Colic - My lad is very poorly

exracehorse

exracehorse

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Its been a pretty hellish time since Friday. On Friday I brought my lad in at 4.30pm to eat some hay while I poo picked his fields, he is out 24/7 at the moment. Good grazing but not rich. Usual routine. He took a few bites of his hay and then coliced. I immediately called the vets who came out. She thought just spasmonic colic and gave pain relief and injections. Said walk and return in a couple of hours to see how he was doing. Walked him and walked him and then put him to bed, he was as bright as a button. Returned later on to find his stable trashed and he was laying flat out at the back. I thought he was dead. Rung vet up and she said get him to Catley x. so had to hitch up the trailer in the dark and get him to the vets while he was colicing and going down. We had the option of taking to Newmarket for surgery but I didn't want to put him through it. Its such so evasive and so many negative points. Plus wasn't sure if we would even be able to get there with him in such a bad way. He was put on drips and given hard medicines, his colon had disbursed to the wrong side, his right hand side and had tight bands running around it. Saturday night he coliced 4 times in a row and we had to say goodbye to him as she said one more colic and then he would be put to sleep, which I agreed with, you have to think of the horse. But he made it through the night (vet was amazed) and Sunday was so much better. Monday he came off the drips and they begun to introduce some small slop feeds, and regular exercise on the horse walker. His colon appeared to have gone back after a rectal exam. Tight bands gone. He was bright and happy, neighing, demanding food, looking out of his stable door. Monday morning, I was told that he may even go home this week. But, he went down hill again yesterday afternoon and is back on the drips and meds, not producing poo again, just water. Vet is worried that either something hasn't gone back properly or the colon has begun to move again. Or, could just be a blip and that his guts and bowel are sore. They want to ultra scan him today to see if all looks ok. When he was ultra scanned Saturday he had two blockages. But he had begun to poo on Sunday and Monday morning. They cant ultra scan as after the storm of yesterday the power is out. So, its a waiting game to hear back from her. I have never had colic with any of my horses over the years. Came on so quick. I just wondered if anyone had had a bad bad case of colic but didn't have the surgery and how long it took for the horse to recover?
 
I don't have any experience of this, but I'm sure someone will be along shortly with some advice. Just wanted to say I'm thinking of you and sending some get well soon vibes for your lad.
 
Thinking of you and your boy, colic is just horrible to witness!

My lad went down with spasmodic colic whilst I was away at badminton horse trials. First time was during the night, my YO had the vet out at 11pm to him. Treated with painkillers and was ok until the morning where he coliced again. I was back by this point, vet came again treated with painkillers and he perked up. Few hours later he went down again - it seemed every time as soon as the drugs wore off he went down. So we referred him. They scanned him, did a belly tap, bloods everything came back clear. He stayed 3 days I think on a drip. I don't think he coliced again after being referred but he was in the best place if he did.

We never found out what caused it and the vet said in the majority of spasmodic cases they never do.

I gave him a week off work incase he was sore and then he was right as rain.

Your boy is in the best place he can be, sending vibes for you both x
 
Mine had a bad colic a couple of months ago. Everytime drugs wore off he got worse again. Vet said surgery or pts. He was 22, I wasn't going to put him through surgery and don't think id get him to hospital without him going down so we pts. I miss him very much. Thinking of you, it's horrible. Hope yours pulls through he's in the best place. I have everything crossed.
 
Having lost two to colic, just want you to know my thoughts are right with you. It's an awful thing, and I really hope your horse pulls through. Really hoping to hear some good news. So sorry you are going through this. Fingers x he will be ok (((hugs))) x
 
Our then 26 yr old r & d ex-broodmare colicked over 3 days in the middle of summer, for no apparent reason. Each time when the 24 hr painkillers wore off she went downhill -always just into emergency callout time of course! The excellent vet who had known her for yrs couldn't give us a reason but said on his last visit that if she did it again, there was nothing more that he could do. Fortunately she didn't do it again but she was very pulled down and we retired her. It took until the next summer for her to really get back to her usual self. She lived happily and healthily until earlier this year when she had to be pts aged 31 because of a completely unrelated illness.
Fingers crossed that your horse makes a good recovery.
 
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So sorry to hear your horse is poorly hun.

