MileAMinute
Well-Known Member
Hi all - wonder if the combined knowledge of this forum could help shed some light on my loan mare who has suddenly gotten ill. She's 19yo, Irish cob, NEVER been sick in her life, vet has only ever been out for vaccs etc
We got a call Friday night off the YO saying Meg had gone down in the field several times in the space of an hour, right by the gate and in quite thick mud (as in somewhere a horse would not normally choose to roll/lie down)
We arrived at yard where she was in stable, lying down, very subdued with ears back.
Vet arrived. Basic obs - 60bpm, resps of 20, very quiet gut sounds, slightly tacky gums. Rectal examination showed nothing.
Gave her buscopan and painkiller and told us to walk her round for about 30 mins to help gut motility.
We ended up walking her for slightly longer as when we brought her back she tried to roll so took her out again.
After walking her, we popped her back in and she laid down, but seemed quite settled and content. We left around 1.30am.
Came back at 6am this morning. She'd eaten no hay and barely drank. A lot more alert and looking out door at horses being turned out, but still a bit lacklustre for her.
Vet came back out. Heart rate down to 48, but resps had increased to 28.
Did another rectal, that was clean.
Fed a tube into her stomach to check for fluid, all was fine there. She then gave Meg a bucket of water through the tube to hydrate her as she'd not been drinking.
She then did a scan of her abdomen, all fine.
She drained some of the fluid around her abdomen, it was bloody (which she admitted could be contamination from the needle) and not very viscous, quite watery.
Vet took bloods as well as the fluid to be analysed. She suspected peritonitis but the only thing missing was a temperature. She gave Meg a bute and a shot of penicillin.
Rang us later in the afternoon. Bloods came back clear. No elevated white cell count or any infection markers. Not dehydrated, U&E's all fine.
Told us to lunge her in trot for around 15 mins, in case her bowel/gut was slightly out of place and needed 'jiggling back in'.
She seemed a lot happier after her lunge, and finally started to eat a bit of hay, albeit tentatively.
Was told to give her another shot of penicillin I/M, which I did tonight, and a sachet of bute in some bran mash, which she polished off!
Left her in her stable, settled and slowly eating again. Vet is coming out tomorrow morning as she's now comfortable and stable to reassess and check her vitals etc again.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? Vet is stumped. There has been no environmental changes to her lifestyle. She lives out 24/7 and hasn't been ridden since Monday. She's in regular work, averaging about 2/3 hacks/schooling sessions a week.
Malteasers and wine for reading, I know it's an essay, trying to cover everything! Will answer any more questions! Thanks
xxx
We got a call Friday night off the YO saying Meg had gone down in the field several times in the space of an hour, right by the gate and in quite thick mud (as in somewhere a horse would not normally choose to roll/lie down)
We arrived at yard where she was in stable, lying down, very subdued with ears back.
Vet arrived. Basic obs - 60bpm, resps of 20, very quiet gut sounds, slightly tacky gums. Rectal examination showed nothing.
Gave her buscopan and painkiller and told us to walk her round for about 30 mins to help gut motility.
We ended up walking her for slightly longer as when we brought her back she tried to roll so took her out again.
After walking her, we popped her back in and she laid down, but seemed quite settled and content. We left around 1.30am.
Came back at 6am this morning. She'd eaten no hay and barely drank. A lot more alert and looking out door at horses being turned out, but still a bit lacklustre for her.
Vet came back out. Heart rate down to 48, but resps had increased to 28.
Did another rectal, that was clean.
Fed a tube into her stomach to check for fluid, all was fine there. She then gave Meg a bucket of water through the tube to hydrate her as she'd not been drinking.
She then did a scan of her abdomen, all fine.
She drained some of the fluid around her abdomen, it was bloody (which she admitted could be contamination from the needle) and not very viscous, quite watery.
Vet took bloods as well as the fluid to be analysed. She suspected peritonitis but the only thing missing was a temperature. She gave Meg a bute and a shot of penicillin.
Rang us later in the afternoon. Bloods came back clear. No elevated white cell count or any infection markers. Not dehydrated, U&E's all fine.
Told us to lunge her in trot for around 15 mins, in case her bowel/gut was slightly out of place and needed 'jiggling back in'.
She seemed a lot happier after her lunge, and finally started to eat a bit of hay, albeit tentatively.
Was told to give her another shot of penicillin I/M, which I did tonight, and a sachet of bute in some bran mash, which she polished off!
Left her in her stable, settled and slowly eating again. Vet is coming out tomorrow morning as she's now comfortable and stable to reassess and check her vitals etc again.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? Vet is stumped. There has been no environmental changes to her lifestyle. She lives out 24/7 and hasn't been ridden since Monday. She's in regular work, averaging about 2/3 hacks/schooling sessions a week.
Malteasers and wine for reading, I know it's an essay, trying to cover everything! Will answer any more questions! Thanks
xxx
) but only in til 2pm so will be racing back to yard! 
She is, and always has been, a 'larger' cob, but now her ribs are visible when moving. You can feel them but not see them when she's stood still.
