Horse making strange grunting noises? Help?

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MS123

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Hi all,

A friend of mine's horse since last week has been acting very strange and out of character. She has been making very odd grunting noises (in no particular pattern, just randomly) and has been finding it very hard to swallow, and consequently isn't eating or drinking properly! She will slirp her water and spit it back out again, and will barely eat anything. When she does eat, it takes her very long to chew, though she's been finding it slightly easier to eat from the floor, but she's picking and not particularly interested. This is a horse that usually will eat anything and everything. We gave her bute, to which she perked up and started to eat more normally, so it definitley is pain related. But where we just have no idea?

Dentist was called and couldn't find anything in her mouth/teeth.

Friend will be calling the vet, but thought to ask on here too to see if anyone has had a similiar experience? Or had any suggestions as to what it could be?

Any information greatly appreciated :)
 
MS123 said:
Hi all,

A friend of mine's horse since last week has been acting very strange and out of character. She has been making very odd grunting noises (in no particular pattern, just randomly) and has been finding it very hard to swallow, and consequently isn't eating or drinking properly! She will slirp her water and spit it back out again, and will barely eat anything. When she does eat, it takes her very long to chew, though she's been finding it slightly easier to eat from the floor, but she's picking and not particularly interested. This is a horse that usually will eat anything and everything. We gave her bute, to which she perked up and started to eat more normally, so it definitley is pain related. But where we just have no idea?

Dentist was called and couldn't find anything in her mouth/teeth.

Friend will be calling the vet, but thought to ask on here too to see if anyone has had a similiar experience? Or had any suggestions as to what it could be?

Any information greatly appreciated :)
Click to expand...

She may have colic although not sure about the reaction to the water. But if she is picking hay with a kind of 'not bothered really' type of attitude then that and the grunts would suggest to me that she has colic. I can always tell if my boy is colicky as soon as I look at him (after ten years I would hope I would) but I can always back up that diagnosis by giving him a mint. If he eats it as if he doesn't really want it I know he's got belly ache (as he is a greedy git!) and then he will go on the walker for 20 mins (this is on vets advice as he has had reoccuring colics for most of the time I have owned him). I know this is safe and standard practice that works for my horse. For your horse I would suggest you contact your vet.

I am sure it is colic, especially as this would tie in with the constant flushes of grass with the warm wet weather recently.

Good luck, please do keep us updated.
 
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