spasmodic colic

[jules9671]

i need some advice, my horse showed signs of colic 8am yesterday, the vet came out gave hime some drugs which helped him, then at 3pm he got worse so called the vet again who came and gave him a different drug this also helped for a few hours,but from 6.30pm he has been im pain again,pawing the ground(he is in his field),getting up and down,rolling.but he is still eating grass,i foned the vet at 10.30pm to see if this is normal and she said if he is still eating then he is not too bad, but i have been up through the night to check on him and he is still acting the same, can anyone confirm this is the way he will be, the vet did say it could take a 1-2 days before he got better,as for pooh he has passed but since 6.30pm i have not seen any, but ihave not been in the filed with him constantly
any advice would be a help

 

[Happy Horse]

Personally I would not be happy to wait if he is still showing colic signs. Did they rectal him or pass a stomach tube - if htey did this with negative findings I would be less concerened particularly if he is passing droppings normally but for the horses sake it seems unfair to leave him in pain to get over it. I would speak to the vet again.

 

[kick_On]

defo phone vet

 

[sillygillyhorse]

Get the vet to come back immediately. If you can stable your horse then do so, that way you can properly monitor how many dropping he/she is passing and their consistency (sorry to those eating breakfast) as well as water intake etc.

As for still eating being a sign of him being OK I would not be happy with this unless he had been stomach tubed. I had one with postive result to stomach tube and given the chance he still stuffed his face!

I appreciate your vet saying it can take 1 -2 days for him to get better but IMO it should not take that length of time to relieve the symptoms. Yes you horse may be a bit lethargic for some days but I would not ever want to see a horse showing colic signs for this length of time.

Dont panic but be firm about the vet (or another vet from the practice) coming back out. If your horse does need surgery then the quicker this is carried out the better the proceedure/recovery is

 

[H's mum]

Poor you - Colic is awful - so worrying - but it's so high risk - you can't sit there and wait as so much can go wrong - Did the vet carry out a stomach tap? Or an internal to find out whether there are any blockages - Colic can come about due to viruses and also due to over-indulgence - Have you had a lot of wind/warm weather? Is there a surge of grass? If so I'd definitely get him into the stable and monitor him more closely.
Good luck and let us know how you get along
Kate x

 

[Maggie2]

Needs to be seen by a vet NOW. I have seen horses that eat with .serious colic impending that eat for comfort rather than hunger.

Yes, they can have a sore tummy for a day or two, without coilic symptoms, but you need to know exactly what is happening if he has failed to respond to the drugs by now, and also if he is passing or not, so the suggestion about stabling him is absolutely right.

 

[jules9671]

the vet has came out and did a rectal exam there are lots of dung there, gave him more drugs and i have to keep a close eye on him, if he does not get any better by this afternoon they will come back and do a blood test,they still think its spasmodic colic,im away to keep and eye on him but hopefully by this evening i can say everything is ol
thanks for the replies

 

[seaview]

My mare was once soo ill with collic they were talking about operating, she was still trying to eat at that stage!
Good luck keep us all posted
Nat
x

 

[jules9671]

so far so good, he has passed dung and he is eating so i hope it has passed but wont really know till later this afternoon when the drugs wear off
i will keep you posted

 

[monstermunch]

I would be concerned if he is still showing signs of discomfort especially if he is rolling a lot. eating doesn't mean he is ok. Definately get the vet out again the longer you leave it potentially the more risk there is. You may find he is fine but it's better to be safe than sorry!

 

[Dougie]

spasmodic colis is usualy very painful but quickly relivied, its not meant to go on for days. where abouts in scotland are you? thinking of how close you would be to the vet schools

 

[jules9671]

well i think we are out the woods now,he has been passing droppings and no colicky symptoms since this morning.fingers crossed

 

[MagicMelon]

Yeah, it should be over pretty quickly so its odd its taking a while. One of ours had spasmodic colic about 3 times (within about 2 months), vet injected him with those relaxing drugs and within minutes he was fine again!

 

[GTs]

Eating while feeling sick is always going increase the recovery time. Also passing manure is not 'the all clear' many people think it is.

 

[Marilyn]

The next door neighbour's horse had sand colic which recently due to the dry summer and bare grass...could it be something like that?