Midlifecrisis
Well-Known Member
I joined H&H three years ago when I returned to horses after city life/children and breaking my back in a riding accident.
I bought a beautiful Friesian mare one wild wet windy January and she was a joy from the start - I could ride her anywhere and do anything - pop a jump/dressage/hack for miles and she even gave me enough confidence to let me to take her to Friesian Scotland Show where we got lovely comments from the ridden judge about our partnership/harmony in our ridden show. She was never sick or sorry and only saw the vet for annual injections/teeth and the odd sensitive skin complaint.
In December last year she began to have days when she didn't want to eat - cheerful enough but no hard feed wanted just grass. At Christmas whilst I was away the person caring for her thought she was going to colic because she looked uncomfortable but nothing came of it. On New Years Eve she didn't want to eat and I got the vet out who took bloods and wondered if she was hormonal - no raised temp or heartrate or anything other than not eating.
There followed a sort of pattern - some days eating some days not - no adverse vital signs and I bought foods to tempt her to eat. Weight loss was happening but no other signs of problems no girthiness - droppings as usual drinking as usual - lots of salt lick taken. Then one day a sweating very poorly mare - saliva everywhere - not eating grass - not colicking but got vet - very high temp but not heartrate and started antibiotics for infection - lots of bloods taken and infection markers high. Three weeks of vet visits /bloods taken/all sorts of antibiotics given and still eating on and off. Vet stresses breathing and thinks maybe fluid on or around lungs as lower third not sounding right so we are referred to fabulous Weipers centre Glasgow.
A jolly mare jogged off trailer - having eaten breakfast and having no high temp...six personnel welcome mare and she stands for two and a half hours whilst she is scanned/poked/prodded/bloods taken/sides clipped/body cavity fluids drained and lung problem ruled out but discover that stomach is reaching back to 16/17th intercostal space when should be 13th. Internal organs are all displaced as stomach is so huge. Mare is scoped. The camera cant enter the stomach because food/hay etc poking out of it. Mare is admitted for starvation and days of lavaging and attempting to soften food mass. After 8 days of starvation stomach still not clear and no indication of why blockage has occurred. Stomach is badly ulcerated - unsurprisingly - due to stretching and yet no external ulcer signs leading up to this. Vets slowly introduce slop feed and after two weeks she is allowed home for grass and slop to recover and to see if soft blockage will go.She lost 50kg and is looking very thin. I am feeding through out the night because no hay/haylage or short chop fibres allowed..an hours round trip each visit. We return after a week for scoping - stomach is half full but blockage very soft. Stomach outlet is never seen so we cannot see why stomach is not working properly.
Mare comes home for two weeks - twelve hour turnout - slop -a bit of lunging (in hope the blockage gets squeezed out) and Phototonic red light treatment offered by a friend. Mare is scheduled to return to horsepital on Easter Monday for overnight starvation and scoping the next day. At home she is bright lively inquisitive eating well and herself again. I am weighing droppings - taking temp twice a day - feeding wet slop and yep - praying for a miracle.
On Good Friday she comes in cheerfully - temp is good - she is hungry. Her old owner visits and is surprised to see her looking so well considering what has been happening. A half hour after I leave her that night I get a call to return and she is colicking , trying to roll but poo ing as we walk the arena- so out comes the vet who gives her exam - no high heartrate - no cause for concern in guts he could feel but he gives her large painkiller/sedative shot and I stay with her to see her settled. Ring vet before midnight and he advises get some sleep the drugs will last 6 hours.
Saturday morning 6am 19 of the heads greet me in the barn - my mare is down and very very ill. She bravely tries to get to me and calls to me...I watch and hear her stagger around trying to stand which she eventually does by bracing against the walls. I ring vet and horsepital - mare is given painkiller as the experts talk amongst themselves - its obvious to me this is the end and we all agree. Mare follows me to the arena and within a minute she is put out of her suffering - all before the yard becomes busy. The yard manager was brilliant and moved her body from the arena and was there when the body was collected so I didn't have to witness that part.
It turns out that my mares condition is very rare - only 12 in twenty years in the UK - made difficult to diagnose as problem occurred gradually and only in absolute crisis made itself known. It was a privilege to be her owner and I am grateful to all the help from the professionals - at my vets and the horsepital the body collection service and the NFU who took away the stress of invoice payments etc and now are tidying up all the admin associated with the death.
I miss her terribly and cried whilst I poo picked her last poos from the field yesterday but life goes on and I have started looking for my next horsey friend.
