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Barnyard Buddies:  miserable cold day with a colicking horse  |
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 19 2011 : 12:44:59 PM
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This day sure could have gone alot better,I got up this morning to my Daughter's new little Arab mare having spasms and collapsing and rolling and she's got a full blown bout of colic.
Yesterday she was scouring and depressed acting but otherwise eating and exercising in pasture so I let her be but today she's bad off so I've so far dosed her with an IV injection of banamine and found a couple of her manure piles,they are almost entirely sand,I don't know how she's managed to get this much sand considering she's been always fed off the ground.
So I have now tubed her and pumped some mineral oil down into her stomach and am keeping my vet posted as to her condition,the weather is bad and he's got two other horses down that need alot of treatment so I'm kind of flying solo right now,hopefully it will resolve for her.
I'm going out to check on her every twenty minutes,looking for a change in her,I hope that banamine kicks in soon.
Please keep little Missy in your prayers if you will,she's a lovely little horse and I hope she gets a break on this colic soon!
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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MEWolf
True Blue Farmgirl
358 Posts
Margaret
Byers
Colorado
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - Dec 19 2011 : 12:52:43 PM
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Jiggles for Missy. What a horrible day to colic (not that there is ever a good day for that)!!! Will keep you both in my thoughts.
Margaret
“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808-1882)
Farmgirl #3020
www.grey-wolf-farm.com |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Dec 19 2011 : 5:53:57 PM
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I am so sorry to read of the problems with your Daughter's horse - I do not raise horses but it sure sounds like you are doing everything right. This weather today is not helping - I have my eye on one of my Billies closely and this weather is chilling to the bone. Hope it eases off soon. Please keep us up to date - will keep the dear one in my thoughts.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Dec 19 2011 : 6:48:16 PM
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well i know very little about horses. i am happy to hear you caught it. with your good care i bet she is better in no time. sorry you have had bad weather.keep us posted sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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Megan
True Blue Farmgirl
155 Posts
Megan
Hudson
South Dakota
USA
155 Posts |
Posted - Dec 20 2011 : 12:57:13 AM
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i feel for you, my mule went down sunday night, hope thing are looking up. Im glad you know what your dealing with, my husband had never seen colic before and didnt know what was wrong. good luck will keep her in my prayers
www.rockriverexoticsandkennel.net |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Dec 20 2011 : 07:14:21 AM
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I hope the mare is doing better today! Hopefully she is passing everything well. I think I am going to start a tradition of doing a round of Sand-Clear on my mare every 3 months just to make sure that she is staying clean inside. What a scary thing to go through!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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Kim L.
True Blue Farmgirl
162 Posts
Kimberly
Knoxville
TN
USA
162 Posts |
Posted - Dec 20 2011 : 09:53:55 AM
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Kathryn, I hope she is doing better today. It seems like they always pick the worst weather days to colic :(
~Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.~
Mother Teresa
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StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Dec 20 2011 : 10:16:49 AM
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Kathryn, How is your horse doing today? I can do a lot of things for my horses, but I think tubing them would be a reach for me. I'm glad you were able to manage it though, and I hope it did the job.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
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StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Dec 20 2011 : 10:20:39 AM
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Megan, Were you able to save your mule? Mine went down one night right before a big thunderstorm. I just happened to notice right before I went inside for the evening that she was rolling and spent the night with her in the barn, keeping her upright and moving. Thankfully she got over it without the vet's assistance, who was off taking care of sick cattle that evening.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - Dec 20 2011 : 2:09:39 PM
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Hi Ladies,sorry I didn't get back last night,the mare is doing a little better,I've got her on banamine and she seems alot more comfortable today,we had alot of snow blow in last night and the vet was attending some other serious cases so I called it off on him coming out last night and today we're just watching the mare to see how well she does,so far she seems better but still a little depressed,she's eating and pasing some manure,there's an awful lot of sand in it,so much that I'm starting to wonder if she's been eating it on purpose,she's been pooping almost pure green sand!
I've seen sand in horse manure before but never this much,she's got access to minerals so I can't see why she would actually eat it on purpose or if she did but I'm really bewildered at the amount of sand she's passing.
I feed psyllium once a month but am going to start adding beet pulp as part of the regular ration,everything I've researched said that it can also help move sand through the digestive tract.
We haven't had her very long and the place she was at before they fed her on the ground so I'm wondering if I'm dealing with an accumulation that has taken place over a long time or if she's consumed that much sand since she's been in our corral,it is sandy here but we've got mats down and I feed her in a tub.
Anyways,we're still watching her,I'm not quite sure she's entirely done yet with this but I'm holding off for now,watching her and if she seems to get bad again I'm going to have the vet out now that the roads are clear.
We got quite a fairly abrupt snowfall that made last night miserable but Colorado is strange and it's nice today.
Megan,I hope your mule is doing well,my Husband is the same way,he looks at this mare and wonders what all the fuss is about and thinks she looks fine but when you've been around horses a long while you get to where you can see these things more acutely!
