injections- doing it yourself!!!

[beh]

try doing the injection on alternating sides of his neck, to not make it too sore or something. just take a big breath and do it. hanging around will just make the horse more anxious

 

[Fairynuff]

I do all IM and IV with my vets blessing, I worked with him in his clinic and he taught me. He also taught me to stomach tube,uterine washing and hand up the bum stuff.These I would never dream of doing on my own. I used to have to back rake an old gelding every day as he couldnt poo. Hed had colic and the groom decided to give him an enema using a hard plastic tube.He couldnt get it in very far so decided that best thing to do was give it a good whack!!!!! The tube went in and straight through the intestine wall.The tear was too far up to repair so the horse was put on mega amounts of antibs. He actually didnt seem to notice apart from the fact that he couldnt poo on his own-all the poo fell through the tear into his pelvic cavity. My job was to empty him.He got so used to it that hed call me when he felt full and would lift his tail up for me on his own. He eventually went home and lived happily for 7 years after with his groom emptying him as neede(different groom!). Dont know why I told that story!!!!!!!! Mairi.

 

[Dougie]

personaly i think all owners should know how to give IVs and IMs for emergencys. also YOs such be able to sedate horses in emergency situations, caught in fences or broken legs etc WITH VET TRAINING!!

ver interesting story btw

 

[GTs]

Not quite sure the enima story, a rupture would be certain death. We had a person who tried to sovle colic with an enema caused a rupture the horse was dead on arrival - owner crying. There was literally nothing we could do for a ruptured horse except kill them.

I personally do not think owners should give IM or IV injections - the average owner is just not capable or trust worthy. We had one lady who had a horse colicing and she emptied her medicine cabinet into it. The horse came to the hospital and she showed us what she had given it. She handed over some herbs, an empty thing of wormer and an empty tube of bute. We asked her how much bute she had given her horse, SHE HAD GIVEN IT THE WHOLE TUBE (about a weeks supply for lameness - 14-18 grams I think).

The hores was already ruptured so it died, and the bute had no detrimental effect on it - but GEEZ!!

 

[Dougie]

i dont see why sensible owners cant inject, none of our clients are stupid enought to try and treat colic by thereselves!

 

[GTs]

All of our are - we had horses colicing for 5 days that come in and need $10,000 of surgery when if they came in on day one it would have been $1,000.

 

[Dougie]

there are a few dim wirs but they are on decent livery yards so YOs call us out. YOs have permission from all liveries to do so

 

[GTs]

The owner had been treating the donkey for 5 days, while it got increasingly dehydrated - at 10:00 on Saturday night she decided to bring it in. Ended up as a colon resection, and we did not finish until 3:00.

 

[Fairynuff]

I can assure you that the enema story IS true. It was the rectum that was torn but too far up for manual repair.Had it been the colon then, yes, he would have died of toxic shock or have been PTS. His name was Ali de Sapidada and was a Sardinian Anglo Arab who had a successful SJ career in the 70s. Every word of it is true. Mairi.

 

[GTs]

I thought the tear you were talking about was a rupture - which I am sure you will agree is fatal. Sorry!!

 

[Fairynuff]

your welcome. Mairi.