Colic

[cheekywelshie]

my horses dont like change...but i know many horses used to being boxed to comps/travelling around seeing new things all the time tend to be more relaxed about ‘new’ environments.

someone mentioned getting a stall cam that’s got wifi so you can view his cam on your phone 24/7 and keep an eye on him...great idea if you plan to stay at current yard. Do you know a local groom or other livery who could do 2 of the 4 visits? Don’t be afraid to ask at your current yard, i’d happily help out a fellow livery who’s going through what you are.[/QUOTE]

He's pretty used to going out and about and so long as has food doesn't get too stressed. He has friends at the old yard but isn't out with them anymore although he is a laid back horse. Limited help at current yard could probably get one or both end of day but I just need to know everything is followed to the letter in terms of vets instructions...and...i'm not sure

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

I think I would be tempted to go for the bespoke package. It sounds like you may find it tricky to follow what the RVC have been doing. You have given him every chance to pull through. Obviously you know your own horse better than we do, would he settle ok or would he be likely to get stressy?

 

[cheekywelshie]

That's it - and I am massively paranoid - well I was paranoid before after the last colic (12 years ago) but now will be a bit more!
He tends to be OK. He seemed quite happy but I had to keep him separately recently because the grazing run out - then the owner moved his horses to more grass and I got paranoid there was too much, so went in another paddock, he could see them but was on his own. I think he would settle if he met a fellow cob type! I suppose it's just working out the exact routine...

Current Y
Equine friends
Flexibility on when to visit - no curfews or gate locks as I have key
Quiet
YO knows horse
Cheaper
Good onsite track for bringing back into work
NO restrictios during lockdown on visits
BUT
Dark at night, no lights
No one up after 6, quite isolated off road
Water pipes could freeze - no other taps
No one on site
no late checks

Other Y
Onlsite YO
Late checks
LIghts at night
Bespoke package inc hand grazing

10 horses
Option to go assisted as well as Full
24 hour turnout in summer
Off road hacking

BUT no choice bedding, pellets not shavings
New yard, no familiar horses
Cost
Can he see others on box rest?
Gate locked at 9..

Or I could return after winter maybe..

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Under the circumstances I would go for other yard for the next few weeks for rehab/recovery. Once he is fit and well then return to current yard if they are willing to hold your place.

 

[rextherobber]

My horse would not like to move, so the decision would be made for me!
The negatives on your current yard could be addressed - Reolink camera, solar/battery lights, no restrictions on access so you could do a late night check, it would be tiring and incur a cost, but it's doable. Can you get there during the day to do the hand walks etc?
The new yard has the potential of other liveries around for practical and moral support, and would be less tiring for you.

 

[cheekywelshie]

Current yard said they wouldnt be offended if i needed to move..maybe a short term option until spring? I dont know.. I had unlimited access during lockdown still do so this is a consideration

 

[PurBee]

Current yard said they wouldnt be offended if i needed to move..maybe a short term option until spring? I dont know..

i second moving IF you know he’s chilled out enough to handle change of yards. You’ll get 24/7 support...many eyes checking him.
...and IF you know that going to him 4 times a day for 6-8 weeks at current yard would be impossible for you to maintain. (I dont know how far your trips to and from current yard are/ or your work are)
I’m thinking of your health too, you said work is full on for you atm, so truly, dont exhaust yourself to the brink...doesnt help your horse or you if you’re travelling all-in-all 10 trips a day to him and back and work and back.

your current yard is so good to be so understanding and keep a space open for you to return!

I understand pellets V’s shavings preference. I find pellets dustier, less comfy as a bed. Could you buy in some bales shavings at new yard as a topper over pellets?

Or alternatively, employ a groom close-by to current yard to do some checks. Ask at other yards close to you or on here if anyone knows anyone close to you of someone attentive and good.

(You can buy ‘bundit tanks’ 1000 ltr online, cheap...50 quid. Get ones that are food grade ....check with seller. put it on breeze blocks...fill with tap, and have it as spare water for when cold temps come and mains water taps freeze. 1000 ltr of water block doesnt freeze. I use them. Shove an old pillow around the large tap opening to prevent the cold freezing the plastic lever.)

