse, but especially for a young foal." Brad Kuich, the SPCA cruelty investigator who ordered the horses' removal from their pasture on Scotty Creek Road, said staff are addressing McDonald's concerns about the corral

He denies the horses are being fed a starvation diet. "We're going on the recommendations of our vet, which are being closely monitored. The vet is ensuring this animal is not in pain and they're not starving," he said

The mare was limping and "in a lot of pain" when the first vet examined her, Kuich said

He asked the owners, Idella and Frank Schwab, to attend, but neither of them showed up, he said. On the vet's advice and without a warrant, Kuich took the mare and colt off the property for treatment. "I (made the order) under the critical-distress protocol of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act," he said. "This animal was in critical distress. If it didn't get help, its condition would worsen, and the animal could possibly die." The seizure polarized the neighbourhood and spurred hostile phone calls to the SPCA. Residents collected names on a petition condemning the horses' removal

Maryann Gill, who complained to the SPCA about the horses' condition, says the dispute isn't about the animals anymore

"Why are we slamming the SPCA and the neighbours? Why not get together as a community and fix the problem?" she said. "It isn't about taking ownership from these people. If you can fix the problem, keep the horses." The SPCA planned to investigate the condition of two studs living on the same pasture. The Schwabs have shipped them to Alberta, which they planned to do in the first place

"We hurried it up because the SPCA said they were considering taking the other horses," Idella Schwab, 73, said. "(McDonald's report) is kind of a relief, but at the same time I'm very angry with the SPCA." The SPCA won't decide whether to dispose of the animals until the dispute is resolved. Meanwhile, it is considering asking another veterinarian to assess the mare's condition. "It may come down to a third opinion," Kuich said. "Unfortunately, the situation is digging in. We're holding our ground. I'm still comfortable we did the right thing."