Colic? Is there anything we could have done?

[Haphazardhacker]

We lost a beloved member of our yard last week. She was fine in stable in morning then as owner turned her out she got to field and went down to roll. Owner didn't think much of it until she kept getting up and down. She shouted for help and by the time they got her back to stable, she was sweating profusely. This was 6.30am I was callled, threw my clothes on and was there in 5 minutes.
Vet had been called and got there ASAP, she got down and up and we encouraged her to stay up and gently walk.
Vet arrived, we got her into stable. Heart rate not too elevated, she had been passing poo all over yard, the vet could feel a possible obstruction.
She sedated then tubed her with Epsom salts and gave her pain relief. Vet was happy and left and said she will now probably go down for a rest and in a while she will be passing poo rapidly and to keep an eye on her.

About 10 minutes after vet left she was thrashing about, up and down. Breathing was so intense her whole abdomen was heaving. We called vet who said she should not be feeling pain wth the amount of pain relief she had been given she turned the car around and prepared us for the worst.

Our angel was put down moments later. She was 25 and her owner and I agreed that surgery would not be fair.

We are both heartbroken (I shared this lovely mare when I was a teenager so was extremely close to her and her owner).

Vet thinks it could have been a fatty tumour. I don’t want to bother the vet but it’s been driving me mad. Did we do something wrong? Is there anything we could have done differently?
It’s bothering me most I think that she was still passing poo, yet was clearly in extreme distress. This was nothing like other colics I have seen. I can see her face now, she was utterly terrified and knowing how much pain she was in is torturing me.

 

[Michen]

No. It happens, it happened to my beloved boy and I did put him through surgery as he was young and in otherwise perfect health. Sadly he had an unseen fracture which completed when he stood up from surgery and we lost him anyway.

His colic was so random, he had abdominal surgery four years previously for septic peritonitis but had never had colic or any issues. It just happened one day.

 

[Haphazardhacker]

Oh Michen I’m so sorry , to have lost him like that is utterly tragic.

 

[tashcat]

Absolutely nothing - it really sounds like you did everything you could, and didn't let her suffer.

If its any consolation I lost my 25 year old over a year ago now to 'colic' - we got him to hospital and he stayed the night, but made the decision the next day to put him to sleep as we couldn't tell what exactly was wrong and I knew an operation would have been purely selfish.

The vets carried out a post mortem (we didn't ask, and afterwards I hated the idea that they cut his little body up) but they rang us to tell us he had died as a result of his small intestine ripping - it had a medical name, and is quite rare but completely untreatable no matter what. In the end I was so grateful for the closure, as it plays back over repeatedly in your head and you're always asking 'what if'. The vets hadn't seen many cases like it, so we were grateful at least that the signs he showed might help another horse.

'Colic' is such a broad term - its the most upsetting experience to go through, but you'll never really know what was wrong - instead take comfort in the fact you did the absolute best for her and didn't let her suffer for long.

So sorry for your loss xo

 

[Pearlsasinger]

No there was nothing else you could have done.
The horse was very lucky that her owner was there when the pain started and that she acted so quickly to get the vet here. Horses' digestive systems are hopeless really and very prone to problems. The vet is most probably correct and a fatty tumour (lipoma) strangled the intestine somewhere along its length, The horse was probably pooing from behind the lipoma because of the great pain.
Losing a horse in an emergency situation is horrible, the shock of the situation makes matters worse but you and the owner should try to take comfort from the fact that you did everything you could for the horse, you stopped the pain as soon as possible and took the responsible decision in her best interests.

I am so sorry for your loss but it sounds as if she had a lovely life with you both. Try to think about the good times that you had together, rather than dwelling on the last hour.

 

[windand rain]

No colic is a sudden and often serious emergency older horse get fatty lumps which can wrap round the gut. Surgery is the only option but is not often successful you made the right choice for this horse

 

[scats]

So sorry to hear the news. But please don’t beat yourself up, you did nothing wrong.
It sounds similar to the elderly horse on our yard last year- in his twenties but active and had been ridden a few hours earlier. His owner was on holiday and my friend was looking after him. Vet came yet he didn’t respond to the painkillers. We tried for a while longer to save him but he was getting tired, distressed and had frankly had enough. We had to ring his owner who was in Florida to tell her we were going to have to put him to sleep. It happened so fast, he went from being absolutely fine to being very, very unwell in a matter of minutes.