 

[cheekywelshie]

i second moving IF you know he’s chilled out enough to handle change of yards. You’ll get 24/7 support...many eyes checking him.
...and IF you know that going to him 4 times a day for 6-8 weeks at current yard would be impossible for you to maintain. (I dont know how far your trips to and from current yard are/ or your work are)
I’m thinking of your health too, you said work is full on for you atm, so truly, dont exhaust yourself to the brink...doesnt help your horse or you if you’re travelling all-in-all 10 trips a day to him and back and work and back.

your current yard is so good to be so understanding and keep a space open for you to return!

I understand pellets V’s shavings preference. I find pellets dustier, less comfy as a bed. Could you buy in some bales shavings at new yard as a topper over pellets?

Or alternatively, employ a groom close-by to current yard to do some checks. Ask at other yards close to you or on here if anyone knows anyone close to you of someone attentive and good.

(You can buy ‘bundit tanks’ 1000 ltr online, cheap...50 quid. Get ones that are food grade ....check with seller. put it on breeze blocks...fill with tap, and have it as spare water for when cold temps come and mains water taps freeze. 1000 ltr of water block doesnt freeze. I use them. Shove an old pillow around the large tap opening to prevent the cold freezing the plastic lever.)

 

[cheekywelshie]

It's about 15 mins there and 15 mins back - 45 to an hour round trip if you include hand grazing or mucking out. MY concern with the new yard is i think they just use pellets and wouldn't let you use your own bedding (ie shavings)

 

[PurBee]

Have you seen the beds at the new yard? Do they put in a good bed of pellets? Are they wetted down and fluffed up? On rubber matting?

My horses love a good doze in their bed. I tried pellets and they wouldnt lay on them as whole pellets...even 6-8 inches deep. 2 days they didnt lay down, mare getting more moody the longer she went without deep REM sleep.
Only when i wetted them, fluffed them up and added shavings on top did they lay down. it’s just what they were used to. They love a deep bed so i do a kind of semi-deep bed system now, with sub layers to soak pee, with fresh dry inches on top...and skip out the base when needed. I didn’t realise how much horses love to sleep fully flaked-out flat until owning them! I have them at home so can observe their sleeping habits closely.
The reason i stopped pellets is because when fully laid out their nose is in the bedding, and even when laying upright on their belly they drop their nose into the bedding, resting their head while sleeping. I’d see them with sawdust from pellets all around their muzzles and in their nostrils...a cough developed because pellets are essentially sawdust and more easily inhaled than flakes of shavings.
Yet...i see pics of some horses laying happily on shallow pellet beds on rubber mats....so i think it depends what the horse is used to.
what’s your boy used to?

 

[Surbie]

Personally, and if the horse would be happy and if you could also hold your current space, I'd take him to the second yard for recovery.

 

[Winters100]

As others have said I think that for your peace of mind you would be better to go to the other yard for the recovery period. I would just buy whatever bedding you want and take it with you. Realistically you are going to be in pieces thinking of what he is up to with no one on the yard, and 4 trips a day will be a strain.

Finally really well done to you and him for getting through this. Fantastic news. He seems to have somehow worked his way into everyone's hearts - I have been logging in several times a day to check for updates on his condition and I am sure that many others have been doing the same. Really pleased for you and good luck with the recovery.

 

[cblover]

That’s a very welcome sight. I’m so pleased he’s doing well. You’ve really been through it, take care.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Personally, and if the horse would be happy and if you could also hold your current space, I'd take him to the second yard for recovery.

This is what I would do. I cannot think of any decent yard that would not let you do this with good will and there best wishes.
GW x

 

[tristar]

you need to think of your own health in this as well whats easiest for both of you

 

[Trouper]

Hang on to the fact that we are even talking about how to manage his next move!!!! You have both come so far.
My initial thoughts some days ago were that a new yard might stress him - but on more sober reflection a straight move to the new yard might seem, to him, just like a continuation of his veterinary care and certainly would give you more peace of mind. But - and it is a big but for me - I would be concerned about pellets. I have used them quite happily for mine but when a horse is introduced to them for the first time there is the temptation for them to nibble them thinking they are food. They soon stop but I would be concerned about anything like that entering his gut just now - call me paranoid but that would be a concern for me. To that end, I would explain my concern to the new yard and ask if I could put shavings on top.
Alternatively, if you don't know any freelance grooms I might ask the staff at my local practice if they know of anyone who might be interested in earning a bit more money and acting as vet nurse/groom for you for a few weeks. It would probably be a cheaper option and that, plus a camera, might give you peace of mind.

