When you lose your horse to EGS what do you do

[FfionWinnie]

Keep my horses at home. Live in the area of Scotland which has the highest incidence of Equine Grass Sickness. Lost two to it in 2 years. Got 5 other ponies on the place. Can't afford to keep them else where and moving isn't really an option.

So what do you do to fill the gaping hole in your heart when your horse of a life time has died of this stinking disease in a matter of hours.

I certainly don't know the answer.

Below is 4pm Sunday, does that look like an ill horse to you?

At 5pm an hour after that photo was taken she was choking and by midnight the vet had seen her twice. She was admitted at 7am Monday morning and was dead by 7pm Monday night.

How do you get over that. Heart is broken.

 

[*hic*]

Couldn't read and run at that. Just sending hugs, big hugs. All one can really say is that at least it wasn't a long drawn out agonised fading. But that didn't give you any time to get used to the idea. You will get used to the idea, eventually you will get used to the pain, you won't get over her but her part of your life will be less immediately awful and the memories can be happy.

Look after yourself.

 

[Nannon]

Sending lots of love, how heartbreaking it's a horrible horrible thing, so sorry for your loss
Run free gorgeous pony xxxx

 

[3Beasties]

I am so so sorry Ffion, what a special mare she was and so pretty too. Such a devastating situation to be in.

Life is so cruel Sleep well H xxx

 

[ester]

OMG FW, I am so so sorry to read that

 

[PollyP99]

Gosh how sad, beautiful you must be devastated, I'm so sorry.

EGS and AM seem very similar in how it takes our beloved animals and how it leaves us feeling on grazing areas. For us we went from the paddock, lost 1 to likely AM and saved the second by intensive treatment , nothing grazes the paddocks now, I went to livery.

I have no words that can help really, I still grieve our mare, she was a dream youngster with such character, we never had a single sign, I found her dead in the field, of course we now know about sycamores....

 

[NeverSayNever]

Im so sorry to read this I lost one to it about 3 years ago and was shocked how quickly it took hold. Really sorry for you x

 

[Luce85]

So sorry for you OP, what a beautiful mare she was
I hope you're as okay as you can be x

 

[Wagtail]

Oh that is just awful. I am so, so sorry. She was absolutely beautiful. You must be devastated. Was it definitely EGS? I didn't know choking was a symptom.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I am so sorry, I am too familiar with this disease, she was a cracking mare x


eta choke can be a symptom, its also a complication in recovering cases.

 

[Tia0513]

I'm so sorry to read this. I lost my boy to this last year and he was gone within 24 hours as well. Absolutely heartbreaking, I know exactly how you feel. It's now 18 months later for me and I still think of him and how bloody unfair it is. I don't know the answer to your question. Time helps soften the pain but the one thing I have taken away from it is that no matter how much you try to do the best for your horses it's not always enough.

I'm really sorry.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Oh no, I followed your posts about this mare, I am so very sorry to hear this.

What a vile disease.

No answers, just hugs. It's just not fair.

 

[Fun Times]

Oh god fw, this is just awful. I have limited knowledge of egs beyond knowing that it is a cruel b*****d so I can't help with anything practical but I couldn't leave this thread without responding as you are clearly and understandably heart broken. I am very sorry for your loss and understand you must feel utterly stuck as regards what to do. But one step at a time and the first step is to try to let that huge hole she has left behind start to heal a little. Its going to be a long process and some days will be worse than others but I can guarantee that in time it will be less painful. She most certainly did not look unwell and you should take comfort in the fact that whatever else it wasn't a prolonged illness. She was utterly utterly beautiful. Please look after yourself and give yourself time to grieve. So sorry. Xxx

 

[Adopter]

What an awful shock for you, a devastating loss. There is no easy answer, let us hope that reasearch will soon give more solutions for EGS and AM.

Sending thoughts and hugs.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Absolutely devastating, I'm so very sorry

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Oh FW, I'm so very sorry for your loss, no wonder you are absolutely heartbroken. I could hardly believe what i was reading, an hour is so little time to go from healthy to on death's door. She really was a super mare, your posts about her have been favourites of mine.