 

[Ruby's Mum]

Nothing else you could have done, we lost our beloved mare last year the same way, completely out of the blue and it drove us mad with what ifs. Very sad situation.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

Absolutely you all did the right thing, and unfortunately these things happen. So so sorry to hear you lost him.

Try not to be so hard on yourself and again you made the right decisions and acted quickly.

It also sounds familiar to me, with an old horse on my yard that deteriorated quickly too. again in minutes she was fine, to having to be PTS. Luckily her owner was with her and was able to say goodbye. Turns out she was at least 5 years older than she was thought to be too, so that explained it all.

 

[Haphazardhacker]

Thanks everyone. Your replies have made me feel a bit more at peace with the incredibly sad decision we had to make. A couple of people in real life have said that with more time she may have pulled through but I have to remember they weren’t there.

 

[Ruby's Mum]

Sadly you will always get “helpful” people butting in, the decision was out of your hands I would say, having experienced it with our mare. Try to be kind to yourself, it is just their time to go, we drive ourselves insane wondering what else we could have done, it was just her time. Sorry you’re having to go through this, still cuts me up over a year later as it was all so sudden but time is a great healer. xx

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

You did the right thing. I think people forget that it's not surgery for colic it's the months of box rest and restricted feeding which really isn't suitable for older horses as they will stiffen up and need more help than any other horse. I have never and will never give a horse a colic op. I lost my Fell Pony to colic. Nothing has changed in his routine. He was basically living wild on 150acres with the Welsh D for 3 months when he came down with it. The vet could feel a twist so for me there was no option. Jasper was 18yo and whilst he would have coped with the box rest to an extent I wouldn't ever put him through it.

Do I regret my decision? Yes and no. Do I question it? Yes. Would I have done anything differently? No.

 

[Apercrumbie]

No, almost certainly there was nothing you could have done and you were right to do what you did. We tragically lost our boy to colic last year - pain relief didn't touch it so he was PTS immediately. A huge shock to everyone involved and I still miss my best friend. Of course your mind floods with all the what ifs but it is our duty to our friends to minimise their suffering. Please don't ever feel guilty.

 

[Sheep]

A very tragic and sad way to lose a much-loved horse, but no question that you absolutely did the right thing. I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[pippixox]

I was with my friend when she lost her 25 year old to colic a few minutes this ago. Again it all happened very quickly and even strong pain relief did very little. She was atleast thankful he only suffered for a few hours (he had eaten breakfast and appeared fine at 10.30 that morning. I called her at 3 as he was down and thrashing)

Not a nice way to go. But you did everything you could

 

[KrujaaLass]

We lost our 36 year old pony to lipoma. Never been ill in her life. Just kept trying to go down. When vet saw he went to his car and when he came back he said she is dying. She was PTS .

 

[Nari]

You did everything that could reasonably be done, and even if you'd been prepared to try surgery there would have been no guarantee. For a colic to come on that fast & so badly that pain relief isn't working suggests there was something major wrong & travelling her to hospital probably wouldn't have been safe or humane anyway.

You were completely right in your decisions & actions, please don't let anyone make you think otherwise x

 

[R2D2]

Sorry to see this happened but I really don't see what else you could have done. We had a similar situation with my Mums old pony of a similar age a couple of months ago. Luckily for us the painkillers did eventually take effect, and she pulled through, but we had already decided that surgery was not an option at that age. It would be cruel, and probably ultimately not successful.

 

[Max123]

I also lost my beloved 25 year mare who I had for 20 years 3 weeks ago to colic. Similar situation to yours. I also was with her and have asked myself a million questions whether there is something else I could have done and I've come to the conclusion that there wasn't and your situation is the same. Many people since have told me about horses with colic going for surgery and finding tumours and I believe this may have happened to my mare. I hope your pain heals. Gone but not forgotten.