 

[July dreamer]

I'm so pleased for you.
If your current yard will keep your space I think, for peace of mind, the new yard with help would be better for his recovery. But I also recommend getting a camera, even at your new yard (I hope they would let you put one up in his stable). I'm lucky in that I have mains & wi-fi at my yard, so a camera was easy. When my boy first came home after his colic surgery I would wake up 4 or 5 times during the night, I could just check on my phone that all was OK and then back to sleep. Another big advantage is that you can check on them without disturbing them. Now my boy is back living out again I've put cameras up in his field shelter so I can see most of the field during daylight and see him in his shelter at night, I put his hay in there so he goes in. Wi-fi but no power at field shelter so I've used the solar powered Reolink and they’ve been brilliant, I'm sure the ones that take sim cards are just as good and I wouldn’t hesitate to use them. I'd be so worried if I couldn't just have a quick check on my horse and he only lives at the bottom of the garden!

 

[JulesRules]

Personally, i think I'd go for the new yard. Wet and fluff the pellets and they should be fine.

Otherwise I'd see if I could employ a groom and install a camera.

Good to see the poop and be in the position to be making this decision .

 

[rabatsa]

New yard.

If the yard owner will let you put one bale of shavings on top of the pellets until he gets used to them as a bed you should be ok.

 

[Annagain]

While it's a pain, it's a lovely dilemma to have under the circumstances! I too would go for the new yard at least until you can reduce the daily visits - maybe get through to the end of Jan there and then move him back if you want to. by Feb, there's a bit more daylight so you should be able to get jobs done etc in the light. I wouldn't worry about the pellets, mine have been on them a few years and love them, they lie down happily and seem very comfortable on them. They've never tried to eat them, but if they're well soaked and fluffed up they won't look like pony cubes and he shouldn't find them exciting! I think while a big shavings bed looks very fluffy and inviting to us, the horses don't care and lie down on pretty much anything!

 

[Carrottom]

For your own peace of mind I would move him directly to the full livery yard.
Whenever I introduce a new horse to a pellet bed I always mix in a few fork fulls from the next door bed to the fluffed up pellets so that it smells like a bed. I figure that they are going to be neighbours so it won't increase any chance of spreading disease. My 3 all rolls and lie down in their stables.

 

[cheekywelshie]

Well I went to new yard but - he'd be on his own nothing nearby to look at. No options to add shavings. It all adds up to quite a lot with the additional bits.

 

[PurBee]

Well I went to new yard but - he'd be on his own nothing nearby to look at. No options to add shavings. It all adds up to quite a lot with the additional bits.

so he would be in a box alone and never see another horse while there?
...and at your current yard he has the YO horses as company?

tough one...id want a horse on box rest to at least see other horses/activity going on, from a boredom point of view.
Think i’d plough the extra money youd spend at the new yard into camera, and groom help 2x per day, at current yard.
Go with gut feeling if head is in 2 minds!

 

[cheekywelshie]

He doesn't have YO as company but can see them in field
It's not an ideal situation either way but I didn't think it would work out at the new one

 

[Marigold4]

Can you stay at the vets for a couple of weeks? Expensive but everything you have listed as important would be available and he is settled there

 

[cheekywelshie]