I had a mare who coliced really bad, same as yours treated, perked up then went back down hill, vet was out several times in one day late into the evening he said maybe would need surgery, this wasnt an option at the time so he said give her the night, dosed her up on strong painkillers, relaxents, mild sedative and a drip. Next morning seemed fine but hadnt passed any droppings for 2 days so was a case of see what she did, turned her out and watched her ( have never wanted a horse to poo so much!!) finally she did a dropping around 2 in the afternoon and picked up from there. She was fine afterwards went on to live a pretty normal life although sadly it did leave her gut damaged which made her prone to colic and i lost her to colic 7 years later, that time she had twisted her gut and did have the op but didnt make it though the aftercare!

Colic is an awful thing, fingers crossed your lad will pull through (((hugs))) xxxx
 
Oh my - you have been through the wringer . . . just wanted to say that I really hope your lovely boy pulls through.

Hugs.

P
 
hi,

had a 4 yr old that went down with impacted colic on a bank hol monday, was on her back doing a "dying fly" impression. didnt think she was getting up from that! walked her, she was on fluid, drips, lunged etc etc didnt pass any poo. Was told by thursday it was surgery or PTS. She was getting brighter in herself so didnt feel happy about PTS even tho vet said she DEF had a twisted gut. Got second opinion, she went into vets surgery, Sunday night she had started passing so as good as 7 days it took for her to start any movement but def no twisted gut otherwise she would of died before the 4 days had gone by.... She recovered fine. Good luck !
 
My then 4yr old spent a week at the vets with a displaced colon. Thankfully the drugs kept her comfortable as I didn't want her to have the op either.... She was there for a week and is now a big almost 8 yr old although she does now have colic a few times a year.

Hope you boy is doing well.xx
 
Having lost a horse to colic following surgery, I can understand you not wanting to go down that route. I really hope your boy pulls through. I have everything crossed for you. xxx
 
Hello all, I know OP in real life!
Have been rooting for Spirit. OP's latest facebook update was this yesterday:

"Yipeeet. Vet thrilled with his progress. He is coming off drip after next 4 litres. If does nt go back again then he will be home at weekend. Then 10 days meds and pro biotics and pain relief and gentle re introduction of grass etc."

And he is going home Friday. Keep fingers crossed he stays on the mend please everyone!
 
Just an update. Spirit came home 5 days ago, he was still poorly for a couple of days and kept flank watching. He is on electro lights and having slop dinner, I am turning out during the day and getting in by 3pm. Am still worried sick he shall re colic as if he does, I will never put him through that again and shall have to PTS. It took nearly a week before his disbursed colon went back into place. I am giving him a couple of weeks off and then shall take him out for a gentle hack. I did wonder about acorns, his field that he coliced in was full of them, he is now on his winter field. But, I never saw him eat any. It could have been anything I guess. His worm count came back fine just a few weeks before, with me worming him for tapeworm only. He lost a lot of weight but, has already put most of it back on. Luckily he is a good doer so, it wont be a problem to get him back up again. I still watch him like a hawk and worry that he will have coliced in the night when I am not there. I have never had colic and never want it again. Thank goodness I am insured as I dread to think what the bill will be. NFU are usually pretty god with claims, x fingers anyway. It certainly made me realise to never moan again about owning a horse, they can be here one day and gone the next, it was so sudden with me. Fine the day before, we had a lovely hour long hack in the sun, I got him in the following day as usual to groom and poo pick the fields and put him in his stable to have some hay while I done my jobs, thinking back something wasn't right because he didn't want me to hoof pick me especially his back legs, probably bewcause his tummy was hurting, I put him in his stable and he took one mouthful of hay and then watched his flank and then went down to roll and then I knew something was really wrong. It was a real emotional time for me, as he was really bad a few hours of being admitted to Catley X when they said he had to go to Newmarket for the op and I said no and then he picked up over night and in the morning. By the afternoon he had coliced 4 times in a row and my vet said she couldn't give him anymore sedative, and we rushed back to sign the papers to have him put to sleep if he colice again and we had to basically say goodbye, he was on drips and laying down having been kncked out with sedative and an ACP. I never cried so much that night as I didn't think he would be coming home. On the Sunday of last weekend, he pulled through and I gave thanks to God, I must admit that I did pray to him on the Saturday night for help, went to visit him on the Monday morning and he coliced while I was there and was very ill again, the disbursed colon was still over on the right hand side and under his belly. He was pooing just water and was very dehydrated. He had to basically go on the horse walker constantly for days and days and turn his colon himself. But he done it. He was a fighter. Still had to have pain relief and sedative for the following days because he kept flank watching and laying down on his side. Then he made a massive improve on the Thursday and started to poo properly and then we brought him home on the Friday. Many thanks to all the kind wishes.
 
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