Waiting for the vet, so worried about my old boy.

[Clodagh]

Poor old boy, hope he feels brighter this morning.
Why do horses never colic on nice warm sunny mornings?

 

[Shady]

good morning, hope your boy is ok today? xxx

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

Good morning OP. How is he today? Really hope he's feeling better this morning xx

 

[Lucyloo25]

Hope you are both okay OP and you are not going through this alone.
How is he today x

 

[Evie91]

Hope he is ok -my update.
My old girl had a similar episode just before Christmas - was also in the vile windy weather. She's ok now so hoping your boy makes a similar recovery!

 

[southerncomfort]

Sorry to hear this but very glad that he seems brighter this morning.

Well done you for picking up so quickly that he wasn't right and getting the vet out straight away.

xx

 

[ozpoz]

Another rectal under sedation and tubed 5galls. More sedation to do that and more painkillers. He's turned out now, grazing, and seems reasonably settled atm. Thanks again for all the kind thoughts.

 

[Alec Swan]

A totally different situation, I understand, but I once foaled a mare, out, at 0730 on a Monday Morning, as soon as the foal was mobile, we brought them in to a box with a clean bed. The mare didn't muck that night, which started to worry me a little, she and the foal were turned out the next morning on a clean paddock. She didn't muck that day, NOR that night. By Wednesday she still hadn't mucked and I was starting to seriously worry. I 'phoned the Stud Groom who I knew from Sandringham, and asked if he too would worry. "Yes" was the reply. I 'phoned my vet that night at home and again asked him if he thought that an examination would be an idea. "Leave it till tomorrow" he said.

Thursday morning arrived and she was STILL retaining muck, though was showing no signs of distress, at all. Lunchtime arrived and as the vet drove in the yard, we could hear the mare straining and low and behold, a barrow full! She was never too keen on rectal examinations and I reckon that she'd hung on until the last moment!

The point of this post is that though far from ideal, a horse which doesn't always expel muck on a regular basis isn't necessarily suffering particularly. I'm sure that your old boy will be fine.

Thanks for the update!

Alec.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I so hope this all goes the right way. Can you snatch a little rest for an hour. x

 

[Boxers]

Just caught up with this.

Really hoping your boy is continuing to progress well. Sounds like he was doing ok this morning.

How old is he?

 

[Tobiano]

Best wishes for continued improvement and your boy's full recovery x

 

[ozpoz]

He is 20.He's drinking well - I've had to bring him back in because there is shooting here this pm. he doesn't mind the guns but hates the beaters dogs! My daughter is going to stay with him while I'm at work - they have no electric with the storms at their house anyway. And I'm speaking to the vet at 4 again.

 

[AdorableAlice]

You must be exhausted and now you have to go to work. Fingers still tightly crossed for the boy.

 

[hairycob]

Fingers crossed. These horses sure know how to make owners suffer don't they.

 

[racebuddy]

Hope no news is good news how's your boy doing x

 

[Evie91]

How's he doing today?

 

[ozpoz]

Ozzie update. Appetite normal, poo normal - right now he is hunting for grass in the snow. I beginning to think he got stressed with a tree falling in his field, but I really don't know the cause of it all and have racked my brains/searched the field/ stared at him hoping for answers. : ) I kept him on painkillers, turned out as much as possible, and tried not to panic when all he wanted to do on the 3rd day was sleep.

Thank you everyone who posted so much for the support. I can't tell you what a difference it makes when you live alone somewhere isolated ( by British standards).
My best friend and some wonderful vets gave advice by phone, from a chalet in France, and my lovely family horse sat while I was at work.
I am so grateful for all of it.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Great to hear that he's doing better, but would he eat hay if you put it out? Eating frozen grass is a colic trigger for some horses..

 

[ozpoz]

He won't - there is hay out, being ignored, but I made sure he had plenty before he was turned out.

It isn't as frozen today, despite the snow. It is surprisingly milder here and in a way I think it is safer than the frosty days with no snow but it's good of you to put out that reminder and I was very worried about waiting for the frost to lift a couple of days ago before he was turned out.
It is the wind due tomorrow that I'm worried about. He's anxious in wind since we had a hurricane a couple of years ago (so am I! ).

 

[Merrymoles]

So far this week the forecast has been wrong for us (ie, snow and there hasn't been a flake) so fingers crossed the winds won't be as bad as predicted.

 

[Tiddlypom]

He won't - there is hay out, being ignored, but I made sure he had plenty before he was turned out.

Its sun on frozen/snowy grass here, so I'm being ultra careful with mine, sorry if I sounded a bit of a know all. A good belly full of hay to line the gut before turnout is what I do, too. My cob is prone to gassy colic.

Hope you don't get the forecast gales.

 

[ozpoz]

Me too : ) and you didn't in the least sound like a know all - it could have been life saving info.

 

[Annagain]

So glad this is looking much more positive. The whinnying was what worried me more than anything. My old boy was doing this at me the morning I found him down in his stable and it had a very different ending. Best for him in the end - he was 27 and hadn't suffered a day in his life before this - he'd also eaten a big net full of hay so can't have been in pain for long.