Right Dorsal Colitis - anyone had any experiance of management??

[kombikids]

So ponio seems to be still on the mend, is off the drip and eating like crazy with the runny poo going slowly, altho have been warned he can deterioate quickly so "hes not out of the woods yet". Just wondered is anyone has any experiance of the above, particulary when a horse has very significant arthritis and needs bute to manage it to be ridden in walk and trot 3x a week or even to stay field sound - but of course as this causes RDC he wont be allowed it.

Also doing research on the net it says he wouldnt be allowed any hay and for the first 3 months has to have pelleted food every 4 hours (livery yard wont like that!)


also read theresa threat of laminitus???

just so scared how to manage this - any advice appreciated.

 

[Ladybird]

Have you looked into natural alternatives to bute? I don't know anything about them myself but I've heard of devils claw?

 

[Marnie]

I had a navicular horse that had a similar although not so extreme reaction to bute - although I think that I was lucky to catch it early, I was moving yards and Maverick (horse) had what looked like cigarette burns on his lips, I was worried that they were something contagious so asked the vet to look (it was while I was doing my PhD at one of the vet schools). While he was looking, Maverick passed extremely loose droppings and the vet identified both symptoms as a reaction to bute - he even got pictures taken of the sores on his lips and ulcers in his mouth to show students. We took him off bute immediately and the ulcers healed and the diarrhoea stopped fairly quickly. I did have problems keeping weight on him at times afterwards, although never tested, the vet thought that the bute reaction may have caused intestinal scarring leading to less efficient absorption of nutrients, so that may be something that you will have to look out for.

As regards being able to keep him comfortable, would danilon be a possibility? I know that it is supposed to be more 'gentle' than bute, but I don't know about after a bute reaction. There are a number of other pain killers, they tend to be more expensive than bute which is why they aren't used so often - probably best to discuss with your vet. Same with any of the 'alternative' painkillers such as devils claw. I kept Maverick 'field sound' for a considerable period of time with no pain killers, just good shoeing, keeping his legs warm (seemed to help) and being careful about the ground when he was turned out.

My boy was on adlib hay with no problems - I suggest (as I know that you will do so probably stating the obvious!) talking to the treating vet again.

Re: laminitis - I think this is a potential problem after any illness, although I thought it was usually after things like bacterial infections. Could be wrong though....

Wishing you all the best, I think keep talking to your vet, following their instructions and seeing how things go are the best options. Keep us updated!