I hope all is well for you ladies and your animals,I will let you know if there are any changes,thank you for your well wishes for little Missy!
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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Megan
True Blue Farmgirl
155 Posts
Megan
Hudson
South Dakota
USA
155 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 09:41:26 AM
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My Mule is doing ok know, not sure how old he is and thinking that we might need to change his diet, or possibly his pen mate.
Glad to here that your mare is on the mend.
www.rockriverexoticsandkennel.net |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 11:00:05 AM
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Have you thought about feeding your mare Sandclear or psyllium husk powder a few times a week?
Or do you do this already?
When I was a zookeeper at the zoo near Palm Springs (nothing BUT sand everywhere) we dosed the zebras with psyllium husk I think twice a week. While still working there I remember loosing one that had a sand bollus as big as a small basketball. So from that point on, the zebras were fed in bunk style feeders welloff the concrete pads.
HOpe your horse is feeling beetr in a few days!
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 11:01:58 AM
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Megan I'm glad your mule is better and that you can resolve the cause of his colic,sometimes with older equines it can help to just adjust the diet to deal with thier impaired digestive ability or teeth wear,I know a lady who ran her hay through a chipper shredder for her donkey that was old and had worn teeth and that worked well for her.
As my thoroughbred aged he progressively became a harder keeper and also had COPD so I went from soaking his hay to feeding a complete senior feed until we finally had to put him down due to his breathing difficulties.
Anyways,little Arab mare seemed to be getting better and responding to treatment but she's relapsed and back in a sorry state again,the vet came out last night and gave her some water through a nasogastric tube and pulled a bunch of manure out,it is is sand that is her problem.
She's still on banamine and if she doesn't start coming around I'll probably haul her to the vet clinic and see where to go from there.
My vet and I are in agreement that if it comes down to surgery that we will probably put her down because we're both not fans of the odds of recovery and long term health after colic surgery.
I would hate to come to that point because she's a great little mare and I would hate to lose her and my Daughter's other horse has got navicular and arthritis and we were making plans to put him down soon,we;ve been keeping him going with corrective shoeing,medications and such but it's getting about that time for him to ride on ahead.
What a bummer of a week and all coming up to Christmas and more bad weather coming in,I'm trying not to get down but I'm starting to be visited a bit by the chicken of depression.
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 11:07:26 AM
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Anna we must have been typing at the same time,yes I feed psylium on a regular basis,I do a monthly purge (seven day) with it but we haven't had this horse but a month and so she's only had one purge week since we got her and apparently it wasn't quite enough.
She was fed on the ground at her previous owners and so I'm thinking she's had a long term build-up but there's been so much sand in her bowels that it almost causes me to wonder if she's actually been eating it deliberately,either in search of minerals or some deficiency.
She has access here to both a mineral block and loose trace minerals as well as a salt block so I can't imagine why she would do this but sometimes animals and the things that happen with them don't always make sense to us.
Sand colic is one of the most prevalent types around here and I tried to take precautions by feeding in a tub over a mat and feeding sand clear but it still managed to strike me.
I'll keep all you gals posted on the mare.
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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MEWolf
True Blue Farmgirl
358 Posts
Margaret
Byers
Colorado
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 4:21:34 PM
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Hi Kathryn, I will keep you and Sweet Missy in my thoughts, and send you "positude" that she recovers. This is a tough time, especially with the weather. We feed psyllium too, but switched to a twice a week instead of once a month, because our Vet recommended we switch. Apparently once a month does not do it for most horses.
Hang in there Darlin!
Margaret
“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808-1882)
Farmgirl #3020
www.grey-wolf-farm.com |
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MaryLD
True Blue Farmgirl
861 Posts
Mary
New Braunfels
TX
USA
861 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2011 : 5:50:48 PM
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I'm sending lots of support and healing thoughts your way. I'm so glad you can do all the basic vet care, esp in the weather were are having, with the vet having been busy.
Sooo nerve wracking when an animal is ill. All us farmgirls are praying she will pull through!
Mary LD
Haflingers- You can't have just one!
( I'm just one short of a drill team!) |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 1:10:20 PM
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Colic is such an awful thing to go through-for you AND the horse! I constantly worry about colic. I almost had to call the vet out once, but luckily it turned out to be food agression (Who knew horses could have food aggression?). The horse is alone in the pasture, so the only other animals he'd come in contact with were chickens, cats and dogs. But whenever I'd come around with food he'd get really irritated and act like he was trying to roll, and trying to pee, but wouldn't---anyway, I'm glad everyone's animals are alright! :)
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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queenmushroom
True Blue Farmgirl
985 Posts
Lorena
Centerville
Me
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - Dec 23 2011 : 2:19:44 PM
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what an awful time of year to be dealing with colic. Sorry to hear about your mare. Could be stress related (new home) but where on earth did she get so much sand? I've never personally dealt with colic, but a close friend of mine would also dose with mineral oil to help slide things through. Just a thought. Good luck.
