Could do with some good vibes

scats

scats

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Diva had what looked like a mild spasmodic colic yesterday- not major colic symptoms but just uncomfortable, lay down, breathing went quite rapid etc. Passed a poo and seemed much better but vet came anyway and we put it down to a spasmodic episode that set her breathing off. She was fine afterwards and fine last night, did a late check and grazing happily.

Came in this morning and got down again straight away. No sign she’d been down in field (grass stains etc) and normal poo quantity in field for both girls. Didn’t roll, just groaned a bit and lay flat. Got up and just looked uncomfortable- yawning (her major stress sign), breathing slightly elevated, but no other major signs- just not right. Gut sounds audible from doorway. Rang vet who said they’d be straight out. Got off the phone and she did another poo and within two minutes of that, she started looking for food and seemed much more settled. Poo normal consistency, size etc.
Vet came and did a rectal-nothing amiss. Poo waiting to be passed and all nice and moist but not too wet, right size etc.

So we’ve given her some more bute and buscopan but if it happens again she will go straight in for a scan. I lost one horse to a cecal impaction which did show very similar signs. I’ve already decided that surgery is out of the question if it comes to that.

This pony doesn’t deserve this, so please keep everything crossed for us :-(
 
Everything crossed here for you both.

We had a 25 yr old with similar symptoms, although she didn't improve until the meds kicked in each time. When the senior vet came out on the third day running, he did say that if he needed to come the next day, we would have to make a decision, as he couldn't tell why she was doing it. Fortunately she was fine the next day and for the next 6 yrs, until she was pts because of ataxia.
 
Thanks everyone xx

Not needed vet out again, though have been in contact via text several times. Diva was allowed some hay at 4pm but she wasn’t that interested, which considering she’d not eaten since at least 8am, concerned me. Took her for a walk to grass and she happily grazed. She certainly wasn’t colicky this evening but was just very quiet. Sponged her off throughout the evening as the heat gets to her and then when it had sufficiently cooled down I popped her out with Polly. Stayed around for another hour or so and all was fine so went home for a shower.

Went back at 9.20pm and she was standing quietly in the field. Polly came over and they had a groom and then they started grazing again. I stayed around for a while and straightened some fencing up and she seemed fine and carried on grazing. Will see what tomorrow morning brings.
 
scats said:
Thanks everyone xx

Not needed vet out again, though have been in contact via text several times. Diva was allowed some hay at 4pm but she wasn’t that interested, which considering she’d not eaten since at least 8am, concerned me. Took her for a walk to grass and she happily grazed. She certainly wasn’t colicky this evening but was just very quiet. Sponged her off throughout the evening as the heat gets to her and then when it had sufficiently cooled down I popped her out with Polly. Stayed around for another hour or so and all was fine so went home for a shower.

Went back at 9.20pm and she was standing quietly in the field. Polly came over and they had a groom and then they started grazing again. I stayed around for a while and straightened some fencing up and she seemed fine and carried on grazing. Will see what tomorrow morning brings.
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Just seen this healing vibes sent - I too have lost 2 to colic.
 
Well I'm joining you on colic watch tonight op :(

Arty mare has an incredibly sensitive digestive system and a week ago dismantled some fencing in the corner of the back field, so we shut them off from that field until we fixed the fencing earlier today. I didn't think a week of rest for the grass would set her off, but OH went out to the field a couple of hours ago to find her getting up and down and very unsteady on her feet. A syringe of colic mixture, half an hour of walking and eventually trotting round the field and a lot of farts later she decided she was completely fine again, had a big poo and went merrily back to eating grass. Blummin horses. Safe to say top field is safely shut off again until I can leave the other two in there to eat the top off it again.

Hope all is well in the morning with Diva
 
Much more settled this morning. Came in and straight to her hay for a munch. I went to do the field and came back and she was still munching. I’ve come home for breakfast and friend has text to say she’s now lying down but looks settled and snoozy rather than uncomfortable.

I’ve managed to get the morning off work due to my year 11s being gone and having a couple of free periods, so I’m able to pop up and down to check her. Fortunately our yard is only 1mile from my house coz I’m like a yo-yo at the moment! Having lost one to colic previously, that fear never leaves you.

Hope yours is ok this morning DabDab xx
 
The grass is growing like mad our way. I brought my paddock back 40m after my mare was on box rest for two days after a steroid injection 13 days ago, and have gradually increased it by about two foot a day. I've still not reached the bit that was grazed right down prior to the box rest and its grown by about an inch during this time! So now she's only having about a foot extra a night and I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed that this doesn't set off a spasmodic colic episode.

I know she's not got laminitis as the xray taken at the time of the steroid injection showed all was well in that department but I check her digital pulses every day. God help us when we have rain, the electric tape will have to come back again!