 

[oldie48]

I lost my old boy like this last year, almost certainly a lipoma. it was not the end I wanted for him but sadly we can't always choose and at least I was there, with him, to the end. No, there was nothing that anyone could have done for my horse and nothing for this horse either. When horses get old we know in our hearts that there will be an end for them but as long as we have done our very best for them during their time with us, then there's no need to feel any guilt. I still cried quite a lot though.

 

[Orangehorse]

Sadly very few horses die peacefully in their sleep, which is horrid for an owner to contemplate. You did everything you could and were there to help and get the vet at once. RIP.

 

[googol]

So sorry (and to everyone else who lost their beloved horses) I think when it’s so raw and sad it’s normal to really question the what ifs etc. And it’s really unhelpful for people to give their opinions after the event. It definitely sounds like you did the right thing, and don’t forget the horse wouldn’t have known what was about to happen, they would have just gradually felt their pain get less and less. I remember my vet saying something about it being a privilege to be able to cut a horses suffering when we know there’s nothing else we can do (or words to that effect) try not to let yourself go through the what ifs etc, sometimes no matter how much we want to, all the love in the world can’t save them and that alone is so difficult :-(

 

[whizzer]

I’ve just been through this, my gelding was fine at 8.30pm the night when friend left yard , I arrived 7.30am the next morning to turn out & he was in a terrible state. Rolling frantically,bashed legs & head up,could hardly walk. Had to deal with it by myself until vet arrived,he nearly fell on me numerous times. Vet came & medicated him,there was gut sounds so I felt hopeful but 3/4hr later he was off again,I think I knew then that it was the end for him. Tried all day to stabilise for travel but couldn’t, another practice came out & said he’d twisted or had a pedunculated lipoma, even if we could’ve got him there there was no way I’d put him through surgery due to some other issues so let him go at home. Heartbroken that his life ended in such a terrible way, I’d owned him for the best part of 20yrs. I know deep down it wasn’t my fault,that it was just one of those horrendous situations that life throws at you but you can’t help blaming yourself & going over it constantly wondering if you could’ve done anything differently.

 

[Haphazardhacker]

Thanks everyone. So sorry to hear about your losses. I now have no doubt that we did the right thing as she was up and down constantly so getting her to hospital even if we wanted to, would have been impossible and I don’t think she would have made the journey.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

We lost a beloved member of our yard last week. She was fine in stable in morning then as owner turned her out she got to field and went down to roll. Owner didn't think much of it until she kept getting up and down. She shouted for help and by the time they got her back to stable, she was sweating profusely. This was 6.30am I was callled, threw my clothes on and was there in 5 minutes.
Vet had been called and got there ASAP, she got down and up and we encouraged her to stay up and gently walk.
Vet arrived, we got her into stable. Heart rate not too elevated, she had been passing poo all over yard, the vet could feel a possible obstruction.
She sedated then tubed her with Epsom salts and gave her pain relief. Vet was happy and left and said she will now probably go down for a rest and in a while she will be passing poo rapidly and to keep an eye on her.

About 10 minutes after vet left she was thrashing about, up and down. Breathing was so intense her whole abdomen was heaving. We called vet who said she should not be feeling pain wth the amount of pain relief she had been given she turned the car around and prepared us for the worst.

Our angel was put down moments later. She was 25 and her owner and I agreed that surgery would not be fair.

We are both heartbroken (I shared this lovely mare when I was a teenager so was extremely close to her and her owner).

Vet thinks it could have been a fatty tumour. I don’t want to bother the vet but it’s been driving me mad. Did we do something wrong? Is there anything we could have done differently?
It’s bothering me most I think that she was still passing poo, yet was clearly in extreme distress. This was nothing like other colics I have seen. I can see her face now, she was utterly terrified and knowing how much pain she was in is torturing me.

Without a PM you will never know - sounds to me it could have been a twist or Mesenteric rent entrapment or tumour. Even the stomach could have ruptured so please don't blame yourself as I personally have lost 2 to colic. On the first bout of colic I too had to call the vet back 1/2 hr after the first pain killers and when he came back he said RVC NOW!!!. 2nd time this happened I asked the vet to stay an extra 1/2 hr and sure enough it happened again only this time this moved inside and said, nothing could be done.