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
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MEWolf
True Blue Farmgirl
358 Posts
Margaret
Byers
Colorado
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - Dec 23 2011 : 8:46:50 PM
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Lorena,
Kathryn and I live in Colorado and the soil out here is sandy! I was surprised too when we moved here. It is really important to feed the horses out here psyllium so they do not get a build up. Even then it i snot fool-proof.
Merry Christmas!
Margaret
“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808-1882)
Farmgirl #3020
www.grey-wolf-farm.com |
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Lieberkim
True Blue Farmgirl
839 Posts
Kimberly
Sunnyside
WASHINGTON
USA
839 Posts |
Posted - Dec 24 2011 : 07:05:48 AM
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Hope the little mare is still improving. This time of year colic seems to pop up. Silly horse, why would she eat so much sand? I'm thinking it doesn't taste that good. And if you've got mineral available for her, I just don't know. Sometimes animals do strange things, or maybe we're just to dense to figure out what they are telling us!!!! Do keep us updated on how she's doing. I fall to pieces when anything happens to my horses. Just over a year ago I lost my mare Nevada, had her 18 years. Now I'm all worried something will happen to my Hijuelo (he'll be 21 this spring).
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
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Megan
True Blue Farmgirl
155 Posts
Megan
Hudson
South Dakota
USA
155 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2011 : 08:47:07 AM
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any updates on the little mare.
Coloic is so hard to deal with, i had a mare almost die from it and never has had a case since, other it just keeps coming back.
I hope this was a one time deal!
www.rockriverexoticsandkennel.net |
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2012 : 1:20:27 PM
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Hi Ladies,
So sorry to leave you all hanging on this one,I got real sick with some flu-like plague then developed a horrible ear infection that needed treatment and so I haven't been online or getting around very much since just before Christmas.
Now the big bummer,little Arab mare developed peritonitis,my vet was treating her aggressively but she got real bad off and so we elected to put her down,it was a terrible thing and my Daughter was real upset but we hit the wall in treating her and could do no more for her,she was on antibiotics and fluid therapy but it didn't seem to be bringing her around.
Well everyone,sorry to be such a bummer with bad news,thank you all for the well wishes,I do appreciate the support.
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2012 : 07:19:07 AM
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Kathryn - I am so sorry to read that you had to make that decision - it is never an easy one and I have had to do that many times of the years of caring for animals. Sometimes the kindest thing to do is love them enough to let them go... I know your daughters heart is breaking and please let her know that I am with her and your family in the lose.
Also, I am very sorry to read you were down with that bug that is going around. I know many folks who are struggling with it and I am working hard to fend it off. You are lucky to have others around you to pick up the work while you heal. I hope it all will be gone very soon and that you will be back 100% very soon. I am sending healing thoughts your way.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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forgetmenot
True Blue Farmgirl
3602 Posts
Judith
Nora Springs
IA
USA
3602 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2012 : 08:34:29 AM
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Kathryn, I'm so sorry you lost your little Missy. I agree that sometimes its hard to let go, but the kindest thing to do. It sounds like you did all you could.
We had that bug around here too. It just keeps going round and round.
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the belief that something is more important than fear." Ambrose Red Moon |
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RedHoopWoman
True Blue Farmgirl
513 Posts
Kathryn
Yoder
Colorado
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2012 : 11:25:14 AM
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Thank you ladies for the kind words,it's been rough thes epast couple weeks,I was heartsick over that mare and even though I hated to lose her I was relieved for her when we did put her down because I had said to my Husband several times that I thought that mare was dying and that maybe there was more than colic going on with her,if I had known she had developed peritonitis sooner I would have put her down sooner to ease her suffering,it was such a miserably cold night on the night we put her down and I just feel heartsick that the last night she had was full of pain and cold and I think that bothers me more than anything.
I was so sick,we put that mare down,I came in the house and went right to bed and stayed there until Christmas and then went right back to bed when that was over!
Anyways,I'm getting better and getting around and getting things done,I have a colt that still needs some training work before his owners pick him up but I'm going to hold off for awhile,this ear infection has yet to clear up and I feel so off balance,I'm not sure I want to climb up on a colt that's a little snorty until I get to feeling back to normal :)
I have had alot of good help through all this,my Brother even came out from the Springs and helped throw hay and bury the horse and raven (my Daughter) has been doing all the small animal chores so I've got a good support system.
Well ladies,I hope all is well for you,thanks for listening to all this depressing stuff and offering support,I try not to be such a bummer and promise to be back to normal again soon!
"Today's Mighty Oak is just Yesterday's Nut" |
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MaryLD
True Blue Farmgirl
861 Posts
Mary
New Braunfels
TX
USA
861 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2012 : 7:59:30 PM
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Kathryn,
We all live and die by the kind of stuff you are going through!!! None of us ever want to be all alone when this kind of stuff is happening. I am sending love and prayers to you, to Raven, and in memory of the lost mare.
May happier times be on the next horizon.
Mary
Haflingers- You can't have just one!
( I'm just one short of a drill team!) |
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Barnyard Buddies: miserable cold day with a colicking horse |
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miserable cold day with a colicking horse
