Another vet visit for Robin

[doodle]

Same symptoms as Thursday. So vet came back. However 15mins before vet arrived Robin decided he was absolutely fine and please could he go out now. Playing with my hat, mask and zips. Was about to cancel vet when he turned up. Robin helpfully decided this made him unhappy again! Full check over and couldn’t find much wrong. Guts a little fast but not hugely so. Looked at the video of how he had been 30mins before. Trotted up (up and down the isle as the yard sheet ice) and fine. Heart fine, lungs fine (he had coughed a few times). Wondered about a rectal but enough poo so unlikely to be a compaction and sedation would slow down the gut and if gut a bit sensitive probably not worth doing.

Much head scratching. Pain somewhere? But where. So he has had another iv painkillers and see how he goes. He is booked in on Thursday for a re scope and they could maybe do ultrasound abdomen, bloods etc. However with no let up in this freezing weather I’m not sure I will be able to get him there. Yard is sheet ice but the difficult bit I the road up
To yard. It is steep, narrow and she ice. I am going up and down in 4wd in 1st gear. I really don’t want to do it with trailer.

My next guess is the peptizole dosnt last the 24hrs between doses. By morning he is feeling acidy, the first thing I do when I get there is give him the peptizole. Maybe by an hour later it is working and the acid is reducing and so he feels better. His stomach has been bothering him quite a while and perhaps he is hugely over sensitive to it all and the least things makes him feel awful.

 

[SpotsandBays]

Sounds like a tricky one! Fingers crossed you can figure out what’s going on with him. You sound like a really attentive owner ?

 

[doodle]

This was waiting for the vet.

 

[SpotsandBays]

He’s not a happy boy there is he!

 

[jumbyjack]

Oh poor boy, not happy at all, I hope you can get to the bottom of this. Can he be scoped on the yard?

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

K ..I’m a numpty...we have a horse on our yard who on Christmas Day stopped eating..had high temp and was checked for colic. Stomach was full but no impaction felt. Horse has been up and down since then and vet thinks it’s a virus....could Robin be affected by a virus?

 

[doodle]

Possibly. I really don’t know. He would go from that video to perfectly bright when stimulated. But it’s when he stands like that that worries me. Normally he would be fussing to go out. I showed vet that video and he dosnt know what is going on, he checked him really carefully. I will see if vet can bring the scope to him, I didn’t think about that.

 

[HobleytheTB]

It'll be really interesting to see where he's at after the scoping. My vets were happy to scope at the yard, I think it just cost a bit more for the call out obviously, and they also send both a vet and a vet nurse. For me it was worth it as my mare gets a bit stressed travelling which is counter productive for the ulcers! We also went through several different combinations of medications before we finally scoped clear, so don't be disheartened if the ulcers aren't totally gone yet.

 

[doodle]

Will def ring and see if he can come out to do it, thanks. I guess it’s just easier for vets at the surgery. Normally robin is perfectly happy travelling so not an issue but I am happy to pay the call out.

 

[scats]

I had a pony who showed strange colic symptoms on and off back in 2007. He’d colic, them be fine... this went on for a week. Vet came several times and temp and heart rate was always fine and rectal never showed anything. He appeared to poo normally.

After 7 days, I was still unhappy and sent him in for a scan. His intestines were shoved high in his rib cage and they could see a mass. He continued to colic but by now it was getting more severe, though heart rate never wavered. So we sent him for surgery- as we had not many options left. Turned out he had a cecal impaction which has been slowly filling, but obviously due to the location of Cecum and how it works, it could fill and the rest of the intestines appeared to be working normally (hence poo etc). By the time he was opened up, it was starting to spill out of his Cecum it was that impacted.

I’m always wary of colic now, even if vitals seem ok and horse is pooing.
I would definitely push to get this investigated pronto x

 

[SusieT]

Can he be/is he turned out and warm water made available? Simple things- but cold weather, lack of turnout can be a big factor in colics at this time of year.

 

[racebuddy]

Poor robin xxx they are are such a worry xxx how is he tonight xxx

 

[doodle]

That’s scarey scats. His heart rate, temp, breathing normal.

He is turned out in the day but for shorter a time than normal due to it all being frozen. I can’t really increase it. I have seen him drinking from the frozen water trough and vet on Thursday said it could be that has sort of shocked his stomach and ulcers. His water in stable dosnt freeze, he has drunk less last night.

He seemed happier tonight and actually let me give him a quick groom and he carried on eating hay. He hasn’t done that for a while. He looks shiney and healthy but I really don’t like the way he stands with head down that way.

I worry though if I speak to vet again (the vet treating his ulcers not back till Monday) they will think I’m being a pain as vet couldn’t find an issue this morning.

 

[SusieT]

Can you make it longer? that may well be whats triggering it? Put hay out with him? put warm water out in field with him twice daily?

 

[scats]

That’s scarey scats. His heart rate, temp, breathing normal.

Up until the time, I’d always thought that if a horse was pooing, and their breathing, heart rate etc were normal, then there wasn’t too much to worry about, but it turns out that the situation can be absolutely dire. Jack was a very stoic chap, the hospital told me that most horses in the situation he was in would have been throwing themselves at the walls, yet he was still eating inbetween colic bouts and appeared ‘normal’. I have been absolutely terrified of colic ever since and I ring the vet at the first sign as a result.
I would also not hesitate to send a horse in for a scan ASAP to find out what’s going on, rather than monitor it.

Hope he starts to improve, but do consider getting him into a hospital if it continues. Better safe than sorry x

 

[racebuddy]

Morning hope hes been ok overnight xx

 

[doodle]

Scats my huge worry is I can’t get him to hospital. The road to the yard is not something to be done with a trailer right now.

 

[racebuddy]

Scats my huge worry is I can’t get him to hospital. The road to the yard is not something to be done with a trailer right now.

Scats my huge worry is I can’t get him to hospital. The road to the yard is not something to be done with a trailer right now.

Scats my huge worry is I can’t get him to hospital. The road to the yard is not something to be done with a trailer right now.

oh know , really feel for you , how is he this morning ? , mine was severly sick with abdominal pain and not wanting to be touched anywere near flanks , would pin you to even rug up which is very out of character for him , would eat his feed and grass but wouldnt touch hay at all , he was refered and was found to have ulcers that were hidden but not severe and he he did not respond to any treatment for this , he was reworked up again and was found to have bleeding into his abdomen and sevvere gastro inflammtion throughout ,he hid everything , just showed you a small amount ,m vets said should have been on the floor , how is he this am xx

 

[doodle]

He is perfectly happy this morning! Such a roller coaster.

 

[MereChristmas]

Hope the good news continues.

 

[racebuddy]

Hope hes being good xxx