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Colic!! Advice needed! sorry LONG!

4K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  natisha 
#1 ·
saturday night i got a call from my barn that my mare dina was down and colicking (thrashing, kicking, trying to roll, the whole nine yards) and i needed to get out there as soon as possible. since my mare is an hour away from me i immediatly dashed out of work and ran home to get my first aid kit and race to the barn. by the time i got there she was quieter but still pinched in her flanks, bloated, touchy in her stomach, and generally uncomfortable but her respiration, heart rate temp, and capiliary refill were normal for her and she wasn't showing dehydration either so we gave her water and walked her for a couple hours and eventually she pooped and seemed to relax so we gave her a bit of alfalfa pellets and beet pulp soaked with half a cup of oil. she ate fine and pooped 3 more times before 8am sunday.

sunday we put her out on a pasture with water and low grass content so she could get a bit of grass but not gorge herself. she was fine all day, grazing and pooping but not drinking very much. her water buckets are all freshly scrubbed and the water is fresh but from a well and she has never been fond of well water. that night when she came inside the same thing happened, kicking, groaning, pinched flanks, bloating and most notably she was obviously dehydrated. once again i raced down the the barn from work and walked her for hours, we also gave her more VERY soupy beet pulp, alfalfa pellets and oil which she ate just fine and gave her half a tube of electrolytes and added them to her water as well as added a bucket of regular water to her stall so she had both available. she calmed down much quicker but didn't poop till after 3am and only pooped 3 times between then and 9 am yesterday. we gave her more soupy alfalfa pellets and beet pulp and oil and put her in the pasture she grazed all day and pooped 2xs came in quiet and got more alfalfa pellets and beet pulp and oil. she still isn't drinking that we can see and right now no one is out with her and we are pretty carefully monitoring her for water consumption and for poops (cleaning paddock every night and walking to check for new piles 3 times daily) she wasn't nearly as dehydrated as the previous night but she is still pinched and bloated still touchy on her tummy and still not drinking regularly or pooping regularly.

i called my vet and spoke to him he says to keep up the beet pulp oil and alfalfa pellets and to keep offering both electrolytes and non electrolyte water and monitor her condition but as long as her vitals stay in normal range and she is offering to eat there isn't a whole lot he can do.

at this point its on day 4 and she still isn't feeling well and only pooped once last night but she isn't eating/drinking nearly as much as usual either. it was recommened to me to treat for sand and see if that helps but i am worried adding psyllium right now might aggravate her tummy? also does anybody have any ideas as to getting her to drink more? has anyone else ever seen or delt with aa prolonged colic like this? im really worried about my mare any advice or suggestions are welcome!!

thank you for making it through my ramblings!
 
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#2 ·
When my OTTB had similar symptoms the vet said I need to get him drinking more too. I hung a large salt lick in his stall and he loves it. He is drinking a lot more. Also, vet recommended senior feed even though he is only 8. After his episode, we gave him smaller meals. He ate less four times a day rather than two larger portions.

Hang in there, I know its scary!:-|

ps. Does she crib? If she cribs in her stall, it can make it worse. I recommend miracle collar.
 
#3 ·
You can try flavoring the water also. Things like powder gatorade, molassis, apple juice added to one of her buckets. The thing is it is trial and error to determine what flavor she might like. Other things that might be done is to add salt to her beet pulp so she is more thirsty.
 
#4 ·
she isn't a cribber or atleast not hibitually and we haven't noticed her cribbing lately at all but as i do board anything is possible. we have had her on senior feed for years and it works great never had a colic EVER. i swear she has an iron clad stomache which is why this is so unusual and scarey!

oreo
we have used gatorade in the past.... hmm will have to pick some up on the way to the barn tonight. i didn't think about loose salt though. thanks
 
#7 ·
Yes!

And there is a ton a vet can do above and beyond what you are doing.


Vegetable oil simply digests, it does not lubricate.

Call your vet and tell them you need an emergency appointment.


