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Colic? Emergency! Help!

3K views 32 replies 11 participants last post by  natisha 
#1 ·
There's a filly at my barn who I think has something like Colic.. She was down last night, but got up and acted OK. (OK as in, not dead.)
. I noticed that she was walking REALLY weirdly. She was woozy and looked drunk. Right as I was climbing over the gate to leave, another mare in the pasture (the boss), chases her and the filly falls and doesn't bother to get up. I tried to call & text her owners, no luck with that, so I just sat with her, holding her head in my lap, not really knowing what to do. My dad and I tried to get her to stand up, no luck. Owners were still not picking up, and we're not supposed to call the vet without owners permission, even though we really wanted to. Plus the owners already knew something was wrong and supposedly had the vet out last night (my dad might have just told me that to comfort me, though.)
I have absolutely no idea what it is. Does colic make horses woozy and drunk-like? Or is it another kind of disease that might spread to my horses?!?! I'm so worried about the filly - I honestly think she's dying and I'm p*ssed off at the owners that they are not around to get a vet or something. I jstu don't know what to do!!!!!!!!!!!
Please give me some advice. I'm 14, and there's not much I can do for a dying yearling filly!!! :'(
 
#3 ·
It's her horse. And it's more of a farm than a barn, I guess. I can't get ahold of her!!! I'm freaking out! The filly is still down, I went to check on her again (we only live 5 miles from them & I can drive down there myself). I called the owners house a bunch of times and no answer!!! and I even called her cell! It's only been about 2 hours though. Hopefully she'll come soon!! :( poor baby!
 
#5 ·
I'm not a vet but I would try and get that horse up with any means at your disposal and then keep her walking until help arrives. If the horse passes manure I believe it's a good sign.

EDIT: If nothing else works, dumping a bucket of water on her MIGHT get her up. It's not an ideal thing to do but if it's life or death..
 
#18 ·
Aside from the legal aspect of calling a vet for a horse that is not your own - there are other considerations.

It's the opinion of a 14 year old that the horse is going to die (no offense).
If another vet did come out previously, the newly called vet's advise could well go against the firsts, as she is not the owner of the horse and only knows what she is seeing, and not any history, meds, etc.

Cowgirls boots, she has been trying to contact the owner of the horse, not the barn owner.
 
#20 ·
I would be at least calling a vet and asking for some advice if you cannot get a hold of the owner. It depends on how friendly you are with the owner. I have given permission for anyone at my stables to call a vet for my horse, if it is crippled lame or looking very unwell. But in saying that, the girls all know what kind of situation would need veterinary assistance, and what might just be a bit of a sprain or an abscess brewing.

A horse that is struggling to get to its feet and visibly very unwell, if it were my horse and someone called the vet I would be incredibly grateful. But I guess you guys seems to be a lot more 'sue happy' than us!
 
#21 ·
The barn owner and the horse owner are the same person. Alex S makes a good point. The vet that has already seen her may be doing something to treat her that another vet my hinder with a different treatment.
 
#22 ·
Thanks guys. She's still down, but I got ahold of owners. They were out of town are here now, they called that vet and he is on his way and hopefully filly will pull through. Prayers please. She's such a sweet filly and is/was a barrel prospect. :-(
 
#23 ·
Good news, glad that you were able to get hold of the owner.
Maybe you could start a policy at your barn where everyone has a list of multiple contact information for each other in case of an emergency.

Please let us know how she is doing. Sending jingles for her.
 
#24 ·
Legally a vet can't treat an animal owned by someone else unless they have permission from the owner or the owners agent who is a legal adult and has premission from theowner. Not only can this girl be sued if she even messes with the horse, the vet can be sued for treating the horse.
I can understand how this 14 year old feels, but it seems that her dad, who was there at one point, is no longer helping and certainly not trying to get any help.
Whenever I leave town, I have a vet who knows who will be looking after my animals and the person who is looking after the animals has my written permission to seek medical help if needed. I also leave phone numbers for contact . I would be furious if someone else decided my animal was dying and called a vet for help.
My neighbors were out of town, the people who were watching the dog let her out, she proceeded to get hit. Her back was broken. I called the owner, took the dog to the vet as she requested and she was able to give the vet permission to put the dog down. I stayed with the dog while this was being done. The vet would not do anything without the owners consent to him over the phone. The person with the authority to watch the dog had left for the day, with their kids who had let the dog out. Without the owner giving permission, legally the dog could not have treatment.
She needs to keep trying to contact the owner and tell them what is going on. She is a minor and has no say in this horses medical treatment, nor can her parents...
Hopefully it is not as bad as it sounds and the owner gets home soon.
 
