This message is from: Nancy Hotovy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello -
I just hung up from talking to Lisa Pedersen a few hours ago and she convinced me to tell the following story. I promise to keep it short. Our stallion, Anvil's Torbjorn had colic surgery in 1991. I was in the barn working all day and he was fine. Went down to feed around 4:00 and he was laying down quietly. He NEVER lays down during the day unless sunning himself so I got him up and within a few minutes he laid down again. Called the vet (my boss) and he came out and tubed, rectaled, and banamined him and told me to take him to the clinic. I was very suspicious when I wasn't told just to watch him. Left him at the clinic and called back a couple hours later only to be told they were preparing for surgery. My friends and I went into the clinic around 1:00 AM to find him looking awful but recovering. He had a torsion of the large intestine and I was told, it was a good thing it was caught early (Rich and I were going out line dancing that evening) as he would have been dead by the time we got home. I'm just repeating the above story (told it before on the digest) so everyone will not beat themselves up when something happens to their horses. It is not always a problem that can be prevented. Toby had drank water, eaten his hay, been out for exercise that day. Why did it happen?? Who knows? I am also one who likes a definite answer to every problem - - but sometimes we really don't know why. I have always had tank heaters in the winter (Electric bill $200.00+ this month with 5 heaters) and fed good clean alfalfa mixed hay. I will say that in the past we have had horses with mild colic episodes that tubing mineral oil and banamine have taken care of successfully, however, in the past 3 years I have switched to a pelleted feed instead the grain I used to feed and no colics at all. Knock on wood. I think maybe it's a little easier to digest. I will say my horses drink more water in the winter than in the heat of the summer so I do believe that water intake has a big influence on impaction type colics. Without a necropsy it is impossible to be positive about what really happened to your horse - however sometimes necropsy's done (even at a university) do not tell why. It is very frustrating but true. Horses in pain with colic will sometimes stretch out as if to urinate, paw the ground, nip at their sides, pick up one hind foot then the other, etc. There are many different ways each individual horse will show pain. I wish peace of heart for each of you that have recently lost a horse. It is very difficult but sometimes there is nothing you can do to change the outcome and at least you will always have your memories. Wishing everyone a Great New Year. Nancy