I can not imagine letting my horse suffer with colic symptoms for days.
 
#6 ·
One other thing I added to my OTTBs diet is UGUARD pellets. Just a tiny scoop twice a day. Its to prevent acid in his stomach. Its like taking an antacid. He also gained weight after starting it, which was very welcome!

If she has a history of occasional cribbing, she may be getting/or have ulcers. UGUARD can help with that.
 
#8 ·
Call your vet and have him/her come out. Clearly what your vet has suggested is not working and something more serious could be going on. And yes, a vet can do something even though your horse's vitals are okay....
 
#10 ·
I am a huge worrier when it comes to colic so I would have had the vet out on day one but I do know people who treat horses first and then call the vet.

I noticed that you have been in contact with your vet and they are aware of the situation.

Have you checked for a temperature lately? Has the horse been given any type of banamine?

The reason people are adament about calling the vet at this point is because there are a few different types of colic, it also could be something completely different. One thing I would probably do is put some yogurt (the kind with the bacteria in it) in her feed dish.

Good luck to you.
 
#11 · (Edited)
my vet doesnt feel at this point that she needs to be seen but i will call our barn vet and see if i can get him out to see her today its been my feeling all along really....

yes i am aware colic is very dangerous, yogurt is a good idea though farm pony thank you. her temp was 100.2 which is 0.1 above her normal temp of 100.1 we have been monitoring vitals 5xs daily and report to the vet with each check. we didn't have banamine in the barn and i haven't been able to track any down but my vet called in a prescription to out vet supply that im picking up after work today.
 
#17 ·
my vet doesnt feel at this point that she needs to be seen but i will call our barn vet and see if i can get him out to see her today its been my feeling all along really....
At what point, exactly, does that vet feel a colicky horse needs to be seen, when it's down & needs to be PTS? I know it's hard to find a good vet when you are new to an area but please cross that one off your list.
I'm glad you've gotten her help. How did it go?
 
#13 ·
If your vet is not coming out for a colic then what exactly does your vet come out for?[/QUOTE]

Agreed! Even what is considered a "mild" colic can be serious and life threatening. I can't believe your vet wont come out after this has been going on for 4 days. That is absurd and I would not tolerate that!
 
#14 ·
We recently moved and I dont have a local vet as of yet. My vet who has treated mare for 11 yrs is 5 hrs away but I trust him more than someone I have never met before. he is a very good vet but its impractical to have him come out however he called a fellow vet down by me and she has agreed to come see my mare thos afternoon. Shes on her way now I am stuck at work but my barn manager is waiting.to hold her for me and myanager is on her way to relieve me so I can head out there
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#18 ·
so the vet that came out yesterday was very helpful and friendly. she had all my mare's records from my previous vet so she was very aware of my mares history and she said that it seems unlikely that the colic was caused by a heavy worm load but she did take some fecal samples just to be on the safe side. she also gave my mare banamine and we found she has a lot of sand in her tummy. she said that overall dina's vitals were great and when i showed her the tracking lists that were attached to her stall door with the checks we did every three to five hours for the past 4 days she said i should consider a career as a vets assistant because she had never seen someone so diligent about tracking their horse's vitals and poops even when their animal wasn't doing well. (i think she meant obsessive and not diligent but i will take what i can get :D) anyways, she said that dina was a bit louder in all 4 quadrants of her gut than was normal but nothing to send up a red flag so for now we once again monitor and continue on the alfalfa pellets and beet pulp with oil plus psyllium for sand and rinitidine for the ulcers then off to some uguard or smart gut pellets or something because im not doing this again thats for sure!! anyways i got her number and she said to call if i needed anything and that we would see results from the fecal tests in a day or two.

i am glad i called her out i was very worried about my mare.

the gatorade worked really well to get her drinking a bit though and the yogurt on her mixture was very effective in picking up her appetite. apparently its a common remedy but i had never heard of it. chalk one up for home fixes!
 
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