#25 ·
Legally a vet can't treat an animal owned by someone else unless they have permission from the owner or the owners agent who is a legal adult and has premission from theowner. Not only can this girl be sued if she even messes with the horse, the vet can be sued for treating the horse.
I can understand how this 14 year old feels, but it seems that her dad, who was there at one point, is no longer helping and certainly not trying to get any help.
Whenever I leave town, I have a vet who knows who will be looking after my animals and the person who is looking after the animals has my written permission to seek medical help if needed. I also leave phone numbers for contact . I would be furious if someone else decided my animal was dying and called a vet for help.
My neighbors were out of town, the people who were watching the dog let her out, she proceeded to get hit. Her back was broken. I called the owner, took the dog to the vet as she requested and she was able to give the vet permission to put the dog down. I stayed with the dog while this was being done. The vet would not do anything without the owners consent to him over the phone. The person with the authority to watch the dog had left for the day, with their kids who had let the dog out. Without the owner giving permission, legally the dog could not have treatment.
She needs to keep trying to contact the owner and tell them what is going on. She is a minor and has no say in this horses medical treatment, nor can her parents...
Hopefully it is not as bad as it sounds and the owner gets home soon.
My dad is the one who called everybody. He told me that we couldn't do anything about it, that we couldn't call a vet anyway. He thought it was colic, and that there's not much we could do about it, and he was right. Turns out, it was colic. It sounds like she's going to be put down, not for sure yet though. I've been texting the owner, and it doesn't look good. :(
 
#27 ·
Vet says that it was Pelvis Impaction Colic??? I don't know anything about it except that she needs surgery :(. hoping she'll be okay. Considering this was my first encounter with colic in all my 9 horsey years, I'd say I've been really lucky, if I do say so myself ;). Gotta look on the bright side.
Even though it's been driving me crazy all day, I have contained myself enough to only text the owner twice for an update :-|.
By the way, I hate being considered a dramatic teenager, because I try my hardest not to be one---which is hard when it's something as important to me as horses (even if they're not mine. :P ) but looking back I do kinda look like a drama queen. *palm to face*
thanks for the help everyone! You have really helped me! Hopefully pal will be alright. *fingers crossed*
 
#28 ·
Vet says that it was Pelvis Impaction Colic??? I don't know anything about it except that she needs surgery :(. hoping she'll be okay. Considering this was my first encounter with colic in all my 9 horsey years, I'd say I've been really lucky, if I do say so myself ;). Gotta look on the bright side.
Even though it's been driving me crazy all day, I have contained myself enough to only text the owner twice for an update :-|.
By the way, I hate being considered a dramatic teenager, because I try my hardest not to be one---which is hard when it's something as important to me as horses (even if they're not mine. :P ) but looking back I do kinda look like a drama queen. *palm to face*
thanks for the help everyone! You have really helped me! Hopefully pal will be alright. *fingers crossed*
I would love to have drama queen teenager like you looking after my horses if I wasn't here. Oh & I'd give you a permission slip to make any vet call you deemed fit. Nice job.
 
#29 ·
Are they going to go ahead with the surgery? I am sending good vibes and jingles your way for the girl! I know how stressful colic can be. If you go to the barn, remember to stay calm. Stress can make colic worse, so don't let the horse know that you're worried.

My heart goes out to everyone involved.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#31 ·
I don't know the exact circumstances yet, but unfortunately Pally had to be euthanized this afternoon. All I know is that they couldn't afford surgery. (It was a VERY expensive surgery, apparently) and I guess it wasn't for sure that she would be OK afterward because she is so young & not that big, so they just chose to euthanize. Her best friend/sister is very very devastated :(. RIP Pally. She was a sweet filly and will definitely be missed!!
 
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