ShadowFlame
Well-Known Member
I feel like I need to write this somewhere. Sorry it's long.
Rodney would have been 6 on 8th June. Yesterday, he was taken to his first ever show. He was brought in first thing (his first night back out after winter, but he was muzzled to stop him gorging himself), given a bath, pampered, gussied up, and we set off for the one hour hack up to the showground. We weren't entering, we were going for a wander round out in the sunshine.
We got there around 12.30pm. The show was being held at our old livery yard, which we moved off nearly 12mths ago. He recognised where he was going down the lane towards the entrance - he started jogging, calling to the other horses, they called back. It was sweet.
We got there, we stood around talking for a while, Rodney was eager to keep moving and getting himself excited. It was at that point his head went down and I could feel him going to roll. I kept him moving, figuring that it was a warm day, he'd been bathed, he was a little sweaty from riding up there. Nothing to worry about.
He persisted with wanting to roll, I got off, he went down. He didn't roll, he just lay flat on his side. I got him back up, took all his tack off, and took him over to the yard away from the commotion. He started to sweat, and his back end started to give way on him. I called the emergency vet. It took him half an hour to arrive, by which time he was dripping in sweat and it was taking 3 of us to keep him on his feet. The vet administered painkillers, to no effect. He administered more painkillers, along with muscle relaxant. This took the edge off for a while, but he was still obviously in a lot of pain.
Vet's verdict was that it was about as serious as it gets, and he needed emergency colic surgery. He was put straight on a trailer and taken down to Tewkesbury, whereby he was admitted straight into theatre after a quick assessment. Colic symptoms began around 1pm, by 3pm he was on an operating table.
At 8pm I finally got a phonecall stating that his gut has twisted 720 degrees and we'd only just got him there in time. His gut was badly damaged, but the tissue was still alive and he had come round after the anaesthetic. Had he been an older horse, they wouldn't have risked going through with the procedure. He was critical for the next 3-5days, but providing he was stable in the morning I'd be able to visit.
At 9.20pm, my phone rang again. He'd collapsed, and they'd been unable to resuscitate him. The strain put on his cardiovascular system had caused his heart to give up, and he passed peacefully around an hour after surgery. I went to see him and say my goodbyes, but words can't describe how I feel right now. My best friend, my soul mate, my world. 9hrs previous, we had been happily hacking out in the sunshine. Cantering down bridleways, taking care of the other nervy horses with us. It's scary how fast things can change. My only consolation is that I was there when it happened, so it was made as comfortable as possible.
Rest in peace my amazing boy, you really were one in a million.
Rodney would have been 6 on 8th June. Yesterday, he was taken to his first ever show. He was brought in first thing (his first night back out after winter, but he was muzzled to stop him gorging himself), given a bath, pampered, gussied up, and we set off for the one hour hack up to the showground. We weren't entering, we were going for a wander round out in the sunshine.
We got there around 12.30pm. The show was being held at our old livery yard, which we moved off nearly 12mths ago. He recognised where he was going down the lane towards the entrance - he started jogging, calling to the other horses, they called back. It was sweet.
We got there, we stood around talking for a while, Rodney was eager to keep moving and getting himself excited. It was at that point his head went down and I could feel him going to roll. I kept him moving, figuring that it was a warm day, he'd been bathed, he was a little sweaty from riding up there. Nothing to worry about.
He persisted with wanting to roll, I got off, he went down. He didn't roll, he just lay flat on his side. I got him back up, took all his tack off, and took him over to the yard away from the commotion. He started to sweat, and his back end started to give way on him. I called the emergency vet. It took him half an hour to arrive, by which time he was dripping in sweat and it was taking 3 of us to keep him on his feet. The vet administered painkillers, to no effect. He administered more painkillers, along with muscle relaxant. This took the edge off for a while, but he was still obviously in a lot of pain.
Vet's verdict was that it was about as serious as it gets, and he needed emergency colic surgery. He was put straight on a trailer and taken down to Tewkesbury, whereby he was admitted straight into theatre after a quick assessment. Colic symptoms began around 1pm, by 3pm he was on an operating table.
At 8pm I finally got a phonecall stating that his gut has twisted 720 degrees and we'd only just got him there in time. His gut was badly damaged, but the tissue was still alive and he had come round after the anaesthetic. Had he been an older horse, they wouldn't have risked going through with the procedure. He was critical for the next 3-5days, but providing he was stable in the morning I'd be able to visit.
At 9.20pm, my phone rang again. He'd collapsed, and they'd been unable to resuscitate him. The strain put on his cardiovascular system had caused his heart to give up, and he passed peacefully around an hour after surgery. I went to see him and say my goodbyes, but words can't describe how I feel right now. My best friend, my soul mate, my world. 9hrs previous, we had been happily hacking out in the sunshine. Cantering down bridleways, taking care of the other nervy horses with us. It's scary how fast things can change. My only consolation is that I was there when it happened, so it was made as comfortable as possible.
Rest in peace my amazing boy, you really were one in a million.
