Rochelle1138
Active Member
Hi Everyone,
What a stressful week and a half! This is a LOOOOONG post sorry!
My 17 year old Arab mare, was fit, healthy (up to date with everything possible) hacked 3 times a week for 1-2 hours at a time, and had generally in v. good condition .then:
Last Saturday ( bank holiday wknd) I hacked out with a friend and Jazz was her usual self, if a little less silly on the way home than normal (think the delights of the Arab jig-jog
) We'd been back about an hour when i noticed she was v.quiet, stood at the back of her stable and slightly tucked up.
Thought at first she was she maybe tired, or early onset of colic. Kept an eye on her, and a phone call with the vet an hour or so later, and they suggested a Bute i her evening feed if her tummy was a bit gripey and to see how she got on.
Sunday morning no better, more tucked up, not eaten her net or drank much water, didnt want to graze in hand. Totally disinterested in everything. Another phone call to said vets ( who have been fantastic throughout, especially as they were manic with it being B/H )
Vet came, tubed electrolytes into her, and jabbed with pain relief told to see how she got on, still very tucked up, but by now I am adamant its not colic, questioning whether its a second bout of Azetoria ( she had this once when she'd gone for rehabilitation swimming several years ago) but vet seemed to think not.
Monday less improvement than had hoped, midnight pony checks were now occurring to make sure see wasnt deteriorating in the night. Apx 1/3 of a bucket of water drank in 2 days, very little hay/haylage eaten. Walked in hand to tempt with luscious green grass and not at all interested. Third phone call to vets + call out. Tubed again, more pain relief and antibiotics administered. Vet says if no better Tues to bring her into clinic.
Tuesday Vet due out for Babys F+T's so she checked Jazz over, she had eaten something and drunk a little and looked a little chirpier...another jab of antibiotics and pain relief, a Bute for her evening feed and a jab for me to give Weds am. After that no pain relief to see if it was masking anything
Tucking up was still very clear, however became more pronounced if she was walked again to tempting grass, trying to encourage her to eat anything she wanted)
Jab Weds morning, some more perkiness, and slightly less of the tucking up, again eaten a small amount but nothing in comparison to her normal consumption.
Thursday morning, and 24 hours after last pain relief, poorly pony again, so a call to the vets and we took her in for tests.
It turns out that she has an abdominal infection septic peritonitis, the last thing Id have expected her to have had! Ultra sound scans showed her organs were clinically normal, but the cell count for the abdominal fluid should be between 1 and 5, and poor girls were 80! When she went in on Thurs. No wonder she felt like c***!!
So she stayed in for 5 days, having belly taps (where they take samples of the abdominal fluid and scans every day or so) and last Sunday her levels were down to 20 (a good reduction I thought in the 3 days shed been in) She had also had an IV line put into her neck, so the directness of the Antibiotics and pain relief were definitely helping.
So we picked her up this Monday after 5 days IV meds, shes come home with a shed load of tablets, Bute and a bottle of Baytrill ( looks like water in a bottle) for her to have until this coming Tuesday when shes due back for more tests.
So my question is .has anyone else experienced this? What did the Vets put it down too?
They have told me that, if there had been trauma to her abdomen infection could have got in that way ( but there isnt) it could be a mass/growth (this is my fear! although trying to be positive), as clinically form the ultra sound it looks ok, and that she should make a good recovery.
Im just worried that she once shes offs the antibiotics- will she have another attack of it? Any information or thoughts is greatly appreciated, and if youve read all of this, copious amounts of G+T are deserved!
What a stressful week and a half! This is a LOOOOONG post sorry!
My 17 year old Arab mare, was fit, healthy (up to date with everything possible) hacked 3 times a week for 1-2 hours at a time, and had generally in v. good condition .then:
Last Saturday ( bank holiday wknd) I hacked out with a friend and Jazz was her usual self, if a little less silly on the way home than normal (think the delights of the Arab jig-jog
) We'd been back about an hour when i noticed she was v.quiet, stood at the back of her stable and slightly tucked up.Thought at first she was she maybe tired, or early onset of colic. Kept an eye on her, and a phone call with the vet an hour or so later, and they suggested a Bute i her evening feed if her tummy was a bit gripey and to see how she got on.
Sunday morning no better, more tucked up, not eaten her net or drank much water, didnt want to graze in hand. Totally disinterested in everything. Another phone call to said vets ( who have been fantastic throughout, especially as they were manic with it being B/H )
Vet came, tubed electrolytes into her, and jabbed with pain relief told to see how she got on, still very tucked up, but by now I am adamant its not colic, questioning whether its a second bout of Azetoria ( she had this once when she'd gone for rehabilitation swimming several years ago) but vet seemed to think not.
Monday less improvement than had hoped, midnight pony checks were now occurring to make sure see wasnt deteriorating in the night. Apx 1/3 of a bucket of water drank in 2 days, very little hay/haylage eaten. Walked in hand to tempt with luscious green grass and not at all interested. Third phone call to vets + call out. Tubed again, more pain relief and antibiotics administered. Vet says if no better Tues to bring her into clinic.
Tuesday Vet due out for Babys F+T's so she checked Jazz over, she had eaten something and drunk a little and looked a little chirpier...another jab of antibiotics and pain relief, a Bute for her evening feed and a jab for me to give Weds am. After that no pain relief to see if it was masking anything
Tucking up was still very clear, however became more pronounced if she was walked again to tempting grass, trying to encourage her to eat anything she wanted)
Jab Weds morning, some more perkiness, and slightly less of the tucking up, again eaten a small amount but nothing in comparison to her normal consumption.
Thursday morning, and 24 hours after last pain relief, poorly pony again, so a call to the vets and we took her in for tests.
It turns out that she has an abdominal infection septic peritonitis, the last thing Id have expected her to have had! Ultra sound scans showed her organs were clinically normal, but the cell count for the abdominal fluid should be between 1 and 5, and poor girls were 80! When she went in on Thurs. No wonder she felt like c***!!
So she stayed in for 5 days, having belly taps (where they take samples of the abdominal fluid and scans every day or so) and last Sunday her levels were down to 20 (a good reduction I thought in the 3 days shed been in) She had also had an IV line put into her neck, so the directness of the Antibiotics and pain relief were definitely helping.
So we picked her up this Monday after 5 days IV meds, shes come home with a shed load of tablets, Bute and a bottle of Baytrill ( looks like water in a bottle) for her to have until this coming Tuesday when shes due back for more tests.
So my question is .has anyone else experienced this? What did the Vets put it down too?
They have told me that, if there had been trauma to her abdomen infection could have got in that way ( but there isnt) it could be a mass/growth (this is my fear! although trying to be positive), as clinically form the ultra sound it looks ok, and that she should make a good recovery.
Im just worried that she once shes offs the antibiotics- will she have another attack of it? Any information or thoughts is greatly appreciated, and if youve read all of this, copious amounts of G+T are deserved!
I had to hand feed him a bran mash to get something into him.