I know of a couple of horses that have gone out on grass after a week or two off and have come down with either colic or laminitis symptoms.

SCATS and DibDab glad all is well with yours!
 
She gave me a bit of a scare before. Went back and she was still down and looked a bit breathless. Got her up and her breathing was quite raised for about two minutes and then settled and she went to her hay and was happily munching when I left.

Lying down is harder work for her breathing wise as she can’t use her stomach muscles as much so it does take a few minutes for her to go back to normal once she’s up, and I had to remind myself that what I was seeing there was perfectly normal for Flo.
The vet was actually really pleased with her breathing generally this weekend. It’s very much unknown territory for all of us as they haven’t seen a case like this before.

I’m going to give her a neck and belly clip later. I need to help her out in this hot weather but I’m reluctant to clip her fully out as she has a lot of pink skin and gets eaten alive by flies.
 
So glad she's more settled today Scats, and that you've managed to get some time today to pop back in on her and keep your mind at ease.
Mine was bright as a button again this morning, and now I've recalibrated my diligence level with respect to the grass with her, hopefully she'll stay that way
 
Glad to hear they are both doing well today. Hope they both remain well from here on.

DabDab can you tell me about the colic mixture you gave? Is it something from the vet specifically for your horse's issues?
 
Hope all is ok now. I lost my best friend of 20 years on Friday due to colic symptoms that we couldnt get under control. Bloody awful.

I will keep an eye on this post and cross everything for you.
 
Diddleydoo said:
Glad to hear they are both doing well today. Hope they both remain well from here on.

DabDab can you tell me about the colic mixture you gave? Is it something from the vet specifically for your horse's issues?
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It's a home made mixture, similar to the product coligone. She gets spasmodic colic, and the only trigger seems to be rich/fresh grass. Her symptoms start with standing camped out behind, lots of lip curling and stomach noises/spasms, then progress to staggering around when she walks, looking lame behind and pawing the ground and then she'll lie down flat out on her side, intermittently writhing her head and neck around and by that point you have to be really quite mean to her to get her back on her feet. If I catch her with the mixture at the camped out stage then it doesn't seem to progress any further and she's OK again after about 30mins. It's hard to tell if it's that or the walking I do with her once she's hit the lying down stage that makes a difference, but I know that if you just leave her lying down it goes on for hours the poor love (she's been noticed lying down hours before I get there by others, but left as she wasn't obviously distressed from a distance). Obviously the vet is aware of the situation and what I do with her, but no, they didn't prescribe.

It's basically just a mixture of licorice, aloe Vera juice and fresh mint and ginger.
 
DabDab said:
It's a home made mixture, similar to the product coligone. She gets spasmodic colic, and the only trigger seems to be rich/fresh grass. Her symptoms start with standing camped out behind, lots of lip curling and stomach noises/spasms, then progress to staggering around when she walks, looking lame behind and pawing the ground and then she'll lie down flat out on her side, intermittently writhing her head and neck around and by that point you have to be really quite mean to her to get her back on her feet. If I catch her with the mixture at the camped out stage then it doesn't seem to progress any further and she's OK again after about 30mins. It's hard to tell if it's that or the walking I do with her once she's hit the lying down stage that makes a difference, but I know that if you just leave her lying down it goes on for hours the poor love (she's been noticed lying down hours before I get there by others, but left as she wasn't obviously distressed from a distance). Obviously the vet is aware of the situation and what I do with her, but no, they didn't prescribe.

It's basically just a mixture of licorice, aloe Vera juice and fresh mint and ginger.
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Thank you, You're clearly very aware of her sensitivities and her signs during the various stages. It's great that you can resolve it for her quickly and easily if you catch her at the right time.

Poor girl being so sensitive though.
 
Vet out again for Diva today unfortunately. Although not looking colicky now, she just hasn’t recovered well from the weekend and has seemed very out of sorts. This morning I felt her breathing was very poor again and she was excessively yawning and seemed depressed.

Vet did a sand colic test as I had seen her licking the soil in her paddock, very minimal amount found but we will treat her to get rid of it just in case.

Breathing not great. Increase in her resting rate to about 30 a minute. She’s normally 22. Trachea side of things sounding normal for her, so that’s one good thing, but unfortunately lower airway noisy and more laboured. Likelihood of structural changes to the branches in her lungs now, as a result of her unnatural breathing patterns and increased effort over the last few years. We’re going to try a ventiplumin inhaler to see if we can help her out at all. Chances are its all being made worse by combination of that and hot weather too. Plus her weight, which is a constant battle at the best of times. Checked her for laminitis just in case and there was no evidence of that so that’s good.

Took a barrage of bloods and going to test for absolutely everything under the sun. These should be back tomorrow and Friday.
Please keep everything crossed for us. She was doing exceptionally well breathing-wise until this hot weather hit. If I could make it winter all year round right now, I really would.
 
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