If you have read this far - and it made sense - thank you - its been cathartic to type.
I bought a beautiful Friesian mare one wild wet windy January and she was a joy from the start - I could ride her anywhere and do anything - pop a jump/dressage/hack for miles and she even gave me enough confidence to let me to take her to Friesian Scotland Show where we got lovely comments from the ridden judge about our partnership/harmony in our ridden show. She was never sick or sorry and only saw the vet for annual injections/teeth and the odd sensitive skin complaint.
In December last year she began to have days when she didn't want to eat - cheerful enough but no hard feed wanted just grass. At Christmas whilst I was away the person caring for her thought she was going to colic because she looked uncomfortable but nothing came of it. On New Years Eve she didn't want to eat and I got the vet out who took bloods and wondered if she was hormonal - no raised temp or heartrate or anything other than not eating.
There followed a sort of pattern - some days eating some days not - no adverse vital signs and I bought foods to tempt her to eat. Weight loss was happening but no other signs of problems no girthiness - droppings as usual drinking as usual - lots of salt lick taken. Then one day a sweating very poorly mare - saliva everywhere - not eating grass - not colicking but got vet - very high temp but not heartrate and started antibiotics for infection - lots of bloods taken and infection markers high. Three weeks of vet visits /bloods taken/all sorts of antibiotics given and still eating on and off. Vet stresses breathing and thinks maybe fluid on or around lungs as lower third not sounding right so we are referred to fabulous Weipers centre Glasgow.
A jolly mare jogged off trailer - having eaten breakfast and having no high temp...six personnel welcome mare and she stands for two and a half hours whilst she is scanned/poked/prodded/bloods taken/sides clipped/body cavity fluids drained and lung problem ruled out but discover that stomach is reaching back to 16/17th intercostal space when should be 13th. Internal organs are all displaced as stomach is so huge. Mare is scoped. The camera cant enter the stomach because food/hay etc poking out of it. Mare is admitted for starvation and days of lavaging and attempting to soften food mass. After 8 days of starvation stomach still not clear and no indication of why blockage has occurred. Stomach is badly ulcerated - unsurprisingly - due to stretching and yet no external ulcer signs leading up to this. Vets slowly introduce slop feed and after two weeks she is allowed home for grass and slop to recover and to see if soft blockage will go.She lost 50kg and is looking very thin. I am feeding through out the night because no hay/haylage or short chop fibres allowed..an hours round trip each visit. We return after a week for scoping - stomach is half full but blockage very soft. Stomach outlet is never seen so we cannot see why stomach is not working properly.
Mare comes home for two weeks - twelve hour turnout - slop -a bit of lunging (in hope the blockage gets squeezed out) and Phototonic red light treatment offered by a friend. Mare is scheduled to return to horsepital on Easter Monday for overnight starvation and scoping the next day. At home she is bright lively inquisitive eating well and herself again. I am weighing droppings - taking temp twice a day - feeding wet slop and yep - praying for a miracle.
On Good Friday she comes in cheerfully - temp is good - she is hungry. Her old owner visits and is surprised to see her looking so well considering what has been happening. A half hour after I leave her that night I get a call to return and she is colicking , trying to roll but poo ing as we walk the arena- so out comes the vet who gives her exam - no high heartrate - no cause for concern in guts he could feel but he gives her large painkiller/sedative shot and I stay with her to see her settled. Ring vet before midnight and he advises get some sleep the drugs will last 6 hours.
Saturday morning 6am 19 of the heads greet me in the barn - my mare is down and very very ill. She bravely tries to get to me and calls to me...I watch and hear her stagger around trying to stand which she eventually does by bracing against the walls. I ring vet and horsepital - mare is given painkiller as the experts talk amongst themselves - its obvious to me this is the end and we all agree. Mare follows me to the arena and within a minute she is put out of her suffering - all before the yard becomes busy. The yard manager was brilliant and moved her body from the arena and was there when the body was collected so I didn't have to witness that part.
It turns out that my mares condition is very rare - only 12 in twenty years in the UK - made difficult to diagnose as problem occurred gradually and only in absolute crisis made itself known. It was a privilege to be her owner and I am grateful to all the help from the professionals - at my vets and the horsepital the body collection service and the NFU who took away the stress of invoice payments etc and now are tidying up all the admin associated with the death.
I miss her terribly and cried whilst I poo picked her last poos from the field yesterday but life goes on and I have started looking for my next horsey friend.
If you have read this far - and it made sense - thank you - its been cathartic to type.