It's so hard to know what you can do to reduce the chances of this happening again. I have no doubts that you are up to date on all the current research and advice anyway. We can only hope that there is a medical breakthrough soon.

 

[FfionWinnie]

At midnight because the choke hadn't cleared, we started thinking EGS. She had a temp and a slightly elevated heart rate. But once she was admitted she stabilised and her temp returned to normal and her heart rate was only slightly elevated (and we only knew it was above normal because I do endurance with her so know what her normal is). At about lunch time they had seen this mass of food on an endoscope, so we started to hope it was just a complex choke. They tried moving it with a tube but no luck. When she came round from the sedation at night her condition deteriorated rapidly. I think once you've seen an EGS horse you know when you see it again. She was dripping in sweat, properly pouring off her like there was a hose on her, her heart rate elevated to 70bpm (normal for her is 34). Her temperature raised. She became seriously depressed and started head pressing. Medication made no difference. When she hadn't responded to the medication and the vet said she was getting worse despite it, I told him to put her down. She let me hold her head while we were waiting for them to get organised and she did a little whinny. I would rather think she was saying good bye than it being due to distress, she hadn't made a sound all day.

I just loved her so much. Had her 6 months and she turned from an obese nappy ignorant horse to just the most perfect horse ever.

Told my five year old daughter that she had died tonight, she wanted to know if she and Barney, her pony who we lost a couple of years ago to the same, would be someone else's pony in heaven. Strangely comforting thought in a gut wrenching kind of way.

 

[Goldenstar]

I am so sorry you have lost your lovely horse .
I dread this disease it's a terrible thing to see and this area suffers too I am nervous as soon as I see all mine lying down at once .
I went once to help where a field of TB young stock has succumbed five where dead or dying the other three went down the following day .

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Oh s h 1 t, so sorry to read of your sad news, horrible for you, so sorry for you in losing her xx

 

[Honey08]

It's just so sad and so sudden. You were doing so well with her and she was so beautiful.

I don't know much about it, it seems such a grey area. Does the vet have any suggestions? Had they recently changed fields or anything? Was it the same field that the previous one died from? I hope that you can get some help/comfort from people that have been through it on here.xx

 

[Boxers]

I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that you have lost your horse. I know nothing about EGS. What a terrible thing.

I had to have a horse PTS a couple of years ago due to a form of arthritis and it was the hardest thing. Time does heal, but you will never forget. Just know that you did all you could and remember the good times you both had. X

 

[Sheep]

I am so sorry for your loss. Look after yourself x

 

[Goldenstar]

FW , the vaccine trial is going on ATM so although you have lost your lovely horse there's hope for the future that you will able to have a horse without the fear of it happening again .
I know it does not help you now but we might be about to get this nasty disease beaten .

 

[nicelittle]

Sorry to hear this x

 

[Clare85]

I'm so very sorry. She was absolutely stunning. Sending huge hugs. Rest peacefully beautiful girl

 

[FestiveFuzz]

So sorry to read this. I saw your thread a couple of months ago on your progress and thought you'd done an amazing job with her. Big hugs.

 

[milliepops]

Have not commented on your threads about her before but had so enjoyed seeing her progress. She looked like a real superstar. So sorry to hear your devastating news

 

[silv]

So sorry to read this, she was a cracking mare, I saw the first photos you put up of her. I used to live in South Ayrshire which was also an area with a high level of grass sickness. Infact there were several properties known for horses on them succumbing to this horrible disease. My friend lost her lovely horse in the same way as you did. I don't know what can be done other than donate to the grass sickness research people and hope the research they are doing eventually finds a concrete cause and cure. It is unheard of here in New Zealand.

 

[BBP]

So so sad for you, I couldn't just read this and not comment, although I have no advice to give just huge virtual hugs. We have liver issues on my land and grass sickness in nearby yards so I know how frightening it is not knowing where they are safe. Take care of yourself.

 

[Bright_Spark]

Very sorry for your loss. What a beautiful mare.