He's coming home tomorrow but what a stressful day today - after the vet said he was good to go home tomorrow, she then passed me over to finance at 10am this morning who said they needed payment by 2pm today!! I was told by my bank i had to go in (my phone had broken - I had a week wait from Apple to fix it so was using my other half's but because of the two factor authentication they couldn't take payment over the phone because I wasn't getting the text message cos the phone was broke ( a really shite week for a phone to break) so I rang the bank they said go in - i got there then asked them to do payment (at 1130 - having to cancel my work meetings) which they did and gave me a receipt (then told me I could have done it online (honestly by this point i am near screaming at something as I had asked them would it go through in time if I did it online when I called them up before going in) - I then had to go sort my phone out - i had said i'd ring the RVC at 2 but forgot i was going to see that yard then straight after picking phone up - then I got back to find this in my inbox!! I then emailed over evidence of the recipt to say that i'd paid and they said it was showing up as 'pending' - I mean really i'm not sure what more I could do given it was a Friday, they said in the end 'well we'll go with that for now so yes you can pick your horse up'...thanks, yes I really needed more stress!

NOTICE BEFORE PROCEEDINGS​

You are now informed that unless some arrangement is made for payment by Monday (30/11/20), immediate proceedings will be taken against you in the County Court for recovery of the same, without further notice.

 

[cheekywelshie]

I'm so pleased for you.
If your current yard will keep your space I think, for peace of mind, the new yard with help would be better for his recovery. But I also recommend getting a camera, even at your new yard (I hope they would let you put one up in his stable). I'm lucky in that I have mains & wi-fi at my yard, so a camera was easy. When my boy first came home after his colic surgery I would wake up 4 or 5 times during the night, I could just check on my phone that all was OK and then back to sleep. Another big advantage is that you can check on them without disturbing them. Now my boy is back living out again I've put cameras up in his field shelter so I can see most of the field during daylight and see him in his shelter at night, I put his hay in there so he goes in. Wi-fi but no power at field shelter so I've used the solar powered Reolink and they’ve been brilliant, I'm sure the ones that take sim cards are just as good and I wouldn’t hesitate to use them. I'd be so worried if I couldn't just have a quick check on my horse and he only lives at the bottom of the garden!

Which camera do you use?

 

[ycbm]

He's coming home tomorrow but what a stressful day today - after the vet said he was good to go home tomorrow, she then passed me over to finance at 10am this morning who said they needed payment by 2pm today!! I was told by my bank i had to go in (my phone had broken - I had a week wait from Apple to fix it so was using my other half's but because of the two factor authentication they couldn't take payment over the phone because I wasn't getting the text message cos the phone was broke ( a really shite week for a phone to break) so I rang the bank they said go in - i got there then asked them to do payment (at 1130 - having to cancel my work meetings) which they did and gave me a receipt (then told me I could have done it online (honestly by this point i am near screaming at something as I had asked them would it go through in time if I did it online when I called them up before going in) - I then had to go sort my phone out - i had said i'd ring the RVC at 2 but forgot i was going to see that yard then straight after picking phone up - then I got back to find this in my inbox!! I then emailed over evidence of the recipt to say that i'd paid and they said it was showing up as 'pending' - I mean really i'm not sure what more I could do given it was a Friday, they said in the end 'well we'll go with that for now so yes you can pick your horse up'...thanks, yes I really needed more stress!

NOTICE BEFORE PROCEEDINGS​

You are now informed that unless some arrangement is made for payment by Monday (30/11/20), immediate proceedings will be taken against you in the County Court for recovery of the same, without further notice.

Have I read that right? RVC are threatening to sue you before the horse has even got home!?!?


They should have checked you had the means to pay before operating, not threaten to sue you now. That's disgusting

 

[Spottyappy]

That is quite shocking / upsetting with the RVC, especially as you need to make a partial payment upfront, if I recall correctly?
infact, I had to chase them for my bill,as the finance department weren’t working as it was the Christmas holidays when I picked my girl up.

 

[July dreamer]

Which camera do you use?

In the stable where I had power and wi-fi I used time2 oscar 2 but in the field shelter where I have no power but do have wi-fi I used Reolink Argus Pro with Reolink solar panel. If you have no power or wi-fi you'll have to use something like the Reolink Go which uses a sim card for the wi-fi. Others on here will be able to tell you more about it as I know they've used the Reolink Go. I'm not the most technological person when it comes to a smart phone but I set all the cameras and my phone up myself so it's not difficult!